Ross

Architecture Timeline
Explore architecture through the ages
By Jackie Craven
This page provides a quick history of architecture in the Western world, from prehistoric megaliths to modernistskyscrapers. Follow the links to find articles and photos for each period and style. Please note that architecture is a fluid art. Architectural styles do not start and stop at precise times, and the dateslisted here are approximate.
Architecture in Prehistoric Times
Before recorded history, humans constructed stone circles, megaliths, and other structures.
Ancient Egypt
3,050 BC to 900 BC Inancient Egypt, powerful rulers constructed monumental pyramids, temples, and shrines.
Classical
850 BC to 476 AD From the rise of ancient Greece until the fall of the Roman empire, great buildingswere constructed according to precise rules.
Early Christian and Medieval
373 to 500 AD. European architecture moved from the rectangular basilica forms to the classically inspired Byzantinestyle.
Romanesque
500 to 1200 AD As Rome spread across Europe, heavier, stocky Romanesque architecture with rounded arches emerged.
Gothic Architecture
1100 to 1450 AD Innovative builders createdthe great cathedrals of Europe.
Renaissance Architecture
1400 to 1600 AD A return to classical ideas ushered an "age of "awakening" in Italy, France, and England.
Baroque Architecture
1600 to1830 AD In Italy, the Baroque style is reflected in opulent and dramatic churches with irregular shapes and extravagant ornamentation. In France, the highly ornamented Baroque style combines withClassical restraint. Russian aristorcrats were impressed by Versailles in France, and incorporated Baroque ideas in the building of St. Petersburg. Elements of the elaborate Baroque style are foundthroughout Europe.
Rococo Architecture
1650 to 1790 AD During the last phase of the Baroque period, builders constructed graceful white buildings with sweeping curves.
American Colonial Architecture...