Overview
Why do you think that the Roman Empire ultimately failed? Are we following the same path? Make sure you elaborate on your post. One page equivalent is required. Make your answer very clear. GIVE EXAMPLES AND BE CLEAR. Also, a reply is required to get the points. Please read below carefully. You need to really think about it. Avoid the term: " I feel." This is about critical analysis. Points are earned or lost on these premises.
1. Answer why you think the Empire failed. Give CLEAR reasons.
2. Answer if WE are following the same path and clearly WHY OR WHY NOT.
********reading:
1. https://softchalkcloud.com/lesson/serve/IVGPyclS8X...
2. Domes become popular in Roman architecture. One of the complexities of this is how to support the dome without severely altering the floorplan. For the Romans, it was, for the most part, a simple task. If you look at the Pantheon, You can see that the dome sits on a cylinder that looks perfectly logical. Take a cylinder and top it with a half circle [dome].
Now,exemplified in the Early Christian era, there is a more complex task that architects accomplished. Fitting a dome over a SQUARE space required some careful calculations. Pendentives are rather triangular shaped support under the dome that enable its creation. The support travels down from the dome to the floor.
Lastly, the complexity of style during the Byzantine period often favored a dome on SQUINCHES. To simplify an explanation: Squinches "pinch" the base to fit the dome. It visually "pleats" it into a form.
Interestingly enough, all three styles of domes have remained through time as examples of architectural problem solving. So, the next time you are in a building with a dome...ask yourself if it is on a cylinder, pendentives or squinches!