Ancient Greek

Architecture

By: Lucylle Bianca Cawaling, Alina Bianca Arellano, Sofia

Valera, Rheana Gabriel, Dominique Avanzando

Introduction

• Architecture made by the Greek-speaking Hellenic people

• Built around 900 BC until the 1st century AD

• Post-lintel system

• Greek Architectural order• Doric- sturdy and thick columns with a plain capital top

• Ionic- thinner columns with scroll-like capitals

• Corinthian- very elaborate capital and decorated with leaves

Purpose

• For religious temples because religion is a big part of Greek Life

• To show power and authority of their leaders

• For habitation

• Big venues for entertainment• Bouleterion(Council building)

• Palaestra (gymnasium)

• Hippodrome (horse racing)

• Propylon (monumental gateway)

Kinds

• Houses

• Stadiums

• Aroga (Market Place)

• Sanctuaries

• Open Air theaters

• Tholos (smaller circular temples)

• Mausoleum (monumental tomb)

Materials

• Sun dried clay bricks

• Limestone

• Terracotta

• Marble

• Wood

• Plaster

• bronze

Geometric and Orientalizing Periods

Temple A, Prinias

625 BCE

Stone temple inspired from east, a typical Mycenean megaron

Learnt to build, because of trading with Egypt

Built to honor an unknown deity

Earliest known example of Greek temple with sculptured decoration

ARCHAIC PERIOD

(C. 800 - 479 BCE)

In the Archaic period there were vast

changes in Greek language, society, art,

architecture and politics.

These changes bore a new age of intellectual

ideas, of which the most important is

Democracy.

Structural revolution

Intellectual revolution of classical Greece

Definition of Terms

Archaic

- means describing things belonging to ancient times

- derived from the Greek word archaikos which means "primitive"

- period takes its name from what is considered old-fashioned style of sculpture characteristic of that time as opposed to the more natural look made in the following period.

Notable distinctions to determine a piece from the

Archaic period

Egyptian-like art/poses,

left foot forward

Achilles and Ajax Gaming, artist: Exekias

• 530 B.C.

• Archaic

• red-figure

• Signed by Andokides, as potter

• Attributed to the Andokides Painter

(red-figure decoration)

Archaic smile

Archaic smile, detail of a

kouros (statue of a young

man) from Tenea,

Greece, c. 575–550 bc

"Helmet" hair

- very patterned and

conventionalized hair

Kroisos Anavysos,

Greece ca. 530 BCE

TEMPLES IN THE ARCHAIC PERIOD

Temples in the archaic period were the first stone temples built in Greece and demonstrate a developing knowledge of stone building. Before this, they were constructed out of mud-brick and wood--simple structures that were rectangular or semi-circular in shape--which may have been enhanced with a few columns and a porch.

The Doric order was the oldest Greek classification of architecture. It is identified by its columns and its frieze. The columns had no base, a bulge in the middle of their shaft, and squashed, flared capitals.

Temple of Hera II and Temple of Hera I Paestum, Italy.

Source: Boundless. “Temple Architecture.” Boundless Art History. Boundless, 03 Jul. 2014. Retrieved 22 Jan. 2015 fromhttps://www.boundless.com/art-history/textbooks/boundless-art-history-textbook/ancient-greece-6/the-archaic-period-64/temple-architecture-332-10516/

Early and High Classical Periods

Classical age is marked by the defeat of the Persian invaders of Greece by the allied Hellenic city-state. The removal of the Persian threat

considered the high point of Greek civilization.

Temple of Zeus Olympia by the architect Libon of Elis. Construction started 470 BCE and finished 457

BCE. It has 6 columns in 2 short ends, 2 columns in antis, and 2 rows of colums in 2 stories inside the cella.

