Read online ebook Power in Stone : Cities As Symbols of Empire by Geoffrey Parker in PDF, DJV
9781780232867 English 1780232861 Empires have always built cities in their image. From ancient Persia to the Third Reich, imperial powers have sought to reflect their power and influence through a show of magnificence and a reflection of their values. The transposition to stone of the whole imperial edifice has been found throughout the ages to be an effective way both of overawing the populace and intimidating its opponents. It can take the form of statues, pictures, temples, palaces and grand monuments of many sorts. All combine to produce the necessary justification for the wielding of power. It is in the city as the centre of power that all these things can most effectively be brought together and combined into a powerful statement. It is there also that the power displayed can be wielded to greatest advantage. Geoffrey Parker breaks new ground by tracing the very nature of power through history, exploring the symbolism of these empire-reflecting cities from Persepolis to Constantinople, St Petersburg, the Forbidden City in Beijing and Delhi., From ancient Persia to the Third Reich, imperial powers have built cities in their image, seeking to reflect their power and influence through a show of magnificence and a reflection of their values. Statues, pictures, temples, palaces--all combine to produce the necessary justification for the wielding of power while intimidating opponents. In "Power in Stone," Geoffrey Parker traces the very nature of power through history by exploring the structural symbolism of these cities. Traveling from Persepolis to Constantinople, Saint Petersburg to Beijing and Delhi, Parker considers how these structures and monuments were brought together to make the most powerful statement and how that power was wielded to the greatest advantage. He examines imperial leaders, their architects, and their engineers to create a new understanding of the relationship among buildings, design, and power. He concludes with a look at the changing nature of power in the late twentieth and twenty-first centuries and the way this is reflected symbolically in contemporary buildings and urban plans. With illuminating images, "Power in Stone" is a fascinating history of some of the world's most intriguing cities, past and present.
9781780232867 English 1780232861 Empires have always built cities in their image. From ancient Persia to the Third Reich, imperial powers have sought to reflect their power and influence through a show of magnificence and a reflection of their values. The transposition to stone of the whole imperial edifice has been found throughout the ages to be an effective way both of overawing the populace and intimidating its opponents. It can take the form of statues, pictures, temples, palaces and grand monuments of many sorts. All combine to produce the necessary justification for the wielding of power. It is in the city as the centre of power that all these things can most effectively be brought together and combined into a powerful statement. It is there also that the power displayed can be wielded to greatest advantage. Geoffrey Parker breaks new ground by tracing the very nature of power through history, exploring the symbolism of these empire-reflecting cities from Persepolis to Constantinople, St Petersburg, the Forbidden City in Beijing and Delhi., From ancient Persia to the Third Reich, imperial powers have built cities in their image, seeking to reflect their power and influence through a show of magnificence and a reflection of their values. Statues, pictures, temples, palaces--all combine to produce the necessary justification for the wielding of power while intimidating opponents. In "Power in Stone," Geoffrey Parker traces the very nature of power through history by exploring the structural symbolism of these cities. Traveling from Persepolis to Constantinople, Saint Petersburg to Beijing and Delhi, Parker considers how these structures and monuments were brought together to make the most powerful statement and how that power was wielded to the greatest advantage. He examines imperial leaders, their architects, and their engineers to create a new understanding of the relationship among buildings, design, and power. He concludes with a look at the changing nature of power in the late twentieth and twenty-first centuries and the way this is reflected symbolically in contemporary buildings and urban plans. With illuminating images, "Power in Stone" is a fascinating history of some of the world's most intriguing cities, past and present.