HISTORY OF
ARCHITECTURE 1
GREEK ARCHITECTURE
SIMPLICITY
HARMONY
PERSPECTIVE
PROPORTION
PERIODS
Aegean Period (Minoan)
Mycenaean or Helladic (1550 to 1100 BC)
Hellenic Period (800 to 323 BC)
Hellenistic Period (323 to 30 BC)
GEOGRAPHY
ASIA MINOR
CRETE
SYRIA
PERSIA
MEMPHIS
INDIA
EGYPT
THEBES
• Greece is surrounded on three sides by the sea, and her
many natural harbours made it easy for those early traders.
• This sea influence national activity and enterprise
• Ancient Greece extended beyond the mainland to places like
Sicily, Southern Italy, and Asia Minor, where Greek ruins are
found.
• CITY STATES – independent regions of Greece
• Archipelago and islands:
The sea was essential for
trade and communication.
• MARBLE, the most
beautiful and monumental
of all building materials,
and one which facilitates
exactness of line and
refinement of detail.
CLIMATE
• RIGOROUS COLD & RELAXING HEAT
• The rocky terrain and lack of forests fostered
Greek architecture's love for PRECISE,
EXACT FORMS.
• The climate encouraged OUTDOOR LIFE,
with justice, drama, and public ceremonies
held in the open air.
• The hot sun and sudden showers likely led
to the use of PORTICOS and
COLONNADES as key features.
RELIGION
•PRIEST, both male and female,
served temporarily and then
returned to private life.
HISTORY, SOCIAL & POLITICAL
DEMOCRATIC GOVERNMENT
• Minoan Civilization
• Mycenean Civilization
• Trojan War
• Illiad Odyssey Assume Final Form
• Archaic Greek Period
• Classical Greek Period
• Construction of Parthenon
HISTORY, SOCIAL & POLITICAL
THE EARLY PERIOD /PELAGAI/ PRIMITIVE/AEGEAN
• Rough and Massive Architecture
• The builders of this time had skill in DOMESTIC ARCHITECTURE
Two principal early Greek civilizations:
1. CRETE AND THE MINOAN CIVILIZATION
2. MAINLAND GREECE AND THE MYCENEAN CIVILIZATION
HISTORY, SOCIAL & POLITICAL
1. CRETE AND THE MINOAN CIVILIZATION
• Dominated Crete and much of the eastern Mediterranean,
including Cyprus.
• Lived on island of Crete
• Existed during Egypt’s Old Kingdom
• Lived in a very sophisticated Society
• Nearly urbanized, & loved painting
• Enjoy dancing & music
• Ruled the Seas
• Unusual Sports
1. CRETE AND THE MINOAN CIVILIZATION
• They were Palces and each ruled a DISTRICT.
• Each collected raw materials and goods that were used for
TRADING GOODS to EGYPT, etc.
• Government: Priests & Kings
• Cities not surrounded by WALLS
• Ship builders & Traders, Farming & Fishing
1. CRETE AND THE MINOAN CIVILIZATION
• Were thrown out by the MYCENEANS
• There is a PALACE and a Labyrinth on the ISLAND OF CRETE
• The minotaur is killed by the Athenian hero THESUS, freeing
Athens from his rule
• The Minoan palace at Knossos is MODERN & GRANDIOSE
• Had sunning water
• Multiple stories
• Bathrooms
• Elegant gardens
• And NO WALLS
HISTORY, SOCIAL & POLITICAL
2.MAINLAND GREECE AND THE
MYCENEAN CIVILIZATION
• Main Greek land and Lower of Greece
• They’ve build FORTRESSES on HILLTOPS
• Engaged in farming, herding, olive growing; Traded gold & bronze
• The Myceneans learned this from the Mynoans: Shipbuilding, navigation,
gold & bronze work, fashions art, writing
• Warriot Traders (PIRATE)
•Conquered the Agean.
• Became most powerful people in AGEAN WORLD in Trojan War
Conquered by DORIAN
• The Myceneans conquered the GREEK MAIN ISLAND AND CRETE
• They traded with SICILY ITALY, EGYPT, & MESOPOTAMIA
HISTORY, SOCIAL & POLITICAL
3. HELLENIC PERIOD
MAJOR CITY STATES & PILGRIMAGE PLACES
ARGOS ATHENS ELEUSIS
CORINTH DELPHI ITHACA
HISTORY, SOCIAL & POLITICAL
3. HELLENIC PERIOD
MAJOR CITY STATES & PILGRIMAGE PLACES
OLYMPIA SPARTA THEBES
THRACE MOUNT OLYMPUS
HISTORY, SOCIAL & POLITICAL
3. HELLENIC PERIOD
Parthenon of Athens, dedicated to the goddess Athena Parthenos
Temple of Zeus at Olympia (listed as an Ancient Wonder, with
contributions from Phidias)
Temple of Demeter at Eleusis, site of the Eleusinian Mysteries,
the most important rite in ancient Greece
In The Iliad and The Odyssey, Homer portrayed gods and goddesses
HISTORY, SOCIAL & POLITICAL
4. HELLENISTIC PERIOD
• The Hellenistic Period is part of the Ancient Era in Europe and Near Asia.