(artist reconstruction)

The Athenian Acropolis

• War damaged from the Persian, Athens were reconstructed under the

leadership of Pericles

• Funds for reconstruction was from corruption

• The temples in Athens were not a glorious fruits of Athenian democracy but

are instead the by-products of tyranny and the abuse of power

The Periclean

Acropolis

• Center of the building program: Parthenon or the Temple of Athena Pathenos

• 447-438 BCE

• Converted to Byzantine, then to Roman Catholic church, and after the Ottoman conquest of Greece, to a mosque

The Periclean Acropolis

• 4 important buildings:

• Parthenon

• Propylaia – the gateway to the Acropolis

• Erechtheion

• Temple of Athena Nike

• Observes strict symmetry, and can be expressed algebraically as x=2y+1

• Temple’s short ends have 8 columns and 17 long sides because 17=(2x8)+1

• The Stylobate’s ratio of length to width is 9:4, because 9=(2x4)+1

• The distance between two adjacent column drums/points is called interaxial

• Strictly symmetrical Doric

• Irregular in shape

• Horizontal and vertical lines assumed to be the basis of all Greek post-lintel structures

• Stylobate curves upward, because if laid on a level surface it will appear to sag at the center

• Corner columns of a building should be thicker because they are surrounded by light and would be otherwise

appear thinner than their neighbors.

Propylaia

• The architect entrusted with this important commission was Mnesikles

• Splits the eastern and western façade= resembles a Doric temple façade

• Enlarged space between central pair of columns indicated path made for chariots

and animals of the Panathnaic Festival procession

• Exterior= Doric order

• Interior= Ionic order

• Only the northwest wing was completed because of change of fortunes of Athens

Erechtheion

• 421 BCE

• To replace Archaic Athena temple the Persians have destroyed

• North of old temple’s remain became a multiple shrine

• The very spot where the contest between Athena and Poseidon occurred

• Poseidon-> Acropolis Rock+trident=salt water spring

• Athena-> olive tree

• Asymmetrical plan

• Has four sides of very different character, and each side rests on a different ground level

• Have many decorative details

Late Classical PeriodTHE PELOPONNESIAN WAR, WHICH BEGAN IN 431 BCE, ENDED IN 404 BCE WITH THE COMPLETE DEFEAT OF A PLAQUE -WEAKEND ATHENS. THE VICTOR, SPARTA, AND THEN THEBES UNDERTOOK THE LEADERSHIP OF GREECE, BOTH UNSUCCESSFULLY.

Late Classical Art: Architecture

Time of innovation and experimentation

The period closed with Alexander the Great that led the new artistic age

Model of the Mausoleum, Halikarnassos, ca. 353–340 BCE.

The Epidauros theater is the finest in Greece The auditorium is 387 feet in diameter, and its 55 rows of seats accommodated about 12,000 spectators

THEATER OF EPIDAUROS, GreecePolykleitos the Younger (ca. 350 bce.)

Late Classical Art: Architecture Orchestra literally means “dancing place.”

The theatron, or “place for seeing” – the spectators sat on a slopeoverlooking.

The Greeks always situated their theaters on hillsides, whichsupported the cavea (Latin for “hollow place, cavity”) of stone seatsoverlooking the circular orchestra.

The cavea at Epidauros, composed of wedge-shaped sections (cunei,singular cuneus) of stone benches separated by stairs, is somewhatgreater than a semicircle in plan.

Late Classical Art: Architecture Skene – the scene building, which housed dressing rooms forthe actorsand also formed a backdrop for the plays.

Renown for the harmony of its proportions.

All had unobstructed views of the orchestra and because theopen-air cavea’s excellent acoustics, everyone could hear theactors and chorus.

The Greeks always situated their theaters on hillsides, whichsupported the cavea of stone seats overlooking the circularorchestra.

CORINTHIAN CAPITALSor Corinthian order

Late Classical Art: Architecture

Last developed of the three principal classical orders of ancient Greek and Roman architecture.

Theodoros of Phokaia, Tholos, Delphi, Greece, ca. 375 bce.

Theodoros of Phokaia’s tholos at Delphi, although in ruins, is thebestpreserved example of a round temple of the Classical period. Ithad Doric columns on the exterior and Corinthian columns inside.

