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History of Architecture I
Module 6
Ancient Greek Architecture
Module Outline
Lecture 17
Historical Background
Location and period
Social characteristics and beliefs
Lecture 18
Architecture of the Civilization
Greek Orders
Temple Architecture
Civic Architecture
Lecture 19
Greek City Planning and Design
Greek Architecture in Athens
Lecture 20
Architectural Characteristics
Buildings and other architectural elements
Building materials, construction and technologies
Architectural Organizing principles
Module 6 Lecture 17
Ancient Greek Architecture
Outline of Lecture
Lecture 17
Historical Background
Location and period
Social characteristics and beliefs
Historical Background
Historical Background
Location
Greek civilization occurred
in the area around the
Greek mainland, on a
peninsula that extends into
the Mediterranean Sea
It started in cities on the
Greek mainland and on
islands in the Aegean Sea
Towards the later or
Hellenistic period, Greek
civilization spread to other
far away places including
Asia Minor and Northern
Africa
Historical Background
Location
Most of the Greek
mainland was rocky and
barren and therefore bad
for agriculture
Most Greeks therefore
lived along the coastline or
on islands where the soil
was good for farming
The Aegean and
Mediterranean Seas
provided a means of
communication and trade
with other places
Historical Background
Period
The period of ancient Greek history can
be divided into four as follows:
1100 B. C. 750 B. C. Greek Dark Ages
750 B. C. 500 B. C. Archaic Period
5000 B. C. 323 B. C. Classical Period
323 B. C. 147 B. C. Hellenistic Period
Historical Background
Period
Greek Dark Ages (1100-750 BC)
The Mycenaean people were Greek in Origin
Greek civilization is therefore usually viewed as a
continuation of the Mycenaean civilization
The start of the Greek civilization is therefore
dated to the end of the Mycenaean civilization in
1100BC
Following the decline of Mycenae, the area
around the Greek mainland went into a period of
decline that is referred to as the Greek Dark ages
Historical Background
Period
Greek Dark Ages (1100-750 BC)
Greece became depopulated with groups of
people moving out of mainland Greece
towards the islands of the Aegean
Mycenaean and Greek culture dwindled and
many cultural elements including writing, art
and architectural techniques were lost
Trade with Asia Minor, the Middle East and
Egypt, which was at the root of Cretan
prosperity stopped entirely
Historical Background
Period
Greek Dark Ages (1100-750 BC)
As Greek people migrated from the mainland, other
people from other less prosperous mountain regions
of the north migrated to the more fertile coastline
regions
They invade the Greek mainland villages and
established their rule
The northerners brought with them a Greek dialect
called Dorian, as opposed to the Ionic Greek spoken
by the main settlers
The two dialects and cultures later mixed together to
create a Hellenic culture, which is at the root of
ancient Greek civilization
Historical Background
Period
Greek Dark Ages (1100-750 BC)
These two dialects became equated with
characteristic architectural forms that evolved
in them
In the period following the invasion by the
Dorians, there was a shift in lifestyle that
produced a sedentary agricultural lifestyle and
society.
Sedentary lifestyle allowed the Greeks to
rediscover urbanized culture that ultimately
led to evolution of classical Greek culture
Historical Background
Period
Archaic Period (750 - 500 BC)
The revival of Greece from the dark ages
started during the eight century BC
The Greeks developed a new political form
called city states
City states are cities which are ruled as
independent nations
The archaic period saw the renewal interest in
overseas trading contact
Historical Background
Period
Archaic Period (750 - 500 BC)
Greek societies that were engaged in trade
became rich and by joining with other their
neighbors, sometimes forcefully, formed large
states
The polis or city state emerged as the natural
and desirable political entity
Early examples of these city states include
Athens, Corinth, Argos, and Sparta on the
mainland, and in the Eastern Aegean, Samos,
Chios, Smyrna, Ephesus and Miletus
Historical Background
Period
Archaic Period (750 - 500 BC)
The archaic period marked the rise of the aristocratic
families; families that are considered noble or of
higher status
The archaic period was dominated politically by the
leading aristocratic families in each city state acting in
concert or squabbling amongst themselves for
supremacy
At times individual aristocrats were able to take
advantage of popular dissatisfaction to seize
authoritarian power
Such rulers were called tyrants
Historical Background
Period
Archaic Period (750 - 500 BC)
Such tyrants stimulated the development of
the arts through their patronage
The archaic period marked the beginnings of
Greek monumental stone sculpture and
architecture
Around 546 BC, the rising Persian Empire
conquered some Greek city states
The rising threat of the Persian Empire
marked the end of the Greek archaic period
and of classical Greek culture
Historical Background
Period
Classical period (500 - 323 BC)
The Classical period of ancient Greek history
occurred between 500 BC, and 323 BC.
