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Master Builders
Today, the professions of architect, engineer and construction worker are well-known. Yet, from the earliest civilizations of Mesopotamia, Egypt, Greece and Rome, the "master builders," who planned and directed the design and construction of many of the greatest structures, held one of the most prestigious positions in society. The fact that some of these structures -- thousands of years old -- remain standing, and many of these same engineering sciences are still used, pay tribute to the abilities of these master craftsmen who were responsible for all steps in the "design-bid-build" project delivery method.
Before the existence of master builders in design and construction, the Code of Hammurabi referred to building as a simple process. Produced approximately between 1792 to 1750 B.C., this is the first known building code. Its rules and responsibilities and acceptable standards of workmanship were carved on stone tablets. Failure to adhere to these standards led to stiff and sometimes fatal penalties (Jackson 5). The code addressed the work of a master builder. It is interesting in that it viewed faulty design and improper construction as one unit (Beard, Loulakis and Wundrum 13) with five specific laws were geared towards the builder: 1) If a builder builds a house for someone, does not construct it properly, and the house which he built falls in and kills its owner, then that builder shall be put to death; 2) If it kills the son of the owner, the son of the builder shall be put to death; 3) If it kills a slave of the owner, then he shall pay slave for slave to the owner of the house; 4) If it ruins goods, he shall make compensation for all that has been ruined and inasmuch as he did not construct properly this house which...
If then the walls seem toppling, the builder must make the walls solid from his own means (ibid 15). Thus, it is clear that some sort of established building tradition was in place, although not a great deal is known about it. Nevertheless, it was demonstrably urban and comprised a form of social status. There was a rise in status for the most experienced of the builders and they would come later to be designated "master builders." These builders gained greater skill with the demands of urbanization and civic projects. Those cities with advanced opportunities for builders would become civilisations with construction at the centre (Jackson 5).
Mesopotamia
The first use of a term equivalent to "master builder" occurred as early as the religious texts and building inscriptions in Mesopotamia, the "cradle of civilization" in the valley of the Tigris and the Euphrates Rivers and later the Indus and Nile River areas. Excellent agricultural conditions led from the evolution of the hunter-gatherer society to agricultural communities with sustained farming methods and permanent constructions within walled areas. Today, this area which is now part of Iraq, once included lavish city-state kingdoms such as Sumer, Babylon, and Assyria from about 5,000 to 500 B.C.
Kapelrud explains that many of the accounts of temple building, which were noted by Gudea of Lagash, Moses and Solomon as well as writings in the Ras Shamra tablets of the early 14th century and the Babylonian Enuma elish, included similar steps in architectural construction such as: 1) an indication that…
Architecture through the Ages Mesopotamia Construction in ancient times is second only to agriculture-it reaches back as far as the Stone Age and possibly further (Jackson 4). Before the existence of master builders in design and construction the Code of Hammurabi (1795-1750 B.C.) referred to design and construction as a simple process (Beard, Loulakis and Wundrum (13). Hammurabi was the ruler of Babylon, the world's first metropolis and he codified his
Houses permitted the people to move from a nomadic existence to a settled and more organized way of life. The majority of the houses were square with other rooms built on. The palaces of the early Sumerian culture were the political, economic and religious focal points of the city; large-scale, lavishly decorated, and consisted of rooms used to house craftsmen and such. Archaeological finds have also revealed them to
It consists a series of successively smaller platforms which lifted to a height of about 64 feet, and was constructed with a solid core of mud-brick covered by a thick skin of burnt-brick to guard it from the forces of nature (Burney). The Ziggurat's corners are oriented to the compass points, with walls sloping slightly inwards (Molleson and Hodgson) . The Ziggurat of Ur was a component of a temple
The study of physics, optics and biology of the eye contributed to the development of the quadrant and sextant. The Islamic world also created the concept of a library. The Crusades of the eleventh century brought the learning of the Islamic world to Europe unfortunately this information was acquired by the act of war. The Crusades also increased the flow of trade, bringing new spices, gemstones and foods to Europe.
Thomas Aquinas led the move away from the Platonic and Augustinian and toward Aristotelianism and "developed a philosophy of mind by writing that the mind was at birth a tabula rasa ('blank slate') that was given the ability to think and recognize forms or ideas through a divine spark" (Haskins viii). By 1200 there were reasonably accurate Latin translations of the main works of Aristotle, Euclid, Ptolemy, Archimedes, and
Olmec Civilization Long before the Maya, Aztec or Toltec flourished in Central America, there lived the Olmecs, a civilization that has come to continue to intrigue and amaze the world. They were the most prevalent group in Mesoamerica and a highly developed and well organized society with a complex calendar and hieroglyphic writing system. The Olmecs were the mother civilization in Mesoamerica. The Olmec lived around the areas of La Venta in