Dazzling Designs :: Stoa of Attalos

Welcome back to the next installment of Dazzling Designs!

 

     The Stoa of Attalos in Athens, Greece is a remarkable structure.  Built in 138 B.C. by King Attalos II, this Mediterranean wonder served as a perfect place for the people to gather for events.  It provides protection from the elements while still letting light and fresh air in.  Forty-two shops reside inside the stoa which serves as an important landmark for trade and commerce in Athens.

     The front facade and columns are made out of beautiful marble taken from quarries nearby in the mountains and the walls on the inside are made of limestone.  The modern reconstruction rests almost exactly on the first foundation, and luckily the original front facade was intact showing the height of the old roof.  This helped the reconstruction process tremendously as they knew how high the roof was.

Before Reconstruction:

After Reconstruction:

 

      The stoa still serves as a gathering place for the people of Athens.  Greek architecture is one of my favorites.  They use marble, limestone, and sandstone to create very ornate and intricate structures.  I noticed many Greek structures have very flat and gradual roofs which I really like.  I will be incorporating this style into some future Minecraft projects which you'll be seeing very soon!

References-(all pictures and information):

>> http://www.agathe.gr/overview/the_stoa_of_attalos.html

Update :: 9-17-13

 EDIT (9-22): I've been quite busy and haven't gotten around to posting.  Hopefully I'll get the next Dazzling Designs out by the end of this week.

Be looking for a new post later this week!  It will be the next installment in my Dazzling Designs series and will cover the Stoa of Attalos in Athens!

>> Picture from agathe.gr

Skyrim Architecture :: Raven Rock

Welcome to the next installment of my Skyrim Architecture series, where I scout the Skyrim world in search of the most beautiful structures and landmarks Bethesda's award-winning franchise has to offer.  This time I am covering the Dragonborn DLC.

 

 

    Raven Rock sits on the island of Solstheim.  Prior to the eruption of the volcano in Vvardenfell, the settlement was a mining town owned by the East Empire Company.  To this day, it serves as the main port for Solstheim, but since the devastation caused by the Red Mountain erupting in 4E 05, Raven Rock has been declining.  Eleven years later in 4E 16, the High King of Skyrim gives Solstheim to the Dunmer for refugees coming from Vvardenfell and Morrowind.  The entire island is now covered in ashes.

 

    Almost every building was destroyed after the eruption.  After 4E 16, the Dunmer started rebuilding the city leading to the prominence of Dunmer culture and architecture.  These mysterious people from Vvardenfell and Morrowind have very different architectural styles than the Empire.  Most structures look as if they were made from the exoskeleton of an insect.

 

    

    Dunmer architecture is something worth admiring.  They have a strong culture and rich heritage that includes some of the most breathtaking structures in the Elder Scrolls universe.  Although I find it difficult to analyze their structures, I can definitively say that these insect-like buildings are very interesting.  (I could not find many pictures on the wiki or more examples of Dunmer architecture.  If I had a PC copy of Skyrim, I would take all the pictures myself.  Keep in mind that for now I want to stay purely with Skyrim.  I am considering covering some of the older games in the future.)

 

All pictures and information from The Elder Scrolls Wiki.

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