This is the Ambulatory and Apse chapels of the Abbey church of Saint Dennis. This was the first Gothic structure that was developed in the 12th century made by Abbot Sugar. The ambulatory is the passageway surrounding the central part of the choir and the apse is the semi circular vaulted structure at the east end of the church at the termination of the choir. Suger created this because he believed that the older building was inadequate to accommodate the crowds of pilgrims who arrived on feast days to venerate the body of Saint Dennis. His inspiration came from the follower of Saint Paul who was known as Dionysus which is the Greek form of Dennis. Dennis considered radiant light a physical manifestation of God. An important innovation in Romanesque and Gothic architecture was rib vaulting. The circular part around is called the plan of the choir which retains the key features of the Romanesque pilgrimage church with the circular apse surrounded by an ambulatory which radiate seven chapels of uniform size. This area creates and open space surrounded by colorful, glowing stained glass. The use of the colored glass creates a tangible visual of light as it passes through the window. Suger saw this as a means of illuminating the soul and uniting it with God.

This is the Cathedral of Notre-Dam in Paris, France. The naturalism of its sculptures and stained glass windows are in contrast with earlier Romanesque architecture. This is one of the first buildings to use the flying buttress because the walls were thinner and the large windows stress fractures began to appear. The flying buttress was designed so that it would transfer the weight outward. The statues around the outside were used for column support and water supports. Among these statues are the gargoyles designed for water runoff. The gargoyles were also used for scaring people into going to church. The pointed arch for the entrance was influenced by Islamic architecture.

This is the Santiago de Compostela or the Cathedral of Saint James which dates back to 1078 to 1122 CE. This is believed to be the burial place of saint James the Great who was one of the apostles of Jesus. King Alfonso 2 of Asturias and Galicia ordered the construction of the temple and is believed to be the first pilgrim to the shrine. Since the middle ages it has become an important place to pilgrimage. The building is romanesque but it later had editions from Gothic and Baroque architectural designs. An expansion was later created for the worshipers so that they could freely move around the church’s perimeter.

This is the Bayeux Embroidery dating back between 1066 and 1082 CE. It is a strip of embroidered linen with wool that recounts the history of the Norman conquest of England and the events leading up to it concerning William the Duke of Normandy and Herold the Earl of Wessex and later the king of England. On it there are 50 surviving scenes which includes 600 human figures and 700 horses, dogs, and other creatures and 2000 inch high letters. In order to make this first the outline was stitched, then parallel covering threads were laid down, then it was anchored with crosswise stitches, finally those were tied down with the couching stitches.

The Cathedral of Saint James is a important memorial for the apostle of Jesus. The Bayeux Embroidery tells a story through images, it almost feels as if you are reading a book.

This is the nave of the church of Saint Cyriakus which was constructed in Gernode, Germany in 973 CE. Just like the early christian or Carolingian basilica the interior has a naive flanked by side aisles. But it is different in that the design of the three level wall elevation creates a rhythmic effect distinct from the uniformity that had characterized earlier basilicas. The church was built by Gero who was a collaborator of emperor Otto 1 for his son Siegfried who had died heirless. The church has had additions put in during the 11th and 12th centuries which include the west crypt, side galleries, the enlargement of the west work and towers.

This is the Torhalle gatehouse in Lorsch, Germany during the 9th century. The gate house uses architecture from the Carolingian era with preserved sculpture and painting from that period. This gatehouse was commissioned by Charlemagne. The gatehouse has elements of Roman triumphal arches and also uses the venacular Teutonic heritage of polychromic masonry.

Both of these architectures use elements from the Carolingian era.

This is the Maya Stela number 16 found in Tikal, Guatemala. The text in the top left indicates the time when the stela was made which says December 5, 711. This was an important ending date for the Mayans in that they switched over the calendar to the new year. The name of the ruler (Jasaw) depicted on this stone is located on the cartouches on the bottom. On the top of the leaders head there is a headdress with a skull mask which probably represents a deity that the ruler was impersonating for the ceremony. The rulers head peers out from all of his finery with large jade earpools and a long bar or nose ornament that reaches out in front of his face. On the rulers back there is a backrack with feathers on them, the feathers most likely came from the quetzal bird. The necklaces around his neck were made of jade and bone, this whole costume was to show off his wealth and power. The ruler also wears a bealt decorated with three jade masks, one in the middle and two profile style on the hips.

