Shapes pictures
| 25C BC | Pyramids of Giza, Egypt | triangle |
| Bridge made of triangles | triangle | |
| 30C BC | Skara Brae, Orkney | rectangle |
| 5C BC | Parthenon, Athens | rectangle |
| Golden rectangle | rectangle | |
| 3C BC | Greek coin, Turkey | pentagon |
| 1943 | The Pentagon, USA | pentagon |
| Gable end of house | pentagon | |
| flower | circle | |
| fish | circle | |
| 25C BC | Stonehenge, Wiltshire | circle |
| 80 AD | Colosseum, Rome | circle |
| 1130 AD | Round Church | circle |
| 1290 AD | Chapter House, York Minster | Gothic arch |
| 370C BC | Neanderthal lines, Gibraltar | hashtag |
| 110C | Cresswell Crags | triangles |
| 60C | pot from Anatolia | triangles |
| 30C | Ness of Brodgar, Orkney | triangles |
See my Shapes and Solids websites for more info
Pyramids of Giza, Egypt 25C BC
Triangles make strong structures.
Skara Brae, Orkney 30C BC
Parthenon, Athens (5C BC)
The Golden Rectangle has sides in proportion 1:1.618.
If you remove a square from it
this leaves another rectangle the same shape.
You can draw a spiral using this.
Greek coin, Turkey 3C BC
The Pentagon, USA (1943)
Gable end of house is a pentagon.
Flower drawn with compasses
Ichthys or fish, an early Christian symbol.
Stonehenge, Wiltshire 2.5M BC
Colosseum, Rome 80 AD
Round Church 1130 AD
It also uses the Norman round arch.
Later churches used the pointed Gothic arch
Chapter House, York Minster 1290 AD
Neanderthal lines scored into a cave wall (Gibraltar 370C BC).
Do they make a shape? (Some people suggest a hashtag!)
Cresswell Crags between Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire
These lines (110C BC) might be triangles.
This pot from Anatolia (late 60C BC) is in the Fitzwilliam.
Diamonds and triangles, at the Ness of Brodgar, Orkney 30C BC.
© Jo Edkins 2025 - Return to Patterns index