Ancient Greek Architecture 1

Geographical Condition of Aegean Architecture

-Island of Crete arose the great sea power of the Mediterranean as the “AEGEAN” civilization
-Trade links with Asia Minor, Cyprus, Syria, Palestine, Egypt, and Libya gained status as
naval power protecting its commercial interests.
-Inland Greece is mountainous making interval communications difficult
-Mountains separated people forcing them into groups or clans resulting in “rivalry

Aegan Civilization

-Island of Crete arose the great sea power of the Mediterranean

Geological Condition of Aegean

-Abundant in building stone
-MARBLE

MARBLE

-most important permitting Greek architecture to have precise line and form

Climate Condition of Greece

-climate is intermediate between rigorous cold and extreme heat
-Clear atmosphere and intensity of light greatly affected the kind of architecture.
-Hot summer sun and cold winter influence or explain Greek porticos and colonnade

Historical and Social Condition of Aegean (3000-1800 B.C.)

-Embraces the civilization of Crete and Mainland Greece
-Practiced crafts, pottery and trade as the basis of civilization
-Migrant people from Russia introduced the “megaron”, a house design for winter climate

Historical and Social Condition of Hellenic Greece (1400-1100 B.C.)

-Civilization in Crete fell, although the Greeks absorbed Creton idea and culture
-Citadel palace around towns became centers of small yet powerful empires

Historical and Social Condition of Hellenic Greece
(800- 323 B.C.)

-The city state (“polis”) became the basis of all society
-Democracy after tyranny was established

Historical and Social Condition of Hellenic Greece
(323- 30 B.C.)

-Macedonia became the seat of power under Philip and continued under Alexander the
Great
-Alexander made his conquest of Egypt, Libya and Persia. His death caused Greeks downfall

Religious Conditions of Greece

”Aegeans” – worship of nature and supreme deities; centered on sacrificial altars,open-air enclosures, caves and household shrines
-Greeks – worship of natural phenomena; gods personification of particular elements

Aegeans

–worship of nature and supreme deities; centered on sacrificial altars, open-air enclosures, caves, and household shrines

Greeks

worship of natural phenomena; gods personification of particular elements

Architectural Characters of Aegean Architecture

1. MEGARON - basic Aegean domestic unit
-Deep plan, column entrance room, ante room with central room

2. TOWNS – elevated sites encircled with massive defensive walls

3. OTHER BUILDINGS – rubble or cut stonework, upper part of heavy double frame of timber panels, “in-filled” with sun-dried brick or stone rubble
-CYCLOPEAN WALL – stories irregular; place one on top of the other
-RECTANGULAR WALLS – stone of regular cut ; placed at intervals
-POLYGONAL WALL – stones irregular but fitted together
-INCLINED BLOCKS
-Aegean method of walling - “Gate of Lions” Mycenea which is more of sculpture than masonry

4. No mortar was ever employed, false arches of heavy blocks or “corbel” – (advanced courses of stone until a triangular head had been formed) covered openings in Aegean structures.
Corbel method used in “The Treasury of Atreus”, Mycenean also known as “Tomb of Agamemnon”
Dromos – a passage, open to the sky leading to a doorway
Tombs

Two types:
a. rock-cut or chamber tomb – rectangular chamber, 3.6 to 6.1m cube cut with a slope of convenient hillside and approached by passage or “Dromos” open to sky leading to a
doorway in rock façade
b. “tholos” type of tomb – subterranean stone-vaulted construction shaped like an old-fashioned beehive.

5. TYPICAL AEGEAN CAPITAL
-Origin of cypress wood
-A widely projecting capital used with a squarish abacus and circular echinus below
-Broad enough to counter the load to the columns

Architectural Character of Megaron

-basic Aegean domestic unit
-Deep plan, column entrance room, ante room with central room

Architectural Character of Towns

-elevated sites encircled with massive defensive walls

Architectural Character of other Buildings

-rubble or cut stonework, upper part of heavy double frame of timber panels, “in-filled” with sun-dried brick or stone rubble

CYCLOPEAN WALL

-stories irregular; place one on top of the other

RECTANGULAR WALL

-stone of regular cut ; placed at intervals

POLYGONAL WALL

-stones irregular but fitted together

“Gate of Lions” Mycenea

-more of sculpture than masonry
-Aegean method of walling

Architectural Character of Corbel

-(advanced courses of stone until a triangular head had been formed) covered openings in Aegean structures.
-No mortar was ever employed, false arches of heavy blocks

Corbel method used in

“The Treasury of Atreus”, Mycenean also known as “Tomb of Agamemnon”

2 Types of Tombs

-rock-cut or chamber tomb

-tholos tomb

Dromos

a passage, open to the sky leading to a doorway Tombs

rock-cut or chamber tomb

rectangular chamber, 3.6 to 6.1m cube cut with a slope of convenient hillside and approached by passage or “Dromos” open to sky leading to a doorway in rock façade

tholos tomb

- subterranean stone-vaulted construction shaped like an old-fashioned beehive.