The period started with the Greek city states
coming into conflict with the rising Persian
Empire
The free Greek cities saw the threat that was
developing from the Persian Empire and
prepared for resistance
A seaborne expedition by the Persians to
Athens was defeated at Marathon in 490 BC
Historical Background
Period
Classical period (500 - 323 BC)
Under the Persian King Xerxes, Persia attempted a
retribution in 479 BC and was defeated by an alliance
of the Greek states headed by Sparta
The Greek alliance soon transformed into an Empire
under the leadership of Athens
Pericles, the ruler of Athens between 444 and 429 BC
became a driving force for the development of temple
architecture
Pericles used the defense revenue from the alliance
for temple building in Athens to thank the Gods
Historical Background
Period
Classical period (500 - 323 BC)
Athens reached its greatest political and cultural
heights during the classical period
The full development of the democratic system of
government occurred under Pericles
The Parthenon on the Acropolis at Athens was built
Philosophical schools such as those of Socrates and
Plato were founded
Between 431 and 404, Athens entered into a series of
wars with Sparta which left it in ruins
The fall of Athens gradually led to political chaos in the
whole of Greece
The 4th century saw the rise of Macedonia as a power
in the region
Historical Background
Period
Classical period (500 - 323 BC)
The Macedonian king, Philip rapidly extended
Macedonian power and wealth
In 338 BC, he defeated a coalition of the
major Greek Cities including Athens and
Thebes, and created a federation of all
Greeks with him as the leader
He proposed a crusade against the Persians
but was assassinated before undertaking it
Historical Background
Period
Classical period (500 - 323 BC)
His son Alexander undertook the crusade and
established himself as the ruler of the former
Persian empire
Alexander undertook a lot of military
campaigns to extend the Greek empire and
founded many new cities such as Alexandria
in Egypt
He died in 323 BC without a heir to inherit him
The Death of Alexander marked the end of the
classical period of Greece civilization
Historical Background
Period
Hellenistic period (323 - 147 BC)
The Hellenistic period of ancient Greek
civilization started with the death of Alexander
in 323 BC
When Alexander died, he did not have a heir
to inherit him
The Greek empire split into smaller states
with Alexanders generals as their rulers
Historical Background
Period
Hellenistic period (323 - 147 BC)
The period saw the transplanting of Greek art,
civic life and culture to newly conquered areas
The period also saw a marked increase in
interest in civic buildings
The Hellenistic period ended in 147 BC, when
the Roman Empire conquered Greece and
incorporated the city states into it
Historical Background
Social Characteristics & Beliefs
Introduction
Greek civilization is the first major civilization in Europe
Greek civilization along with the Roman civilization are
said to be at the root of current western civilization
They two are referred to as classical cultures because
of their recognition as the root of western civilization
Greek and Roman architecture are also referred to as
classical architecture
Greek civilization started with the mingling of two Greek
cultures, the Dorian and the Ionian to create a single
Hellenic culture
The two developed a sedentary agricultural and
commercial society that ultimately gave birth to the
concept of the city state
Historical Background
Social Characteristics & Beliefs
Societal Organization- The city state
The ancient Greeks lived in self governing city-states
called "polis."
The city-states were small, independent communities
which were male-dominated and bound together by
race.
The ancient Greek world was made up of hundreds of
these independent city states
The polis started as a defensible area to which
farmers of an area could retreat in the event of an
attack as in the Mycenaean citadels
Over time, towns grew around these defensible
areas.
Historical Background
Social Characteristics & Beliefs
Societal Organization- The city state
Every polis was different from another, even though
there were similarities between them
They were all bounded by common language and
religious beliefs
They all made efforts to preserve their own unique
identity, and each city state believed that their state
was better than all the other states
The city states often fought with one another.
The city state of Athens on the Greek mainland was
among the most famous and powerful of the city
states
Historical Background
Social Characteristics & Beliefs
Societal Organization- The city state
It was a major center for learning and the arts.
When city-states were first formed, they were ruled by
a few wealthy men.
However, they gradually moved towards democracy.
Athens developed an early form of democracy
How did they make laws? Only men who were born in
Athens were allowed to vote.
They did this at public assemblies where upper class
citizens discussed and adopted laws that might
benefit Athens.
