Classical Greece - Architectural and Urban Review

Flashcards covering the architectural principles, urban planning, and sacred sites of Classical Greece based on lecture notes.

Archaic Greek Architecture

A period characterized by the search for a temple type and the experimentation with forms and space organization before the establishment of a fixed classic canon.

Greek City (Definition)

A city defined more by practice and human activities (commerce, assemblies, rituals, defense) than by an early imposed geometric plan.

Agora

The center of civic life in the classical city, representing public space.

Acropolis

The sacred center of the city, representing religious space.

Propylaea

An architecture of the threshold rather than just a gate, marking the transition from the ordinary world to sacred space through the use of light, shadow, and Doric and Ionic elements.

Doric and Ionic interplay (Acropolis)

The functional use of light and shadow where the bright Doric zone expresses openness and the shaded Ionic interior prepares the visitor for the sacred space.

Parthenon Perception

The experience of discovering the temple gradually from oblique angles through movement and bypass, rather than through a single frontal view.

Optical Corrections

Architectural adjustments used to correct visual illusions and ensure the classical temple appears harmonious and balanced.

Parthenon Sculptural Program

A combination of Athenian myths and the Panathenaic procession that serves as a symbol of Athenian civic identity.

Erechtheion

An asymmetrical temple designed to include several sacred sites and adapt to the specific terrain.

Sites of the Athenian Foundation Myth

Specifically integrated into the Erechtheion, these include Poseidon's spring, Athena's olive tree, and the tomb of Kekrops.

Delphi

A ritual-territorial device rather than a city, where the religious experience is organized through path, ascent, and landscape.

Olympia

A site that maintains coherence through its religious function and the Olympic Games rather than through association with a city.

Classical Architecture (Concept)

An adaptable language, not a rigid system, that maintains principles of proportion, structure, and meaning across different contexts.