 Prehistoric buildings were usually one room houses.  Then people put in a wall to make two rooms. One room was for sleeping. The other room was for family activities.  The houses were very small.

 The Greeks wanted bigger houses.  The Grecian homes had a living room, several bedrooms, a kitchen, a bathing room, a men’s dining room, and a women’s sitting room.  The rooms were built in a square around a courtyard. The courtyard had no roof.

 The Greeks had to find a way to support their bigger houses.  To build a bigger house the prehistoric way would have meant the house would have fallen down.  The Greeks used columns to support their houses.

 A column was a huge stick that held the roof up.  The first columns were made of wood.  The Greeks ran out of wood.  They had a lot of rock, so they used rock instead of wood.

 Marble is a kind of rock.  It comes in many colors and is beautiful.  There was a lot of marble in Greece.  Most of it was a creamy white color.  Many Grecian buildings are made of marble.

There were three schools of Grecian architecture.  Doric  Ionic  Corinthian

Doric Column AmphitheatersArchesMonuments AqueductsBath HousesTheaters Ionic Column Corinthian Column

 The Doric style is rather sturdy and its top (the capital), is plain.  The columns are fluted.  This style was used in mainland Greece and the colonies in southern Italy and Sicily.

 The top of the columns are a square block.  Under the block is a rounded piece.  The columns are thick.  The base is a square block.

 This is a drawing of a Doric column.  Notice the square block at the top.  Notice the rounded piece under the block.  The column is thick.  The base is made of a square block.

 This drawing shows how the Doric column was used.  The columns hold up the roof.  The roof line was very fancy.  The top of the column is called the capital.

The Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C.

Old Supreme Court Chamber

 The Ionic Column was invented next.  The Ionic capital looks like a scroll.  The Ionic column is skinnier.  The base has a rounded and a square section.

 This is a drawing of an Ionic column.  Notice the capital is shaped like a scroll.  Notice the column is skinnier.  This base is square.  Many times the bases were fancier.

 This drawing shows how the Ionic column was used.  The columns hold up the roof.  The roof line was very fancy.  The capital looks like a scroll.  The base is layered.

Ionic Columns Today Thomas Jefferson National Memorial

Salem City Hall

 Corinthian columns were the most decorative.  The capitals were carved to look like leaves.  The columns were the thinnest.

 This is a drawing of a Corinthian column.  Notice the capital looks like leaves and flowers.  The column is the thinnest of all.  The base is the fanciest of all.

 This drawing shows how the column was used.  The column holds up the roof.  The roof line had lots of parts, but not so much carving.  The capital is very fancy and so is the base.

Hall of Columns in the Capital Building

United States Supreme Court Building

 Amphi- means "around" in Greek.  Amphi-theatres are "theatres in the round"  The amphitheatre was the place where people went to see fights. These fights were between slaves, prisoners of war or criminals, and sometimes wild animals  They were usually outdoor arenas where people watched sporting events and plays.

Arlington, Virginia Michigan State University, Stadium

 The theater was shaped with a half circle or orchestra space in front of the stage.  The structure was built into a hillside and the wall behind the stage structure was relatively low.  To solve the problem of lighting and sound - the theaters were outdoors.  Dodoni was a vital center from about 2000 BC and flourished well into the Roman times. Dodoni Ancient Greek Theater, Northwest Greece

 Orchestra: The orchestra (literally, "dancing space") was normally circular.  Theatron: The theatron (literally, "viewing-place") is where the spectators sat.  Skene: The skene (literally, "tent") was the building directly behind the stage.  Parodos: The parodoi (literally, "passageways") are the paths by which the chorus and some actors made their entrances and exits.

Boston Pops, Massachusetts

 An arch is a curved structure capable of spanning a space while supporting significant weight.  The arch was developed in Ancient Greece and later refined in Ancient Rome. Ancient GreeceAncient Rome  Arches were used by for underground structures such as drains and vaults.  The ancient Romans were the first to use them widely above ground. The Arch of Constantine; background right, the Colosseum.;

Union Station, interior 1908 Washington, DC Public Library, interior 1897 New York

 Roman monuments were constructed using the arch and had the details carved into them.  The arch was usually very big and was a prominent feature of the skyline of the town in which it was located. Arch of Constantine 315 A.D.

Plymouth Rock, Canopy over rock, Plymouth, MA General Grant National Memorial, New York, 1897

 Aqueducts provided the water to the public baths.  Heated and cooled baths.  Dirty water was replaced with clean water.  Exercise and message rooms were available.

The system the Romans had for maintaining their baths. In the cold and hot areas, the water temperature was actually regulated by the use of underground fire furnaces.

Bath houses – Spas provide:  Skin Care  Mud Baths  Salt Scrubs  Body Wraps  Herbal Baths  Mineral Baths  Aromatherapy  Exercise room  Facial Treatment  Message Therapy