Historical Background
Social Characteristics & Beliefs
Social Organization And Responsibility
The scale of the polis was small.
The philosophers Aristotle and Plato believed that the
polis should be of a small size, so that members know
each other personally
The ideal size of a city state was fixed at 5040 males
by Plato
Citizens in any polis were related by blood and so
family ties were very strong.
Membership of the polis was hereditary and could not
be passed to persons outside the family
Historical Background
Social Characteristics & Beliefs
Social Organization And Responsibility
The society of the polis had a social hierarchy with
citizens at the top, followed by people who are not
citizens and finally slaves
Public life was for male citizens while women were
secluded in the house
Greek citizens did not have rights but duties
All citizens were directly involved in politics, justice,
military service, religious ceremonies, intellectual
discussion, athletics and artistic pursuits.
It was not acceptable for Greek citizens to refuse to
carryout their responsibilities
Historical Background
Social Characteristics & Beliefs
Religious Belief
The ancient Greeks were polytheistic, believing in
many different gods and goddesses
The God were regarded as all powerful but similar to
human beings in their passions, desires and appetite
All aspect of life was under the protection of the gods,
and they controlled everything, from the waves in the
ocean to the winner of a race.
All the gods and goddesses had specific roles,
controlling one or two major aspects of life
Zeus was, for example, the supreme leader of the
gods, Hermes was the messenger of the gods, and
Poseidon was the god of the sea
Historical Background
Social Characteristics & Beliefs
Religious Belief
The essential concept in religious practice was that of
contract, of obligation and the paying of obligation
Humans call on the gods for protection and make
offerings to the gods to secure this
Ancient Greeks believed that religion would make
their lives better while they were living.
They also believed that the gods would take care of
them when they died.
Religious belief was constantly changing and
developing as new cults were introduced from time to
time
Historical Background
Social Characteristics & Beliefs
Place of Worship
Temples were the focus of Greek religious worships
Temples were usually built in the cities of the Gods
called Acropolis
Temples were built in every town and city for one or
more god or goddess
The temples were considered as offerings to the gods
Each community was therefore under pressure to
make them beautiful as possible
Historical Background
Social Characteristics & Beliefs
Place of Worship
The temples were also considered as the house of
the gods
They were not designed for functional use
They usually consist of a large open hall called
sanctuary where the statue of the god to whom it is
dedicated is kept
The temples were the places for routine festivals to
the gods
The festivals included plays, music, dancing, and then
a parade to the temple where they made sacrifices
and had a feast.
Animals were usually sacrificed as a gift to the gods
Historical Background
Social Characteristics & Beliefs
Architecture in service of religion
Architecture in Greece Started in the Service of
Religions
Temples were the abode of gods
The Greeks regarded beauty as an attribute of the
gods and the conscious pursuit of beauty as a
religious exercise.
The most important task for architects was how to
make the temple beautiful
The search for ways to express architectural beauty
made the Greek civilization among the first to have
established ideals of beauty
Historical Background
Social Characteristics & Beliefs
Architecture in service of religion
The Greeks convinced themselves that the secrets of
beauty lie in proportions
Man was viewed by the Greeks as having the most
ideal proportions and is the measure of all things
Greek developed a system of building proportion that
reflected those of the human body
With time, they refined their system of building
proportion, and developed the classical Greek orders
which we will soon explore
Historical Background
Social Characteristics & Beliefs
Historical Background
Social Characteristics & Beliefs
Architecture in service of religion
Greek society also made buildings other than temples
These evolved in response to changes in need with
time
The most common buildings are amphitheaters,
council halls, public fountains and theatres, gymnasia,
schools and libraries, public baths and lavatories
As these civic buildings emerge, treatment once
reserved for temple was extended to them even
though on a less grander scale than in the temples
Historical Background
Social Characteristics & Beliefs
Architecture in service of religion
Greek construction was of a simple post and lintel or
trabeated construction
Their ground plans were always very simple, usually
rectangular
With a combination of simple ground plans and
trabeated construction, they were able to create
amazing buildings
Buildings were constructed by skilled craftsmen who
were in demand and traveled from one state to the
other for construction work
Designs were done on the ground by measuring out
the foundation
Historical Background
Social Characteristics & Beliefs
Architecture in service of religion
Blocks of stone were ordered from the quarry
Blocks were given initial preparation on the building
site
Blocks were large and retained in position by their
own weight; it was not necessary to fix them together
in any way
Roofs were of wood beams and rafters cut to square
shapes with tile roof
Carvings and other decorative work were finished
when the building is completed
Historical Background
Social Characteristics & Beliefs
Other Activities and Achievements
Greek society contributed to the earliest development
of science and scientific inquiry
Greeks attempted to explain the world through the
laws of nature.
