The Beginnings of Architecture: The Eternal Present : A Contribution on Constancy and Change (The A.W. Mellon lectures in the fine arts, 1957) Bollingen Series XXXV

by Siegfried Giedion

An original account of ancient Egyptian and Sumerian architecture from an acclaimed architectural historian

In The Beginnings of Architecture , Sigfried Giedion examines the architecture of ancient Egypt and Sumer. These early builders expressed an attitude of immense force when they confronted their structures with open sky. Giedion argues that it was during these periods that the problem of constancy and change flared up with an intensity unknown in any other period of history, and resolved eventually into the first architectural space conception , the automatic, psychic recording of the visual environment.

Genres: Architecture, Art

604 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1981

Reviews

[Valentín Serrano García]

A pioneer. But long and dated in some sections.
Read Jean Clottes and David Lewis-Williams

[Sarah]

skimmed. not for someone who doesn't know anything about architecture.

[Alexa Cohen]

I found it very interesting. But it's not an easy read for those who know nothing - or care nothing - about the first civilizations.