Elementary Architecture Trivia Quiz

Answer: Pyramids

We usually associate pyramids with Egypt, but they are also found in many other countries. There are the remains of over 80 pyramids in Egypt; many of them exist only in ruins, because later people found them to be convenient sources of stone, and dismantled them to build other structures. Pyramids in Egypt were used as burial places for the pharaohs, but in other cultures they served as temples to the gods or as observatories.

Answer: Tomb

When King Mausolus of Caria died in 353 BC, his wife (and sister) Artemisia, was heartbroken. She sent to Greece for the most famous architects and sculptors to build her late husband a magnificent tomb. The structure was made of white marble, and covered with sculptures depicting scenes from Greek mythology. It was also adorned with many statues, and on top were four massive horses pulling a chariot in which images of Mausolus and Artemisia rode. It became so famous that any elaborate tomb began to be called a mausoleum, a word we still use today.

The Mausoleum at Halicarnassus stood for many centuries; it was destroyed by an earthquake in the 13th century. Later, in 1494, the Knights of Saint John destroyed most of what was left, using the marble to construct Bodrum Castle, which still stands today. Many of the beautiful carvings were destroyed when they were burned to make lime. A few statues were preserved, and are now in the British Museum.

Answer: Temple

The Parthenon was a temple dedicated to Athena, the patron goddess of Athens. Work began on it in 447 BC, and it was completed only nine years later. It was designed by the architects Iktinos and Kallikrates, and held a huge gold-and-ivory statue of Athena sculpted by Phidias. It was also used to house Athens' treasury.

In the fifth century the Parthenon was converted to a Christian Church, and later, after the Ottoman Empire conquered Greece, a mosque. In 1687 the Parthenon was being used by Ottoman officials as an ammunition dump, and was severely damaged by an explosion. As in the case of many monuments from ancient times, many of its priceless statues and carvings were lost forever when the local people began burning the marble to make lime. Between 1803 and 1812, Lord Elgin rescued many of the remaining statues and friezes, and sent them to England. They were later purchased by the British government, and can be seen at the British Museum, where they are known as the "Elgin Marbles."

Answer: Baths

Ancient Rome was a city of between 500,000 and one million people. This meant that a large number of public baths were built all around the city. Some were modest structures; others, like the Baths of Caracalla, shown here, were magnificent structures indeed.

The Baths of Caracalla were built between 211-217 AD, and were named for the ruling emperor, Marcus Aurelius Septimius Bassianus Antoninus, who was called Caracalla after a type of cloak that he habitually wore. The entire complex covers 62 acres, and could have served up to 1,600 people at one time. It was so large that it had its own aqueduct, the Aqua Antoniniana, to supply it with water. It was beautifully decorated with statues, paintings, and intricate mosaics. In addition to the baths themselves, there were shops, libraries, and rooms for sunbathing.

After the fall of the Roman Empire, the Baths remained open, but were finally closed in the sixth century and gradually fell into disrepair. Some of the magnificent columns that once adorned the Baths can be seen in the Basilica di Santa Maria in Trastevere, where they were taken in the 12th century.

Roman baths were elaborate complexes; the frigidarium, tepidarium, and caldarium were the names of the cold, warm, and hot baths respectively. Since the Romans did not use soap, they would work up a sweat in the caldarium, and then cover themselves with olive oil, which a slave would then scrape off with an instrument called a strigil. They would then wash off the remaining oil and cool down in the other rooms.

Answer: Cathedral

Cathedral comes from the Greek word "cathedra," meaning seat or chair. Thus a cathedral is a church which contains the seat of a bishop. Cathedrals are often very imposing structures, and some of them in Europe took many centuries to build. Salisbury Cathedral, like many others, is built in what is called the Gothic style.

The main body of the cathedral was built in a remarkably short time, from 1220 to 1258; by comparison, the cathedral in Cologne, Germany took over 600 years to finish! Salisbury Cathedral's tower and spire were added in 1320, and it remains the tallest church spire in the United Kingdom to this day.