Greeks found out that the earth was round and A
Greek person is credited as being the first to measure
the circumference of the Earth
The Greeks also made significant contributions to the
arts, particularly in sculpture and painting
Historical Background
Social Characteristics & Beliefs
Other Activities and Achievements
They wrote many stories and plays that continue to
be performed today.
The ancient Greeks were huge sports fans and sports
was considered a part of religion
Every four years, the Greeks held the Olympic
Games in the stadium at Olympia.
The best athletes in Greece competed in different
events
Because the games were religious, anyone who was
caught cheating during the games was never allowed
to compete again
End of Lecture
Module 6 Lecture 18
Ancient Greek Architecture
Outline of Lecture
Lecture 18
Architecture of the Civilization
Greek Orders
Temple Architecture
Civic Architecture
The Orders
Introduction
Refer to the entire set of form
that makes up the principal
elevation of a temple.
Composed of a base, an
upright column or support with
its capital, and the horizontal
entablature.
All the parts of an order are
proportionally derived from the
size of the base of the column.
It determines all aspects of the
elevation of a building
including its shape and the
arrangement and proportion of
its parts
The Orders
Introduction
Greeks are credited with
originating the three orders
of the classical language of
architecture, Doric, Ionic
and Corinthian.
Columns were understood
by the Greeks to be
anthropomorphic or
representative of the body
of a human
The base suggests the feet,
the shaft the torso and the
capital the head.
The Orders
Introduction
Each order had its own
conventions about the
design of the entablature
The entablature is divided
into three sections; the
cornices, the frieze and the
architrave
According the rules of
classical architecture, the
entablature should always
be divisible into these
three zones
The Orders
Doric Order
The Doric order was the
earliest to be developed
By the 6th century, a set of
universal proportions for the
Doric temple had been
developed.
The Doric order is made up of
three elements; stylobate,
Column and entablature
The stylobate is a podium
raised three steps on which
the temple sits
The Doric column is further
divided into the shaft and a
square capital
The Orders
Doric Order
It had a height of between 5
and 6 times its diameter.
The shaft is tapered and made
to bulge slightly to provide
correction for optical illusion.
The shaft is usually divided
into 20 shallo w flutes.
The entablature is divided into
an architrave, a frieze and the
cornice.
The Doric column represents
the proportions of a mans
body, its strength and beauty.
Doric Order
Entasis
The Orders
Ionic Order
The Ionic order evolved and took
its name from Ionia in modern
day Turkey
The ionic column including the
capital and base had a height of
9 to 10times its diameter
It had 24 flutes, which is more
than that of the Doric column,
even though it is smaller in
diameter.
The flutes were rounded at the
top and bottom.
The Orders
Ionic Order
The Ionic order had a capital
developed from a pair of volute
about two-thirds the diameter of
the column in height
Ornaments are used to decorate
the area between the capital and
the volute
The Ionic column has a base
One of the limitations of the Ionic
order is that it is designed to be
seen from the front only
The Orders
Ionic Order
At the corner of
rectangular buildings, an
angular volute had to be
used.
Entasis was not applied
to the ionic column
The Ionic column is said
to represent the shape
of a women with its
delicacy and feminine
slenderness.
The Orders
Corinthian Order
The Corinthian order takes
its name from the city of
Corinth in Greece
It however appeared to have
been developed in Athens in
the 5th century BC
This order is similar in its
proportions to the Ionic order
but has a different capital
The core of the capital is
shaped like an inverted bel.
The bell-like capital is
decorated with rows of
carved acanthus leaves
The Orders
Corinthian Order
The rich decorative effect of the
Corinthian capital made it
attractive.
Because of its symmetry, the
Corinthian capital unlike the
ionic capital is designed to be
seen from all directions
The Corinthian column, the
most beautifully ornate of the
three orders represents the
figure of a maiden
This order was not extensively
used during the Greek period
It became popular during the
ancient Roman period
The Orders
Column Construction
Do you wonder how the
columns of the Greek
orders were constructed?
