Arabian (Early-Christian Byzantine) cupola-church:

Spengler uses Arabian but means Magian.  Church of the Saints Sergius & Bacchus, completed 536 AD, former Orthodox church, Constantinople (converted into a mosque during the Ottoman Empire), commissioned by Justinian I; domed (cupola) church, dome rests on an octagonal base created by 8 arches on piers, divided into 16 sections; the sections above the flat sides of the octagon are flat & contain a window at their base, alternating with sections from the corners of the octagon that are scalloped, creating an unusual kind of pumpkin dome; its plan was a model for Hagia Sophia.

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pendentive cupola: * see illustration <>

constructive device permitting the placing of a circular dome over a square room or an elliptical dome over a rectangular room; they are triangular segments of a sphere, taper to points at the bottom & spread at the top to establish the continuous circular or elliptical base needed for the dome.

 

the basilica:

see above page 199

 

the octagon:

Octagons were used by the Romans (Nero 54-68 AD in his Domus Aurea, or "Golden House").  The octagonal "Golden Octagon” of Constantine, 327 AD at the imperial palace, Antioch may have been both the cathedral of Antioch & the court church of Constantine.  It set the precedent for the later octagonal planned churches proximate to palaces.  Example of these are: Saints Sergius and Bacchus, Hagia Sophia (both by Justinian & in Constantinople), and Aachen Cathedral by Charlemagne.  Although not part of a palace complex the Basilica of San Vitale" (Ravenna) also follows an octagonal plan.  An octagon is an excellent shape for baptisteries & reliquaries due to the suitability of those shapes for assembly around a single object. The octagonal Lateran Baptistery (440 AD) or the baptistery of the Holy Sepulchre may have been the first of these & the style spread during the 5th century.  In the 6th century domed & octagonal planned churches became popular styles.

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architrave and column: * see Endnote<B>

see illustrationü

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spherical and polygonal forms: * see Endnote <C>

see illustrationü

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S. Vitale (Ravenna): * see Endnote <D>

526-47 AD; begun by Bishop Ecclesius when Ravenna was ruled by Ostrogoths.  Famous for its Byzantine mosaics, largest & best preserved outside of Constantinople.

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Hagia S Sophia (Constantinople):

former Greek Orthodox Christian basilica, seat of the Patriarch of Constantinople (later an Ottoman imperial mosque), 532-37 AD, commissioned by Byzantine Emperor Justinian I; famous for its massive dome, it is the epitome of Byzantine architecture, world’s largest cathedral until Seville Cathedral (1520).  Designed by the Greek geometers Isidore of Miletus & Anthemius of Tralles.  It was dedicated to the Wisdom of God, the Logos (2nd person of the Trinity).

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Dome of the Rock, Jerusalem: * see Endnote <E>

Islamic shrine, on the Temple Mount, Old City Jerusalem; completed 691 AD on order of Umayyad Caliph Abd al-Malik during the Second Fitna (political and military disorder that afflicted the Islamic empire during the early Umayyad dynasty).

 

lateral depth:

perception of depth by lateral (meaning from side to side) movement, common when an observer is on a moving object, wherein objects that are close move by quickly and objects that are far away (such as mountains) move by slowly.

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bull tablet (1st Dynasty, Egypt): * see Endnote <F>

aka The Bull’s Palette, Abydos; 3100 BC during reign of Pharaoh Namar).

 

Aachen Minster: * see Endnote<G>

796-805, Aachen, W. Germany, one of the oldest cathedrals in Europe, constructed by order of Charlemagne, who was buried there after his death in 814.   Uses 3 distinct architectural styles: first, the core of the cathedral is the Carolingian-Romanesque Palatine Chapel, modelled after San Vitale at Ravenna, secondly, the choir was constructed in the Gothic style, finally, there are portions that show Ottonian style, such as the area around the throne.