Incredible Buildings of the Ancient World! Egypt, Greece and Rome

In this ongoing course, we will take a close look at incredible buildings of the Egyptian, Greek and Roman World.  Each class will focus on one specific building or site in order to understand the history, special features, building techniques and innovations of the period.   The lesson will begin by locating the area on a map, and then we will jump directly into the background of the special building. The students will learn about the arts, culture and context in which the building was created, but also about certain mysteries surrounding the construction of some of the structures.  The importance of architecture as a political tool will also be explored. I teach in an open lecture style, where I go through engaging slides, stories, ancient texts, and information.  Students are asked open-ended questions throughout the lesson and are encouraged to ask questions of me at any time. The informal tone of the class invites the learners to participate as they feel comfortable.  Each class is a standalone topic despite sharing some geographic or cultural elements with other classes in a series. Information on the buildings will not overlap or require previous knowledge. I use PowerPoint documents to present the material.

Egypt:  Series of 4 classes
Week of November 18, 2024, Topic 1:  The Pyramids of Egypt 
Week of November 25, 2024, Topic 2: The Valley of the Kings/Queens  
Week of December 2, 2024, Topic 3: Thebes and its temples
Week of December 9, 2024 ,Topic 4: Amarna and its significance

Greece:  Series of 4 classes
Week of December 16, 2024, Topic 5: Mycenae and the Mycenaean World 
Week of January 6, 2025, Topic 6: Acropolis, part 1. The Parthenon, Athens
Week of January 13, 2024, Topic 7: Acropolis, part 2. The Erechtheion, Temple of Athena Nike and Pinakotheque, Athens
Week of January 20, 2025, Topic 8:Delphi

Rome:  Series of 4 classes   
Week of January 27, 2025, Topic 9:  The Pantheon, Rome, Italy
Week of February 3, 2025, Topic 10: Hadrian’s Villa, Tivoli, Italy
Week of February 10, 2025, Topic 11: The Colosseum, Rome, Italy
Week of February 17, 2025, Topic 12:Aquae Sulis, Bath, Britain and Roman engineering
    
New series begins:
Egypt:  Series of 4 classes
Week of February 24, 2025, Topic 1:  The Pyramids of Egypt 
Week of March 3, 2025, Topic 2: The Valley of the Kings/Queens  
Week of March 10, 2025, Topic 3: Thebes and its temples
Week of March 17, 2025 ,Topic 4: Amarna and its significance

Greece:  Series of 4 classes
Week of March 24, 2025, Topic 5: Mycenae and the Mycenaean World 
Week of March 31, 2025, Topic 6: Acropolis, part 1. The Parthenon, Athens
Week of April 7, 2025, Topic 7: Acropolis, part 2. The Erechtheion, Temple of Athena Nike and Pinakotheque, Athens
Week of Apri 14, 2025, Topic 8:Delphi

Rome:  Series of 4 classes   
Week of April 21, 2025, Topic 9:  The Pantheon, Rome, Italy
Week of April 28, 2025, 2024 , Topic 10: Hadrian’s Villa, Tivoli, Italy
Week of May 5, 2025 Topic 11: The Colosseum, Rome, Italy
Week of May 12, 2025, Topic 12:Aquae Sulis, Bath, Britain and Roman engineering
    
We will ask the following questions:
•	What is special about these structures and who built them? 
•	Are there other examples elsewhere? 
•	What came before and after these structures?
•	Were new techniques/innovations used by the architects? Are these techniques and innovations still used today?
•	Are the buildings still standing today?
•	Why is the site so important?

We will look at all these topics with the use of my own visuals from archaeological excavations and museum collections.  Approximately 10  minutes at the end of the presentation will be reserved for the learners to ask any questions they may have and to draw features of the structures. After the completion of the 12 topics, the course will begin once more with Topic 1 at a later date.