Scribd
Upload
92 views

Famous Structures

The passage describes several famous prehistorical and ancient structures from around the world, including: Newgrange in Ireland, a megalithic passage tomb built around 3200 BC. Stonehenge, a massive stone monument in England built around 2000 BC. The Great Sphinx of Egypt, built in the 4th dynasty around 4500 years ago. The Parthenon in Athens, Greece, the chief temple to Athena, completed by 438 BC. It then discusses structures from Asia, Africa, South America and the United States, such as: The Great Wall of China, built in the 3rd century BC to defend against nomads. The Forbidden City in Beijing, China, the world

Uploaded by

fofolicious
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOC, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
92 views

Famous Structures

The passage describes several famous prehistorical and ancient structures from around the world, including: Newgrange in Ireland, a megalithic passage tomb built around 3200 BC. Stonehenge, a massive stone monument in England built around 2000 BC. The Great Sphinx of Egypt, built in the 4th dynasty around 4500 years ago. The Parthenon in Athens, Greece, the chief temple to Athena, completed by 438 BC. It then discusses structures from Asia, Africa, South America and the United States, such as: The Great Wall of China, built in the 3rd century BC to defend against nomads. The Forbidden City in Beijing, China, the world

Uploaded by

fofolicious
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOC, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 3

Famous Structures

Prehistorical and Ancient

The megalithic passage tomb at Newgrange in Ireland covers over


an acre and was constructed around 3200 B.C. Buried for centuries,
the mound was rediscovered in 1699 and was restored starting in
1962. The tomb is extensively decorated with spiral and lozenge
shapes. At the winter solstice, the rising sun shines down a long
passage and lights up a cross-shaped chamber.

Stonehenge, a massive circular megalithic monument on the Salisbury Plain in southern


England, is the most famous of all prehistoric structures. Thought to have been built c.
2000 B.C., it may have been used as an astronomical instrument to measure solar and
lunar movements.

The Great Sphinx of Egypt, one of the wonders of ancient Egyptian architecture, adjoins
the pyramids of Giza and has a length of 240 ft. Built in the fourth dynasty, it is
approximately 4,500 years old. A 10-year, $2.5 million restoration project was completed
in 1998. Other Egyptian buildings of note include the Temples of Karnak, Edfu, and Abu
Simbel and the Tombs at Beni Hassan.

The Parthenon of Greece, built on the Acropolis in Athens, was the chief temple to the
goddess Athena. It was believed to have been completed by 438 B.C. The present temple
remained intact until the 5th century A.D. Today, though the Parthenon is in ruins, its
majestic proportions are still discernible.

Other great structures of the ancient Greek world were the Temples at Paestum (c. 540
and 420 B.C.); the famous Erechtheum (c. 421–405 B.C.), the Temple of Athena Nike (c.
426 B.C.), and the Olympieum (begun in the 6th century B.C.) in Athens; the Athenian
Treasury at Delphi (c. 515 B.C.); and the Theater at Epidaurus (c. 325 B.C.).

Asian, African, and South American

The Great Wall of China (begun c. 214 B.C.), designed


specifically as a defense against nomadic tribes, has large
watchtowers that could be called buildings. It was erected by
Emperor Ch'in Shih Huang Ti and is 1,400 mi long. Built mainly
of earth and stone, it varies in height between 18 and 30 ft.

The Forbidden City (1407–1420) in Beijing served as the seat of


imperial power during the Ming and Qing dynasties (1368–1911).
It is the world's largest palace complex, covering about 183 acres and including 9,999
buildings.

Typical of Chinese architecture are the pagodas, or temple towers. Among some of the
better-known pagodas are the Great Pagoda of the Wild Geese at Sian (founded in 652)
and Nan t'a (11th century) at Fang Shan.

Other well-known Chinese buildings are the Drum Tower (1273), the Three Great Halls
in the Forbidden City (1627), Buddha's Perfume Tower (19th century), the Porcelain
Pagoda, and the Summer Palace, all at Beijing.

The painted wooden Torii, or Gateway, at Miyajima Island, Japan, stands in the tidal flats
opposite the historic Itsukushima Shrine. Built in the traditional Shinto style, with two
columns supporting a concave crosspiece on top, the gate serves to welcome the spirits of
the dead as they come from across the Inland Sea.

United States

The Statue of Liberty was designed by Fredéric Auguste


Bartholdi of Alsace as a gift to Americans from the people of
France. The statue of a female figure holding a torch in her raised
hand was accepted on Oct. 28, 1886, by President Grover
Cleveland. The 225-ton steel-reinforced copper structure stands
on Liberty Island in New York Harbor. It is 152 ft tall and stands
on a 150-foot pedestal.

The Gateway Arch, located on the riverfront in St. Louis, Mo., is a tapered curve of
stainless steel rising to 630 ft. The tallest manmade memorial in the United States, the
Arch was designed by Finnish-born U.S. architect Eero Saarinen and built between 1963
and 1966. Visitors can ride to the top in specially devised capsule-like tram cars.
Mount Rushmore (6,000 ft), in South Dakota, became a
celebrated American landmark after sculptor Gutzon Borglum
took on the project of carving into the side of it the heads of
four great presidents. From 1927 until his death in 1941,
Borglum worked on chiseling the 60-foot likenesses of
Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, and Theodore Roosevelt. His
son, Lincoln, finished the sculpture later that year.

You might also like