• Greek culture spread widely due to Alexander's conquests and Greek
colonization.
• The period focused on theatricality, drama, and increased use of the
Corinthian order.
• The Temple of Apollo at Didyma served as both a temple and an oracle
site.
ARCHITECTURAL CHARACTER
Periods of Greek Architecture
1.THE EARLY PERIOD
• Minoan, Mycenae and the Aegean Architecture
• Aegean Architecture: ROUGHNESS & MASSIVENESS
• Characteristic features
• COLUMN TAPERED DOWNWARD
• Triangular headed opening
• Corbelled Vaults
• CYCLOPEAN: Large, rough stones
stacked with smaller pieces in gaps,
bonded with clay mortar.
• RECTANGULAR: Rectangular blocks in
regular courses; stone joints aren't always
vertical (e.g., Mycenae entrances and
towers, dromos of "tholoi" tombs).
• POLYGONAL: Many-sided blocks
precisely fitted together (e.g., Mycenae,
Acropolis wall in Athens, Cnidos).
• These construction styles are from the
MYCENEAN age and survived for
centuries in remote areas like Caria.
ARCHITECTURAL CHARACTER
•SIMPLICITY AND HARMONY
•PURITY OF LINE
•PERFECTION OF
PROPORTIONS
•REFINEMENT OF DETAILS
ARCHITECTURAL CHARACTER
• Greek Construction style
• COLUMNAR (VERTICAL POST)
• TRABEATED (LINTEL WITH TWO VERTICAL POST)
• Roof truss appeared, enabling large spaces to be unhindered by
columns
• Greek Principal Material
• Marble (VERSATILE AND DURABLE)
ARCHITECTURAL CHARACTER
Materials
• WOOD – supports roof of beams
• UNBAKED BRICK – walls
• LIMESTONE & MARBLE – columns, walls and upper
portions of temples and public buildings
• TERRACOTA – tiles and ornaments
• BRONZE METAL – decorative details
ARCHITECTURAL CHARACTER
MOULDINGS
• Architectural
details that add
definition with
light and
shadow.
•Made refined
and delicate due
to fine marble
and clear
light/atmosphere.
EXAMPLES OF GREEK ARCHITECTURE
ISLAND HOUSES
• FLAT ROOFING
• TWO TO FOUR STOREYS
• Light is admitted through LIGHT WELLS
MAINLAND HOUSES
•SINGLE FLOOR house with deep plan
•COLUMNAR PORCH ENTRACE with central doorway
EXAMPLES OF GREEK ARCHITECTURE
TOMBS
•ROCK CUT or CHAMBER TOMBS are called
"THOLOS" tombs.
•These tombs were used for ancient burials.
•Treasury of Atreus in Mycenae.
EXAMPLES OF GREEK ARCHITECTURE
PALACES AND TEMPLES
•PALACE OF KING MINOS in Knossos Palace at
Tyrins Lion Gate, Mycenae
EXAMPLES OF GREEK ARCHITECTURE
BUILDING AND STRUCTURES
• MYCENAEAN PALACES founded on hills and in fortified citadels, and
consisted of a number of religious and domestic buildings
• THOLOI (Tholos) or MYCENEAN CIRCULAR TOMBS with corbelled
domes
(TREASURY OF ATREUS) – were royal tombs built outside the
citadel.
Walled passage connects to beehive corbelled vault tholos burial
chamber approximately 15m diameter.
• MEGARON – ceremonial hall in Mycenaean palaces was the
chieftain’s
palace within the citadel. It was a unicellular structure, with
columned
porticoe, vestibule and hearth (a configuration similar to that of temple-
house of the gods).
• TEMPLE – was a timber house that eventually became marble shrine.
It
was always a house, never a place of assembly (never like a church
but
always set on the highest place in the town, in sacred enclosure or better
TEMPLES
• Chief building type
•Earliest ones
resembled megaron in
plan and construction
•Number of columns at
entrance: 1 column – hemostyle
2 columns – distyle
3 columns – tristyle
4 columns – tetrastyle
5 columns – pentastyle
6 columns – hexastyle
7 columns – heptastyle
8 columns – octastyle
9 columns – enneastyle
10 columns – decastyle
12 columns – dodecastyle
INTERCOLUMNATION
The space between two adjacent
column, usually th clear
space between the lower parts
of the shafts, measured in
diameters. Also, a system for
spacing columns in a colonnade
based on this measurement.
