Greek Architecture

Extent of Greek civilization 1050 - 31 b.c. mainland Greece but also nearby islands in the Aegean Sea, the western coast of Turkey (known as Ionia), southern Italy and Sicily

A. General characteristics B. Historical periods C. Examples Greek Architecture A. General characteristics B. Historical periods C. Examples

General characteristics - Landscape Is surrounded on three sides by sea Includes broad peninsula and scores of islands Is rough, great variety of natural sites, individual character of places

General characteristics - Landscape Fertile valleys, and plains are small Mass of limestone and marble mountains Marble –facilitates exactness of lines and refinement of details, produces smooth surfaces The climate favored outdoor/ open-air life

General characteristics - Culture Heraclitus Described the cosmos as a balance of such opposites as hot and cold, night and day, health and disease Desire to perfect human intellectual and physical power Quest for truth –philosophers

General characteristics - Culture Pythagoras ‘All things are numbers’ Determined the mathematical bases of musical harmony A2 + B2 =C2 Protagoras ‘Man is the measure of all things’ Truth is relative to human perception and interpretation

General characteristics - Culture Xenophanes The gods did not reveal everything to men at the start, but as time goes on , by searching, they discover more and more Socrates Truth could be found only by constant questioning, refinement and testing

General characteristics - Culture The Greeks ascribed an almost semi divine nature to man and their gods were depicted in perfect human form. The religion was mainly a worship of natural phenomenon

General characteristics - Culture Examples of Greek gods Zeus–chief of the gods (Right) Apollo–the god who punishes, heals and helps Athena–goddess of wisdom, power and prosperity

General characteristics - Culture Demeter–goddess of earth and agriculture (Right) Artemis–goddess of the chase Landscape + Culture = Heterogeneity + Excellence

General characteristics - Culture The Greek sought to ensure their immortality in human memory through their intellectual and artistic excellence Siting is determined by the experience of the natural environment –ideal position from which the whole sacred landscape could be grasped

General characteristics - Building Materials principal materials – wood (supports and roof beams) unbaked brick, used for walls (private houses) limestone and marble (for columns, walls, and upper portions of temples and other public buildings) terracotta (baked clay), used for roof tiles and architectural ornaments metals, especially bronze - decorative details. range of building types—religious, civic, domestic, funerary, or recreational

Historical periods Greek Dark Ages (c.1100-c.750 BC) - geometric designs on pottery Archaic period (c.750-c.480 BC) - larger free-standing sculptures in stiff poses with the dreamlike 'archaic smile' Classical period (c.480-323 BC) – exemplary style eg. Parthenon Hellenistic period (323-31 BC) - Greek culture and power expanded into the near and middle east - begins with the death of Alexander and the Roman conquest

Dark Ages (1100-750 BC) end of the Bronze Age invaders, civil wars, or wars impoverishment, depopulation, and cultural isolation art of writing was lost land of small farming communities emergence of independently governed city-states. did not promote unity simple houses of the Dark Age

Archaic period (750-480 b.c.) Eastern imports to Greece were plentiful trade with lands to both east and west prosperity Powerful dictators New battle tactics, - heavily armed foot soldiers New city-states - 6th century bc, Monumental building Delphi However - Persian Wars - 480 and 479 b.c. - victory for Athens and the Greeks

Classical period (480-323 b.c) culmination of Greek art Peloponnesian War (431- 404 bc), in which Sparta won highest achievements being the Temple of Zeus at Olympia, the Parthenon in Athens

Hellenistic period (323 -31 b.c) After the death of Alexander Division of the empire into a number of kingdoms the ruling classes spoke Greek and the official culture was Greek 146 bc - Rome began to exert its influence elaborately planned cities and sanctuaries

Examples The Classical Orders The Acropolis –Athens The Parthenon The Erectheum Optical corrections in Greek architecture The Agora The Theatres

3. The Greek Orders Classical orders - The principals orders of Classical Architecture - Doric, Ionic Hellenistic order - Corinthian

The Greek Orders - Doric Classical order - The principals orders of Classical Architecture Doric, Ionic and later Corinthian

The Greek Orders - Doric Classical order - The principals orders of Classical Architecture Doric, Ionic and later Corinthian

The Greek Orders - Doric

The Greek Orders - The Ionic Order Embodies feminine slenderness, grace and beauty Height of the capital is 2/3 of the diameter The capital consists of two pairs of volutes or spirals, one pair on the front and the other on the back resting on the echinus joined by a concave cushion (plain or ornamented) Above the volute scrolls is a shallow abacus

The Greek Orders - The Ionic Order

The Greek Orders - Ionic Capital

The Greek Orders - The Corinthian Order The capital is much more deeper than the Ionic capital (height=1.33 times the diameter) The capital has a deep inverted bell, the lower part is surrounded by two tiers of 8 acanthus leaves, and between the leaves rose 8 stalks with volutes supporting the abacus. Each face of the abacus is curved outwards to the corners

4. The Acropolis, Athens Fortified natural strong hold in Ancient Greece became the site of temples and public buildings served as the town’s religious center the focal point of its public life a place of refuge for towns/people during wars

The Acropolis, Athens As an emblem of Persian victory Rises 91.5m above the city Focal point of festivals –celebrants moved along the Dromos (processional street), through the agora up to the acropolis

The Acropolis, Athens Public rituals were celebrated in the open air, at the altar in front of the temple Temples –monumental sculptures set in the landscape

The Acropolis, Athens

5. The Parthenon – 436 b.c.

The Parthenon

The Parthenon is a peripteral octastyle Doric temple stands on a platform or stylobate of three steps post and lintel construction surrounded by columns ("peripteral") carrying an entablature eight columns at either end and seventeen on the sides double row of columns at either end colonnade surrounds an inner masonry structure, the cella, which is divided into two compartments At either end of the building the gable is finished with a triangular pediment originally filled with sculpture The columns are of the Doric order, with simple capitals, fluted shafts and no bases (228 by 101 ft) The cella was 97.8 × 63.0 ft with internal colonnades in two tiers, structurally necessary to support the roof.

The Parthenon

The Parthenon

6. The Erectheum (Erectheion) – 406 b.c The site is not flat The cella is built on two levels – the higher eastern part and the lower western part

The Erectheum (Erectheion) Caryatid porch

The Erectheion

The Erectheion

The Erectheion

7. Optical Corrections in Architecture Entasis – bulge in architectural column eg A perfectly straight column would give a visual impression of concavity. Therefore, to counter this visual impression, the columns were designed to have a slight bulge in the shaft of the column. The long, horizontal lines of features like stylobates, architraves and cornices, which if straight in reality, would appear to sag or drop in the middle of their length. Therefore, to counter this visual impression, the long, horizontal features were designed with slightly convex outlines. Straight vertical features like columns appear to fall outwards. To compensate this visual impression, the columns were designed to be inclined inward.

Optical Corrections in Architecture

8. The Agora of Athens Situated on a low lying damp ground North of Acropolis an open square bordered by public buildings, including law courts and shrines served as the political and commercial center of the city Open air meeting places surrounded by buildings Trade was carried on, students were taught, and politics was discussed

The Agora of Athens

10. Theatre at Epidaurus

Theatre at Epidaurus Placed in a natural elongated hollow Middle of the 4th century b.c. 17000 people Diameter of 118m Seating divided into segments by stairs 55 semicircular rows of seats

Assignment The three orders of architecture – Doric, Ionic, Corinthian The Parthenon, Athens – Plan, Elevation and section Optical corrections in Greek architecture