Compositional description

We can also describe a technology or art form in terms of its general components.

Cross section of an ancient Roman road (Source)

For example, here's a compositional description of an average Roman road. How are the details organised into a hierarchy?

There was no ‘one-size-fits-all’ ancient Roman technique for building roads. Their construction method varied depending on the geographical location, terrain morphology, geological structure and available material. For example, different technical solutions were required to build roads in marshy areas or in areas where the road passed through a bedrock. Nevertheless, there were certain standard rules that were followed.

The average width of an ancient Roman road was between 5.5 to 6.0 m, and they consisted of several characteristic load-bearing layers, regardless of the base on which they were built.

Ancient Roman roads consisted of several layers:

* Foundation soil – the base on which a road was build was compressed to be compact and to avoid structure settlement and then covered with sand or mortar.

* Statumen – a layer that was laid on compacted foundation soil, consisting of crushed rock of minimum granularity of 5 cm. The thickness of this layer ranged from 25 to 60 cm.

* Rudus – a 20 cm thick layer consisting of crushed rock 5 cm in diameter in cement mortar.

* Nucleus – a concrete base layer made of cement, sand and gravel; 30 cm thick.

* Summum dorsum – the final layer consisting of large 15 cm thick rock blocks.

Ancient Roman roads – a monument to history and road construction

There was no ‘one-size-fits-all’ ancient Roman technique for building roads. Their construction method varied depending on the geographical location, terrain morphology, geological structure and available material. For example, different technical solutions were required to build roads in marshy areas or in areas where the road passed through a bedrock. Nevertheless, there were certain standard rules that were followed.

The average width of an ancient Roman road was between 5.5 to 6.0 m, and they consisted of several characteristic load-bearing layers, regardless of the base on which they were built.

Ancient Roman roads consisted of several layers:

* Foundation soil – the base on which a road was build was compressed to be compact and to avoid structure settlement and then covered with sand or mortar.

* Statumen – a layer that was laid on compacted foundation soil, consisting of crushed rock of minimum granularity of 5 cm. The thickness of this layer ranged from 25 to 60 cm.

* Rudus – a 20 cm thick layer consisting of crushed rock 5 cm in diameter in cement mortar.

* Nucleus – a concrete base layer made of cement, sand and gravel; 30 cm thick.

* Summum dorsum – the final layer consisting of large 15 cm thick rock blocks.

Ancient Roman roads – a monument to history and road construction

There was no ‘one-size-fits-all’ ancient Roman technique for building roads. Their construction method varied depending on the geographical location, terrain morphology, geological structure and available material. For example, different technical solutions were required to build roads in marshy areas or in areas where the road passed through a bedrock. Nevertheless, there were certain standard rules that were followed.

The average width of an ancient Roman road was between 5.5 to 6.0 m, and they consisted of several characteristic load-bearing layers, regardless of the base on which they were built.

Ancient Roman roads consisted of several layers:

* Foundation soil – the base on which a road was build was compressed to be compact and to avoid structure settlement and then covered with sand or mortar.

* Statumen – a layer that was laid on compacted foundation soil, consisting of crushed rock of minimum granularity of 5 cm. The thickness of this layer ranged from 25 to 60 cm.

* Rudus – a 20 cm thick layer consisting of crushed rock 5 cm in diameter in cement mortar.

* Nucleus – a concrete base layer made of cement, sand and gravel; 30 cm thick.

* Summum dorsum – the final layer consisting of large 15 cm thick rock blocks.

Ancient Roman roads – a monument to history and road construction

The components in this description are all layers of material in the road.
The description lists them from the bottom up.

More historical context

This snippet includes some commentary at the start.

Why?

To point out that while this is a description of an average Roman road, the roads were all different because the Romans insisted on paving over whatever was in their way, so they had to adjust to local conditions every step of the way.

Medieval toilet (Source)

How about this description of the average medieval toilet? How does the writer choose and organise the components?

The toilet seat was made of a wooden bench covering the shaft hole in the masonry. The wood was usually cut with a rectangular or keyhole aperture.

Hay, grass, or even moss were used as toilet paper. Toilet hay is referred to by medieval writers, albeit indirectly. Jocelin de Brakelond, the 12th-century CE English monk, recounted the story that a fire had almost broken out in the Abbey of Bury St. Edmonds when a candle had burned dangerously close to the hay in one of the abbey's privies.

Some toilets had a window to let in fresh air, which for the same reason was not shuttered like other windows of a castle.