This is the portrait of Pakal the Great from Pakal’s tomb from the 7th century CE. The height of the statue is almost 17 inches and was found with Pakal’s sarcophagus. On his head he is wearing a diadem of jade and flowers which represents his importance. The skull is elongated because of a type of baby head binding they did in order to achieve the ideal shape. There are traces of pigment on the statue indicating that this statue was painted which is characteristic of Mayan sculptures.

Feathers and jade were the most important materials in mesoamerica so the display of feathers and jade in both of the statues was a show of wealth and power. The stela was a celebratory piece of art while the portrait of Pakal is for Pakal’s burial. In both of these they were shown with great power due to what they wore and how they were shown.

This is the Great Zimbabwe also known as the Imba Huru or Great Expansion. The wall is about 800 feet in length, 32 feet in height, and 17 feet thick. This ruined city in the southern hills of Zimbabwe used to be the capital kingdom during the country’s late iron age. The city spans to an area of 1780 acres and could have housed up to 18,000 people. Great Zimbabwe also served as a royal palace for the Zimbabwean monarch. Great Zimbabwe was thought to be a major trading center extending as far as China, the main export being gold and ivory. The decline of the city was probably linked to the decline of trade after it exhausted its supply of gold.

This is the Great Friday Mosque in Mali, this building was rebuilt in in 1906 because the original was destroyed. This building is made of sun baked bricks known as ferey and then coated in plaster. The building is decorated with sticks projecting out 2 feet known as toron, this made it possible to climb the walls of the mosque for repairs. On the roof of the building there are ceramic half-pipes which are used to direct rainwater and the roof vents allow hot air to escape. The building also has three square shaped minarets each of which has its own mihrab.

The buildings were made for two different purposes, the Great Zimbabwe was primarily a trading town while the Great Friday Mosque is primarily used for prayer and rituals.

This is the Mamluk Glass Oil Lamp from Cairo, Egypt in 1329 to 35 CE. This oil lamp is made up of blown glass, polychrome, enamel, and gold. The oil lamp has a height of 14 inches and a diameter of 9 3/8 inches. These oil lamps were commissioned in large numbers for many mosques built in Cairo by the Mamulk Sultans and their Amirs. The lamp has a verse from the Quer’an comparing Gods light with that of a oil lamp that doesn’t need fire to stay bright. These were suspending from the ceilings in groups hanging from a circular metal frame.

This is the canteen with Christian and Islamic Motifs from the mid thirteenth century in Syria. The canteen is made of brass and has a diameter of 14 1/2 inches. Madonna and her child is centered in the middle of the canteen on a throne. The canteen only ways about 11 pounds when it is empty but when water is added it can be up to 66 pounds. In the middle of the band there is an inscription but it is illegible. The images are also flattened and elongated to conform to the shape of the canteen.

This is Herod’s temple also known as the second temple because it replaced the first temple made Solomon. Herod had to get a thousand priests to work on the inside of the sanctuary because it was holy ground. The temple is made out of limestone and the setup is similar to Greek and Roman architecture in that it has a whole area that leads to the actual important part which in this case is the sanctuary. It is different from the previous styles in that it has walls instead of pillars making it look more like a castle. It is also different in that it doesn’t have any sculptures, plants, or paintings.

This is the menorah and the arc of the covenant from the 3rd century AD found in the underground catacombs underneath the city of Rome. The reason this was hidden underground was because Judaism in Rome was practiced in secret. In this painting we see two menorahs on either side the arc of the covenant. The ark of the covenant was a holy Jewish object which was believed to hold the law tablets, the circumcision knife, the shofar, etc.