vault: The Ancient World

In ancient Egypt brick vaulting was used, chiefly for drains. The Chaldaeans and Assyrians used vaults for the same purpose but seem also to have made architectural use of high domes and barrel vaults. The Greeks made no use of vaults.

Sections in this article:

• Introduction
• Renaissance and Later Vaulting
• Gothic Vaulting
• Roman and Romanesque Styles
• The Ancient World
• Engineering Considerations
• Nature of Vaults
• Bibliography

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