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| Tiered temple built upon an artificial mound. Designed to elevate temples to the gods. May represent mountains from whence the Sumerians originated (make gods more comfortable) |
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| Early Egyptian tombs to house the dead in their afterlives. Designed to simulate houses, but constructed primarily of bricks. |
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| Stone monolith with a pyramidal top which represented the Sun God Ra. Eventually superseded the pyramids as Egypt's vertical markers. |
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| Massive, monumental gates in temples such as Luxor. Engraved with scenes symbolizing the Pharaoh's authority vs. disorder. Represents the horizon; rising and setting of sun in between two hilltops. (Ties into theme of death and rebirth.) |
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| Architectural style that used straight horizontal beams on top of columns rather than arches. |
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| A slight convex curve in the shaft of a column, introduced to correct the visual illusion of concavity produced by a straight shaft. Also may have represented a muscle in arms or legs, as a visual expression of the load. |
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| Arch-supported architecture. |
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| Public assembly hall in Rome, centered around a nave. Later adapted by Christian churches. |
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| Tiered wooden buddhist tower with curved roofing, inspired by indian buddhist architecture. Originated in China, spread to Japan. Supported by a single wooden beam. |
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| Niche in Islamic mosques that indicate the direction of Mecca. |
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| Fragmented vaulted ceiling with many concave surfaces. Often represented geometric patterns. Either built into the masonry or suspended from ceiling. |
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| An arch between a pier and a wall. Used in Gothic architecture to support large, steep roofs. |
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| Rectangular column built into a wall. |
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| An aligned series of doors. (see Versailles) |
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| Rice straw mats that govern the layout and dimensions of a traditional Japanese house. |
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| A simplistic and symmetrical style inspired by the Classical Greek and Roman styles. |
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| Free standing post that supported buldings elevated above ground. (see Villa Savoye) |
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| Beam with an I shaped cross-section. Efficiently resists Bending (flanges) and Shear (web) forces. |
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