Basilica of Maxentius and Constantine in the Roman Forum Where is the Basilica of Maxentius? The Basilica of Maxentius was the last building the emperors built in the Roman Forum before the fall of Rome. [...]
Basilica Julia, Rome - in the Roman forum What was a Roman forum? At the center of most Roman cities was a big open space called the Forum. People met [...]
Basilica Aemilia, Rome What is a basilica? Sometimes the Romans had things they wanted to do in groups, but inside, out of the weather. Then they met in a basilica [...]
Church of St. Sernin, Toulouse, France In 1080 AD, the church of St. Sernin in Toulouse was a busy place. Charlemagne had given the church some saints' relics, and many people stopped to pray [...]
Medieval cathedrals: Façade of Amiens cathedral in France What is a cathedral? A cathedral is any Christian church where a bishop has his headquarters. No matter how big a church is, if there's [...]
Buttress of St. Germain des Pres (Paris, 1100s AD) A buttress holds up a wall A buttress is a big pile of stone that keeps a building's walls from falling down. [...]
Hagia Irene in Istanbul (ancient Constantinople) What is an apse? An apse is a rounded end of a building. You most often find an apse in a basilica or a [...]
Side aisle of the Abbaye aux Dames (Caen, 1050 AD) What is an aisle? An aisle (you pronounce it EYE-yull) is the part of a Roman basilica or a medieval [...]
African buildings: Hathor temple at Naqa (modern Sudan), ca. 10 AD African buildings in stone In the first centuries AD, African architects kept building more stone buildings, as trade continued to increase, [...]
