The foundations unit covered the early civilizations’ impact on the architectural world of today. After the early developments of Stonehenge and caves, civilizations began to create large architectural forms. The Egyptian peoples began early architectural forms such as the temple. They established the idea of social hierarchy displayed through structures for the public to see; the higher a structure was the more social significance it held. This was expressed in all forms, including both the interior and exterior of structures. Latterly, the ideals of social hierarchy would also be expressed through intricacy of a structure. The social hierarchy also expanded from inside a community to among civilizations, which thus created a sense of competition; who would create the largest structures and their ability to expand and defy nature would express a hierarchy across civilizations. The Greek civilization fed from the Egyptian architecture as well as expanded on it. The Greeks believed in reaching the idea of perfection, and through this foundation of the temple design was created through the use of orders. The orders themselves experienced expansion as far as detail as a result of the earlier mentioned competition for hierarchy. The temple structure related to the Stonehenge because of its religious intentions but this form emphasized symmetry, balance, and delight to one’s eye. The Greek civilization also developed the idea of a porch, court, and hearth in an architectural form; the Megaron was the early form establishing this ideal which is traced in all buildings since Greece. The porch was a gathering place for the population or a place of transition; the court was in a sense a walkway or pathway leading to the hearth, or the central focus of the structure. In a religious place, this would be the alter. The acropolis is perhaps the greatest example of the main foundations created by the Greek civilization. The acropolis portrays the idea of visual perfection and symmetry through the Parthenon, it portrays all of the popular forms of orders, the introduction of massive scale through the propylaia, the ideals of porch, court, and hearth, as well as architecture becoming a place of gathering, also found in the propylaia and erechtheion. After the Greeks came the Roman Empire, who added to the earlier established Grecian foundations. The Romans continued the idea of competition and because so they took the Grecian forms and added to them, showing their power. The Roman intention was to express their power through their architecture. The Romans expanded by introducing the use of concrete and the vaulting system. They expanded the possible forms and uses of buildings, and they also had a technological breakthrough through the construction of the arch. The arch paired with the dome are what I feel are the most significant structural foundations the Romans established. Also, the Romans introduced the idea of going against nature, or defying nature. Their arrogance and sense of power was also expressed through their defiance of the natural world; they building straight roads, creating bridges when needed, they also built the amphitheater which didn’t go with the earths curves. The Romans also valued size, to them, size mattered. As well as delight, or ornament. The ornament of a structure became the essence of the structure often times. This became the foundation for latter churches which used ornament to portray a visual language and to place emphasis on the structure. The Egyptian, Grecian, and Roman civilizations build upon each other while also establishing the foundations for Western civilization architecture continued through to the present.