Architectural Character of Typical Aegean Capital

-Origin of cypress wood
-A widely projecting capital used with a squarish abacus and circular echinus below
-Broad enough to counter the load to the columns

Minoan Architecture

-1600-1500 B.C., period of the “New Palaces,” Crete
produced the beginnings of Western civilization

Social and Geographic Condition of Minoans

-seafaring people with decentralized authority
-king as the head of a merchant aristocracy
-way of life- vigorous, vivacious, and pleasure-loving
-fond of bright colors, intricate games and elegant clothes
-sea provided a natural defense

Religious Condition of Minoans

-centered on sacred places (caves and groves), and its chief deity (female) a mother and fertility goddess
-No temples, no large cult statues

Example of Aegean Architecture

Palaces (Palace of King Minos , Knossos, Crete, 1600-1400 B.C)

Palace of King Minos , Knossos, Crete, 1600-1400 B.C

-Minoan architecture
-Arranged around an open court (170m x 82.5m)
-Paved court crossed by raised walks, a typical feature of Minoan architecture
-Buildings had 2 stories, ground floor mostly of storage rooms while the important room -the throne room
-Columns originally in wood
-Capitals are bulbous and cushion-like, shafts taper towards base

The Architectural Form of the Palace at Knossos

-general layout of the palace- a centralized arrangement
-“bent-axis” approach from west - centrality of conception

The Architectural Meaning of the Palace at Knossos

-Informal residential layout of the palace conveys the joy of living
-Palace exhibits no desire for domination

The Human Condition of Mycenean

-culture attained its full flowering (1500 B.C.)
-contact with Crete and Minoan culture, but Mycenae was not a colony of Crete
-with Egypt whom the Mycenaeans were allied against the Hittites

THE CITADEL OF TIRYNS, 1400-1200 B.C

-10 miles from Mycenae, in sharp contrast with the “open” palaces of Minoan Crete reveal
their defensive character
-Massive fortifications in irregular style of masonry (cyclopean)

The Architectural Form of the Citadel of Tiryns

-“Bent axis” approach due to the conditions of site
- The sequences lead to the climax (megaron)

The Architectural Meaning of the Citadel of Tiryns

-security and safety
-dominance and power
-an expression of family spirit and togetherness
-less emphasis on hierarchical

THE LION GATE, MYCENAE, c. 1300 B.C

-The outer gateway protected on the left by a wall and on the right by a projecting bastion, flanked by two great monoliths, capped with a huge lintel of 3m clear span

-great upright stone jambs support an immense lintel, spanning 3.20 m & measuring 4.90m long by 1.06m high in the middle by 2.40m deep.

Above- triangular relieving opening formed by advancing stone courses, trimmed to shape & filled with stone slab, bearing a relief carving of two rampant lions facing a central
column.

The Architectural Form of the Lion Gate at Mycenae

-trilithon entrance gate reminds use of megalithic architecture
-lion as an entrance figure from the architecture of Mesopotamia

The Architectural Meaning of the Lion Gate at Mycenae

-satisfaction that accompanies arrival

-gate leads to shelter and security, and communicate with the outside world

-Announces by anticipation the values of the inside

THE “TREASURY OF ATREUS”, MYCENAE, c. 1300 B.C

-best-preserved “beehive” tomb.

-Built into a hill and approached by a long passage (dromos), beehive shape of round tomb chamber (tholos) was achieved by corbelled layers of stone laid on a circular base to form a lofty dome.

-12 m high and 14 m in diameter, largest vaulted structure without interior supports

-34 rings of masonry, capped by single stone, dressed after completion to form pointed
dome

The Architectural Form of the treasury of Atreus

-rectangular longitudinal arrangement with a central one

The Architectural Meaning of the treasury of Atreus

-values of path and center

- dromos - values and meanings of our long and difficult life path

- Tholos - symbolizes dome of heaven, points to reward, peace and eternal bliss

ABACUS

the crowning member of a capital

ECHINUS

the convex or projecting molding resembling the shell of a “sea urchin” which supports the Abacus in a Doric capital

CHANEL / FLUTE

grooves on the surface of a column

AGORA

town square, center of business and social life, administrative and public buildings, markets, palaces of entertainment monuments, and shrine

HIPPODROME

open area for horse and chariot racing

ATLANTES/ TELAMONES

statue having male figure as column

CARYATID

sculpted female figure used as a column/supports

CANEPHORA

sculpted female figure with basket

COFFERING

recessed ceiling often highly ornamented

VOUSSOIRS

wedge shaped stone or masonry unit in arch

PROPYLEA

Greek gateway

NAOS

the sanctuary of a temple containing cult statue; also called cella

VOLUTE

the scroll in an Ionic and Corinthian column capital

ACROPOLIS

elevated Greek city

NECROPOLIS

city of the dead cemetery located outside Greek city

STEREOBATE

-the substructure foundation or solid platform upon which a building is erected

STYLOBATES

the uppermost member upon which the column stand

CREPIDOMA

the steps forming the base of a columnaded Greek Temple

PEDIMENT

a triangular piece of wall above entablature enclosed by raking comices

PINACOTHECA

a picture gallery or building to contain painted pictures

ARCHITRAVE

the lowest of entablature, the beams spanning from column to column resting on the capitals

CORNICE

-Any molded projection with crown or finishes the part to which it is affixed
-The third uppermost member of classical entablature

ENTABLATURE

the elaborated (decorated) beam member carried by columns andhorizontally