The floor may have been scattered with rushes and aromatic herbs and flowers, just as the Great Hall of the castle was, to deter vermin and offer a more pleasant fragrance than the users could provide.

Walls were sometimes whitewashed with a coating of lime-plaster which maximised the light coming from the small window and because lime kills off bacteria.

Toilets in a Medieval Castle(2018)

The toilet seat was made of a wooden bench covering the shaft hole in the masonry. The wood was usually cut with a rectangular or keyhole aperture.

Hay, grass, or even moss were used as toilet paper. Toilet hay is referred to by medieval writers, albeit indirectly. Jocelin de Brakelond, the 12th-century CE English monk, recounted the story that a fire had almost broken out in the Abbey of Bury St. Edmonds when a candle had burned dangerously close to the hay in one of the abbey's privies.

Some toilets had a window to let in fresh air, which for the same reason was not shuttered like other windows of a castle.

The floor may have been scattered with rushes and aromatic herbs and flowers, just as the Great Hall of the castle was, to deter vermin and offer a more pleasant fragrance than the users could provide.

Walls were sometimes whitewashed with a coating of lime-plaster which maximised the light coming from the small window and because lime kills off bacteria.

Toilets in a Medieval Castle(2018)

The toilet seat was made of a wooden bench covering the shaft hole in the masonry. The wood was usually cut with a rectangular or keyhole aperture.

Hay, grass, or even moss were used as toilet paper. Toilet hay is referred to by medieval writers, albeit indirectly. Jocelin de Brakelond, the 12th-century CE English monk, recounted the story that a fire had almost broken out in the Abbey of Bury St. Edmonds when a candle had burned dangerously close to the hay in one of the abbey's privies.

Some toilets had a window to let in fresh air, which for the same reason was not shuttered like other windows of a castle.

The floor may have been scattered with rushes and aromatic herbs and flowers, just as the Great Hall of the castle was, to deter vermin and offer a more pleasant fragrance than the users could provide.

Walls were sometimes whitewashed with a coating of lime-plaster which maximised the light coming from the small window and because lime kills off bacteria.

Toilets in a Medieval Castle(2018)

The snippet lists five components of the medieval castle toilet.

The hierarchy begins with the toilet and then expands outwards:

toilet paper
window (because of the smell)
floor (because of vermin at your feet)
wall (because of bacteria).

The flow is from most immediately related to the toilet to most remotely related to the toilet.

Historical meaning

You'll also notice that the snippet follows a pattern of introducing a component and then adding a little bit of historical meaning and significance to it.

This helps us understand what's interesting about each component and how they relate to each other.

In the far-flung future, how might historians write about 21st-century gaming rigs?

What are the important components?
What order would you describe them in?
How would you connect them?

museum display of the broken remains of a twitch streamers setup 2

Reconstruction of ancient 21st-century Twitch streaming setup

To help you out, here are some example phrases from the snippets above:

There was no 'one-size-fits-all' technique...
Their construction methods varied...
The average width of...
They consisted of several characteristic layers...
The toilet seat was made of...
Hay, grass, or even moss were used as...
Some toilets had...
The floor may have been...

Write a 3-5 sentence compositional description about typical early 21st-century game streaming setups, describing components systematically.

The typical 21st-century Twitch streamer setup consisted of a number of tools to facilitate live streaming. The configuration of these setups varies depending on the streamer's preferences, budget, and the type of content they produced, but certain core elements were universally present.

At the centre of the setup was the powerful gaming PC or console. This primary device handled the processing demands of both gaming and streaming. It was equipped with high-end graphics cards, ample RAM, and fast processors to ensure smooth performance. The PC or console was often custom-built to meet the specific requirements of high-definition streaming and gaming.

Connected to the PC or console were a number of essential peripherals:

* High-resolution monitor, typically ranging from 24 to 32 inches, which provided the streamer with a clear and detailed view of their game.

* Mechanical keyboard, often with OLED lighting.

* Precision gaming mouse optimised for ergonomics and speed.

* High-quality headset with an integrated microphone.

Most important of all the peripherals was a high-definition webcam that captured the streamer's face, ensuring that their exaggerated reactions and expressions were clearly visible to viewers, since over-responding to every stimulus was what drove revenue during this period.

This sophisticated arrangement of equipment reflects the high standards of modern live streaming, where the integration of advanced technology and thoughtful design enables streamers to deliver engaging and polished content to their audience.

Describing historical arts & technologies

Compositional description