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Although the use of arches in architecture dates back to the 2nd millennium B.C., it was the Romans who solidified them as both an engineering element and a symbol of military victories, which we now see excessively as memorial arches. Shortly after, different civilizations and cultures adopted the arch for their own purposes, bridging together structural necessity and aesthetics. In this article, we look at how arches evolved from significant structural elements to captivating decorative details.
Similar to how the function of arches evolved throughout the years with different civilizations, its form changed as well. Romans utilized the semicircular arch for their bridges and grand structures, whereas the Abbasids (a caliphate that ruled the Arab, Persian, and Mesopotamian regions) opted for the pointed arch, initiating its reference to religion and grandiosity. Following their use in mosques, pointed arches became extensively used in cathedrals in Medieval Europe, and were d