Answer: Castle

It is difficult to define exactly what a castle is. In the broadest sense, it is defined as a "fortified private residence." Castles are usually associated with royalty or nobility, but the majority of them, such as Sizergh Castle in Cumbria, were built and owned by the gentry. The same is true of Bodlam Castle in Sussex, which is shown here. It was built by Sir Edward Dalyngrigge in 1385. Dalyngrigge was a knight, but not a nobleman. Many castles have towers and battlements, but others do not. Because of differences in opinion as to what constitutes a castle, it is hard to say how many castles remain in the United Kingdom, but the number is probably between 600 and 700.

Castles were built to withstand sieges, and with the advent of gunpowder and cannons, they became essentially obsolete by the the 16th century. There was a revival of interest in castles during the 19th century, and many "mock castles" such as the famous Neuschwanstein Castle in Germany were built. Today ancient castles are still popular tourist attractions, and many have been refurbished and serve as private residences or hotels.

Answer: Palaces

Our word palace comes from the Palatine Hill in Rome, where the ancient Roman emperors had their residences. As in the case of of castles, there is no set definition of what constitutes a palace; what separates a palace from other grand and stately mansions seems to be that a palace must have some kind of royal or governmental connection, however tenuous, but there are some exceptions to this rule.

The one shown here is Iolani Palace, which was built by King David Kalākaua, and completed in 1882.

It remained the residence of the Hawaiian royal family until 1893, when the monarchy was overthrown and Hawaii was annexed by the United States.

Answer: Hotels

Even in ancient times there were inns that provided food and a place to sleep for weary travelers. What seems to differentiate a hotel from an inn is size and the number of services provided. Our word hotel is derived from the French word "hostel." The first use of the word to mean "a place that provides food, lodging, and other services for paying guests," was not noted until 1765.

But the 19th century saw a proliferation of hotels, as railroads made traveling easier, and urban areas grew rapidly.

There are almost five million hotel rooms in the United States; many hotels, like Le Bellagio, are found in Las Vegas, Nevada. The world's largest hotel is the Izmailovo Hotel in Moscow, with 7,500 rooms. The second largest is the Venetian in Las Vegas, with 7,017 rooms. Six out of ten of the world's largest hotels call Las Vegas home.

Answer: Skyscrapers

Multi-storied buildings are not new; in ancient Rome people lived in large apartment houses called "insulae," which could be up to ten stories high. But there was a limit as to how high buildings with masonry walls could reach. The higher the building, the thicker the walls had to be to support the weight, and the greater the danger of collapse.

Two inventions led to the development of the modern skyscraper: the elevator and steel-framed construction. Think about it. What use would a 100 story building be if you had to walk up all those stairs to reach the upper floors? Fortunately, Elisha Otis invented the modern elevator in 1852. Not long afterwards, architect William Le Baron Jenney came up with the idea of building a steel frame to help support a building's weight, and the modern skyscraper was born.

The first modern skyscraper, the Home Insurance Building in Chicago, which was built in 1885, stood a whopping ten stories high! Improvements in design and construction techniques followed rapidly, and now buildings standing over 1,000 feet tall are commonplace.

Answer: Factory

The American English Dictionary defines the word "factory" as: "a building or buildings where people use machines to produce goods." If we use this definition, factories have existed since ancient times. For example, there were factories in ancient Rome that produced the millions upon millions of clay amphorae needed to transport wine, olive oil, and other foodstuffs. But the modern factory is a direct result of the Industrial Revolution.

The first factories relied on water power to turn their machinery; this was later replaced by steam. Many of the earliest factories in Great Britain were dedicated to producing cloth. Working conditions in these early factories were terrible, hours were long, and the pay was low, even by 18th century standards. Eventually factories producing other goods began to appear. Most factories produced a single product, or type of product.

In the early 20th century, Henry Ford introduced the assembly line, and factories began mass producing products. Today, the Boeing Everett Factory, in Everett, Washington is considered the world's largest factory. It covers nearly 100 acres!