Each column was made
up of several drums of
marble
They were held together
by a stone peg in the
center
The stones were
assembled and put
together in their rough
form
The Orders
Column Construction
The capital was also
carved out
After they were put
together, the grooves
called flutes were cut
up and down the
shaft of the column
and all around it
This gave the column
its slim and elegant
look
Temple Architecture
Introduction
Temple Architecture
Doric Temple
The Doric temple is based
on the Doric order
Both the Doric order and
temple went through a
simultaneous process of
evolution
The Basilica at Paestum
550 BC is an example of
early Doric temple
It was built during the
archaic period of Greek
civilization
Temple Architecture
Doric Temple
The columns on the front
are 9, while on the sides
they are 18
The Doric columns appear
heavy in comparison with
later temples
The columns have a bulge,
pointing to the practice of
optical correction or
entasis by the time of its
construction
The capitals are also huge,
heavy and very wide
Doric Temple
Temple of Aphaia at Aegina
The Temple of Aphaia at
Aegina 490 BC is a later
temple than the Basilica
at Paestum
Temple of Aphaia is much
less heavy than Paestum
The entablature is less
thick
The columns are slimmer
with less entasis or bulge
The capitals are also
smaller
Doric Temple
Temple of Aphaia at Aegina
This temple is hexastyle but
has only 12 flanking columnsearly temple
The interior columns are
divided into a row of two
columns separated by an
architrave
This allowed the designers to
avoid using columns with a
large diameter
The temple has triangular
pediment on n the Eastern
and Western sides decorated
with stories from Greek myths
Doric Temples
Temple of Hera Argiva at Paestum
The Temple of Hera Argiva
(or Neptune) at Paestum
460 BC was built later than
the Temple of Aphaia
It is one of the best
preserved of all Greek
temples
It is more mature in its
proportions than all the
others examined
The columns are 8.8 meters
high and about 4.3 times
their lower diameter
Doric Temples
Temple of Hera Argiva at Paestum
The temple is hexastyle but
with 24 columns on its flank
It also has a double row of
columns in the interior, and
divided into two separated
by a stone architrave
The most perfect of the
Doric temples is the
Parthenon; We will examine
this temple later
Ionic Temples
Introduction
Ionic temples were built using
the Ionic order
The most famous of the Ionic
temples is the temple of
Artemis at Ephesus
It was considered one of the
seven wonders of the ancient
World
It was commissioned by
Alexander the Great and was
believed to have been built
and destroyed several times
Unfortunately the temple has
not survived to the present
time
Ionic Temples
Introduction
There are also
uncertainties about its
arrangement in plan
The temple stands on a
platform 2.7 meters high
It had 36 columns in its
front and they had an
additional relief sculpture
at the base
The best surviving Ionic
temples is the Temple of
Athena located at the
Acropolis at Athens
Corinthian Temples
Introduction
The Corinthian order was not
widely used during the Greek
period
Earliest known example is
inside the 5th century Temple
of Apollo at Bassae.
The temple of Olympian
Zeus in Athens was in the
Corinthian order
The column was constructed
in 131 A.D. well after the
Roman conquest of Greece
The Corinthian order became
very popular during the
Roman period.
Civic Architecture
Introduction
During the Hellenistic period Greeks became
very fascinated by civic buildings
Treatments once reserved for temples and the
gods, were gradually extended to civic and
government buildings.
The Agora or market place also became very
important in Greek cities.
The theater and council chamber are examples
of civic buildings found in every Greek city
Civic Architecture
Theaters Theater Epidarus
The Greeks invented
the theater design that
is still used in movies
and auditoriums today
Every important Greek
city had a theater
Their theater was built
into a hilly landscape
The theater had a bank
of seats steps created
from the landscape
Civic Architecture
Theaters Theater Epidarus
The theater had a bank
of seats steps created
from the landscape
It would usually
commands a view to the
landscape
The image shown is of
theater Epidaurus
This was the largest
theater in ancient Greece
It is still in use today
Civic Architecture
Council Chamber Bouleterion, Miletus
The Bouleterion is where the
Boule or council of the city
state met
It was a covered chamber
fitted with banks of seats like
a theater
The example shown is from
the city of Miletus
Similar buildings were found
in every Greek or Hellenistic
city
End of Lecture
Module 6 Lecture 19
Ancient Greek Architecture
Outline of Lecture
Lecture 19
Greek City Planning and
Design
Greek Architecture in Athens
Design
End of Lecture
Module 6 Lecture 20
Ancient Greek Architecture
Outline of Lecture
Lecture 20
Architectural Characteristics
Buildings and other architectural elements
Building materials, construction and
technologies
Architectural Organizing principles
Architectural Characteristics
Principles of Arch.
Organization
End of Module 5