Late Classical Art: Architecture CORINTHIAN CAPITALS

It is named from the Greek city-state of Corinth.

It consists of a double row of acanthus leaves, fromwhich tendrils and flowers emerge, wrapped aroundabell-shaped echinus.

The ornate Corinthian capital became increasinglypopular, breaking the monopoly of the Doric andIonic orders.

Corinthian capitalPolykleitos the Younger

Corinthian capital, from the tholos, Epidauros, Greece (ca. 350 bce.)Archaeological Museum, Epidauros.

Corinthian capitals, invented in the fifth century BCE by the sculptor Kallimachos, are more ornate than Doric and Ionic capitals. They feature a double row of acanthus leaves with tendrils and flowers.

Late Classical Art: Architecture CORINTHIAN CAPITALS

Later architects favored the Corinthiancapital because of its ornate character andbecause it eliminated certain problems ofboth the Doric and Ionic orders.

Late Classical Art: Architecture CORINTHIAN CAPITALS

Doric design rules also presented problems for Greekarchitects at the corners of buildings:Triglyph must be exactly over the center of each column.

A triglyph must be over the center of each intercolumniation (thespace between two columns).

Triglyphs at the corners of the frieze must meet so that no space isleft over.

If the corner triglyphs must meet, then they cannot be placed overthe center of the corner column.

Late Classical Art: Architecture CORINTHIAN CAPITALS

Ionic design rules also presented problems forGreek architects:It has two distinct profiles— the front and back (with thevolutes) and the sides.

The volutes always faced outward on a Greek temple, butarchitects met with a vexing problem at the corners oftheir buildings, which had two adjacent “fronts.”

ChoragicMonument ofLysikrates, Athens,Greece (334 bce.)The first known instance of the use of the Corinthian capital on the exterior of a building is the monument Lysikrates erected in Athens to commemorate the victory his chorus won in a theatrical contest.

HELLENISTIC PERIOD

• the period when Greek culture spread

in the non-Greek world after

Alexander’s conquest.

• At this time, Greek cultural influence

and power was at its peak

in Europe, Africa and Asia,

experiencing prosperity and progress

in

the arts, exploration, literature, theatr

e, architecture, music,

mathematics, philosophy, and science.

It is often considered a period of

transition, sometimes even

of decadence or degeneration,

compared to the brilliance of the

Greek Classical era.

HELLENISTIC PERIOD• In the architectural field, this resulted in vast urban

plans and large complexes which had mostly

disappeared from city-states by the 5th century BC.

• This city planning was quite innovative for the Greek

world; rather than manipulating space by correcting

its faults, building plans conformed to the natural

setting.

• The Hellenistic monarchies were advantaged in this

regard in that they often had vast spaces where they

could build large cities: such as Antioch, Pergamon,

and Seleucia on the Tigris.

• The greater variety, complexity, and sophistication of

Hellenistic culture called for an architecture on an

imperial scale and of wide diversity, something

beyond the requirements of the Classical polis, even

beyond that of the Athens at the height of its power.

PERGAMON IN PARTICULAR IS A CHARACTERISTIC EXAMPLE OF HELLENISTIC ARCHITECTURE.

• Great scale• Theatrical

Element of Surprise

• Willingness to break the rules of Canonical temple design

• One of the most ambitious temple projects of the Hellenistic Period

• Hypaethral (open to the sky)

• Dipteral (double peripheral colonnade)

HIPPODAMOS OF MILETOS

•Hippodamos of Miletos= father of rational city planning

•He imposed a strict grid plan on the site regardless of terrain, so that all streets met at right angles

•Hippodamian plan- designated separate quarters for public, private and religious functions

•Hippodamian city” was logically and regularly planned.

•This desire to impose order on nature and to assign a proper place in the whole to each of the city’s constituent parts was very much in keeping wuth the philosophical tenets of the 5th century BCE.

STOA

An ancient Greek portico usually walled at the back with a front colonnade designed to afford a sheltered promenade (or pillar)

Also called porticos, often housed shops and civic offices, were ideal vehicles for shaping urban spaces.