Art Appreciation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Art Appreciation - Essay Example It had a gabled roof, which was over 100 feet at the centre. The atrium of Old St. Peter's Basilica was known as the "Garden of Paradise." It had five doors leading inside the church. The atrium was added in the 6th Century. ("Old Saint Peter's Basilica," Wikipedia 2007) The nave ended with an arch holding a mosaic of Constantine and Saint Peter. The walls had 11 windows and were decorated with frescoes. The Basilica contained the tomb of St. Peter in the apse of the church. The most significant architectural element was the 'transept,' which marked the cross axis to the nave. "The cross axes of the nave and transept allowed for the concentration of attention on the tomb of Peter." ("The Romanization of Christianity," 2007) The Hagia Sophia, built as the new cathedral of Constantinople by Emperor Justinian in 532 to 537 A.D., is supposed to realise the "ideal" Byzantine model. ("Hagia Sophia," Great Buildings Online 2007) "It combined a longitudinal basilica and a centralised building, with a huge main dome supported on pendentives, and semi domes on either side." ("Hagia Sophia," 2003) This was the first instance of the use of pendentives, which "enable the round dome to transition gracefully into the square shape of piers below." ("Hagia Sophia," Wikipedia 2007) The building itself measures 102 feet by 265 feet along its main floor. The central space is a 100 feet square, which is extended to 200 feet by adding two "hemicycles" covered by semi domed "exedras" to the east and west of it. These are extended further with three minor apses eastward and two to the west. The main dome is 102 feet in diameter, and 184 feet high. It contains a corona of 40 arched windows, which reflects light into the interior of the nave. "Flanking the nave on the north and south are side aisles, with galleries over them." ("Hagia Sophia," 2003) Their massive vaults are carried at both levels by monolithic columns, thus receiving the weight of the dome and its arches. The Dome of the Rock This is the earliest architectural monument of Islam. It was constructed to cover the Noble Rock, in 691-2 A.D. in the old city of Jerusalem. The Dome of the Rock is octagonal shaped. It consists of a Dome which is 20m 20cm in diameter and its height is 20m 48cm. The dome rises to a height of 35 meters over the Noble Rock. The Noble Rock is surrounded by inner circular and outer octagonal arcades. Each side of the octagon has a door and 7 windows. ("Dome of the Rock," Islamic Architecture Org 2007) Common Structural Elements The Old St. Peters Basilica and The Dome of the Rock are, both, built in the shape of a Byzantine "Martyria." A martyrium is used for the housing and veneration of saintly relics. ("Byzantine Architecture," Wikipedia 2007) In the former case, it is the tomb of St. Peter, and in the latter the Noble Rock, venerated by Christian, Jews, and Muslims alike. The church of Hagia Sophia and the Old St. Peters Basilica, both follow the basic Roman architectural design of a longitudinal basilica. But, a central or circular type of structure is also found in the Hagia Sophia, and it is very similar to the domed circular structure of the Dome of the Rock. The windows on the main dome of the Dome of t

Research design Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Research design - Essay Example 3. Aims of the dissertation To carry out a thorough investigation into the degree of security outbreak in the Oil Region of Niger Delta To determine the extent of damage of the outbreak of security has caused the Oil Region of Niger Delta To identify the individual roles of stakeholders such as government, the legislature, the military, civil society, private security companies and the international community and how far these roles have been played in solving the security problem of Niger Delta Oil Region. To propound theories on how the individual roles of stakeholders can be brought together to facilitate the improvement of security in Niger Delta Oil Region 4. Dissertation’s position in the existing literature The issue of improving security in the oil-rich Niger Delta Region of Nigeria has been tackled from an individualist point of view over the years whereby stakeholders such as government, civil society and the international community have worked independently to impro ve security. The role of government in solving the problem is for instance seen in the presidential campaign of 2011 whereby candidates are making campaign promises to the effect that when voted into power, they will help curb the problem. The incumbent president, Goodluck Jonathan is for instance quoted by Tribune (2011) as saying â€Å"his government has introduced a series of new anti-terrorism measures, including better control of explosive materials, inspections of police-licensed armouries and the installation of closed-circuit televisions to better monitor public places† to ensure security in the region. With regards to the international community, the BBC News (2008) reports of Gordon Brown saying the best way to tackle the problem is to "identify a training and advisory support package" and that Britain is ready to help Nigeria in that regard. Most researchers embrace the individual responsibilities of stakeholders in solving the problem. Whiles tracing the root of t he security problem in Niger Delta to uneven distribution of oil wealth, Crane (2006) puts a lot of the responsibility on government alone saying once government ensures fairness, security would improve. The context of this research however refuses to single out one stakeholder in curtailing the situation. The basis of this research is rooted in the fact that no one stakeholder can handle the problem independently. Evidence of this claim is in the failure for the individual stakeholders to achieve security since efforts to ensure security started years back. In a Whitepaper released in the 2007 on Oil Transparency in the Niger Delta for instance, report is made of how individual stakeholders; especially government have put in place measures to curtail the problem of security to no avail. It is reported for instance that In January 2001, the government through an Act of the National Assembly established the Niger Delta Development Commission, ostensibly in response to lingering accus ations of neglect of the Niger Delta. (Sofiri, 2007, p.20). It is pathetic therefore that the problem still persists. The research therefore seeks to agree with collaborative effort by all stakeholders as in the assertion made by Junger (2007) suggesting that to stop the war, there should be included restitution for the environmental damage wrought by the oil industry, greater control over oil revenues for local government, and development aid to improve living conditions in the delta (Omeje,