Egypion and Soudanesc.—The earliest developed architecture of which there are authentic records was that of the Egyptians. The general plan of their structures was naturally determined by climatic conditions, and the details expressed the simplicity of their requirements in the rigid form of the stony materials at hand. The Egyptian required his dwelling not so much as a protection from wind and rain as for a storehouse for his goods and as a shelter for his family. The private dwelling- was therefore of very simple construction, the walls being composed merely of lattice work and of tiles of Nile clay. The separate premises were defined by walled enclosures, the larger part of the space being occupied by an open court, and the various rooms being built ag-ainst the inner side of the walls. The house i.vas generally of two stories, the lower for sleeping-rooms, while the tipper was left open to the sky. Diodorus speaks of four- and five-storied houses, but these were rare exceptions. Figure I (pi. 12), delineated ac cording to his description, is a sketch of an Egyptian dwelling of the bet ter class. The Soudanese house (fig. 2) naturally partakes of the plan of its Egyptian neighbor, and has a marked resemblance to it in its general outlines.
Assyrian.—The dwellings of the Assyrians in the early stage of their development were small dome-shaped brick huts which received light only through the open door, aud which were surrounded by a wall enclosing a small court. From the surrounding wall of this court was developed the old Asiatic house, which finally expanded to the proportion of a comfort able dwelling, as seen in Fig-ure 3. Over the chambers witich fronted the court there was carried a flat roof, which in favorable seasons was occupied during the day, and which by the wealthy was covered by an awning-. Houses of more than one story were comparatively frequent.
Hebrem.—The dwellings of the Hebrews were similar in their con struction to those of the Assyrians. They were originally brick huts having a walled court in front, and were used mostly for the storage of goods, and rarely as a shelter. The flat roof of the court was the usual abode of the family. To prevent accidents, the law required the roof to be surrounded by a railing, as seen in the illustration (fig. 4.) Plewnician.—The dwellings of the Plicenicians were similar to those of the Hebrews. In the cities, houses of several stories were common. In the more considerable dwelling- (fig. 6), the simple upper room be came, by the addition of others, a second dwelling, of lighter construc tion than the ground story, and the flat roof furnished an open place of resort.
Greek. —The early dwelling of the Greeks was simple in the extreme. Traced to its original form, it consists of a court surrounded by a wall and containing a hut. In its more advanced stage (jig. 8), and especially in city houses, the ancient wall of the court became the proper wall of the structure. The dwellings were mostly closed toward the outside, the only openings bein2- lofty barred apertures, or peepholes, i.vhich afforded only
scanty supplies of light.
Etruscan. —The Etruscans, about whom little is known save what is seen in the remains of their litig-e structures of stone, built their dwellings of that material. It appears that little provision was made for the entrance of lig,ht. The door resembles that of the Egyptian and Peruvian dwell ing. Figure 7 (pi. 12) is a sketch of a late Etruscan dwelling in which the slanting roof had become a marked feature.
primitive Roman dwelling consisted of a single apart ment built of latticed work and thatched with straw. The domestic archi tecture of a later time (fig-. 9) was entirely different, and, though still bear ing- traces of the original design, the effect of Greek influence transmitted to the Romans throug„h the Etruscans is g-enerally traceable.
Byzantine.—In the dwellings of the Byzantine period the influence of Greek forms remained paramount. The general plan and arrang-ement of the dwelling,s (fig-. to), though partaking- much of Roman models, was still Greek in character, and more frequently expressive of Oriental than of Western peculiarities.
.A.atec.—The dwellingrs of the poorer classes among, the ancient Mexi cans were constructed chiefly of reeds and mud. Those of the nobles were built of stone, though they were rarely of more than one story. Figure r (pi. 13) is a sketch of an Aztec dwelling showing characteristic methods of construction. The walls slanted inward, and the ceilings consisted of a conical arch cut off at the top in a horizontal plane.
dwellings of the ancient Peruvians (fig-. 2), which were also generally of one story, were built of porphyry or granite, or of brick of large size and of an unusual degree of hardness. The walls were of great thickness, though they were seldom more than 12 or 14 feet in height; as they were unprovided with windows, the light was admitted by the door ways, the sides of which (as in the Egyptian dwelling, pi. I2, fig. t) ap proached each other toward the top as seen in the illustration. The roofs were composed of perishable materials, such as wood and straw.
Chinese anti dwelling of the average Chinaman is a sim plified form of the somewhat fantastic and highly ornate structures whose characteristic details are so well known. In the country districts, the houses (pi. 13, fig. 3) are usually of one.story with high gable roofs thatched with straw; the walls are constructed of lattice-work more or less closely woven together, according to the latitude and the consequent climatic con ditions. Houses of more than two stories are numerous, and are generally arranged with a very low first story, usually devoted to sheltering domes tic animals, and with verandas on the level of the upper stories. The houses of the Japanese are generally of one story; they are not high, and are made entirely of wood; they are sometimes plastered on the outside with clay; they are provided with galleries, overhanging roofs, or with broad projections of fine lattice-work.