Ancient Greece Architecture Lecture Notes PDF

1. Introduction 2. Temples 3. Public Buildings 4. Town planning ARCG 211 History of Architecture I Lecture - 3  Overview First major civilization in Europe. Greek architecture produced by the Greek- speaking people (Hellenic period) w...

1. Introduction 2. Temples 3. Public Buildings 4. Town planning ARCG 211 History of Architecture I Lecture - 3  Overview First major civilization in Europe. Greek architecture produced by the Greek- speaking people (Hellenic period) whose culture flourished on the Greek mainland, the Peloponnese, the Aegean islands and in colonies in Anatolia and Italy for a period from about 900 BC until the 1st century AD. Best known for its temples. Credited with originating the three classical orders: Doric, Ionic and Corinthian. Secret of beauty lays in proportions.  Greek Architecture Influences Materials Most freely available building material is stone. Limestone was readily available and easily worked. There was plenty of high quality white marble. Religion Ancient Greek believes was based on the assumption that there were many gods and goddesses. Mount Olympus & Greek Gods The general believe in an underworld where the sprits of the dead went after death. Construction & Materials Art & Decoration Stone & Marble Construction Tools  Art of Proportion Greeks had great love for logic – logos. Balance and Symmetry in their buildings. Secret of beauty lies within proportion; through using mathematics in constructing their buildings. Types of Orders: Doric Ionic Corinthian Refer to the entire set of form, that makes up the principal elevation of a temple. Base Upright column or support with capital Horizontal entablature Parthenon Golden Ratio (secret of beauty) Doric Order Oldest and simplest order Composed of column with cylindrical shaft and 20 flutes No base Simple capital The column carrying an entablature Heavily decorated pediment Ionic Order More elegant than Doric Shaft sits on a base Thinner and higher than Doric 24 flutes Capital has a spiral form called volutes Architrave usually divided into 2 or 3 continuous horizontal bends Used in interior of many buildings and the exterior of smaller temples Corinthian Order Most decorative order Has a base and a shaft but no flutes (most of the time) Capital consisting of rings and carves leaves Has spiral carvings close to volutes in ionic order Was not widely used in Ancient Greece but later mainly used by the Ancient Romans (considered to be the most decorative) Doric , Ionic & Corinthian Order TEMPLES  Temples Temples are the most important buildings in Ancient Greek architecture. Basic building for temple was the megaron; later it was enlarged. Temples were placed on a stylobate and was surrounded by freestanding colonnade on all four sides. The temple consisted of a main room with a statue, naos; and a pronaos (front porch); and opisthodomos (back porch). The roof of the temple were clearly gabled, covered with roof tiles and carried by wooden construction. Basic Body of a Temple: 1. Colonnade - Row of columns 2. Stylobate - Horizontal base of a temple 3. Pronaos - Front porch (open entrance) 4. Naos or Cella - Space for God (statue) 5. Opisthodomos - Back porch  Plan Development Greek temples are often categorized in terms of their ground plan and the way in which the columns are arranged. For example, a prostyle temple is a temple that has columns only at the front, while an amphiprostyle temple has columns at the front and back. Dipteral temple simply have a double row of columns surrounding the building. One of the unusual plans is the tholos, a temple with a circular ground plan (not very common). Early Greek temples were made from a combination of stone, mud, bricks, and wood. As Greek building methods grew more sophisticated, larger Greek temples were made from stone and marble. The colonnade is probably the most recognizable Greek structure within the Greek temple. This row of columns went all the way around the temple (all 4 sides). It acted as a place for visitors to rest, as well as a ceremonial passage for ritual use.  Acropolis Acropolis was always the highest place in any Greek city; consisting of most important temples in the city. Most popular is the one in Athens, showing a perfect example of temple complex in the classical period. Each temple have a characteristic of geometry, but as a group they do not. That is because they were depended on shape and natural terrene (slopes). Acropolis of city Athena 1. Propylaea or an entrance porch - monumental entrance to a holy area 2. Temple of Athena Nike 3. Temple of Parthenon 4. Temple of Erechteum Acropolis of city Athena 1 - Propylaea Central area 25m x 8m, 6 Doric Columns from both sides (front & back) & 6 Ionic Columns along the main axis. 2 - Temple of Athena Nike Oldest built in Ionic order; simple rectangular plan with single naos and two porches with four Ionic columns. 3 - Temple of Parthenon  The Parthenon Construction lasted 10 years and additional 5 years for decoration Made of stone / marble 8 columns front and 17 columns on the long side Building was approachable on both sides, which is rare, due to the public not being allowed inside the temple (only look through the door of the naos) Naos is divided into 2 unconnected sections, with each entrance though a porch The east side room was big with a statue of Athena 13m tall and made of ivory and surrounded with Doric colonnade The west side room had four huge Ionic columns, directly supporting the roof Frieze 1m high, 160m long, with 360 human figures and great numbers of animals Pediments were 28m long with 50 figures, some 3m tall Temple of Parthenon The approach was from the west side (opisthodomos side) 4 - Temple of Erectheion  Erechtheum Built on an irregular ground level, with ground sloped into two directions to the north and to the west Temple built in two different level with +3m difference Temple is simple and rectangular Entrance from the east with a width matching the building size Porch consists of six Ionic columns with 6.6 height On the south side is a small porch that did not have full height of the temple Porch consists of low entablature without frieze and with six Caryatids (female figures acting as columns) made of marble Temple of Erechteum Temple is build in two levels with difference of 3m Ionic Order & 6 Caryatids https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FNebzbCHnL8 PUBLIC BUILDINGS  1. Unroofed Structures - Theaters Theaters For performances and public meetings Placed on natural slope of the hillside Consists of 2 separate parts, the auditorium (semicircle shape) and skene lower rectangular building, divided into 3 or more rooms used by actors Proskenium was a front porch placed in front of the skene Center circle is called Orchestra where dancers musicians and singers used Skene and auditorium were separated by two passages called Parodos Auditorium built on two different slopes, upper banks are steeper than lower banks Changed from wooden structure to more permanent structures made of stones Great consideration for the acoustics  Unroofed structures - Theaters auditorium orchestra parodos skene proskenion Greek theaters were built using natural slope of a hillside Seats were built in 2 slopes: lower & steeper https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2CVO9Vd067U 2. Roofed Structures Assembly Halls Roof buildings that were built to shelter a large number of users, to gather and hear or see something. 1. Telesterion Built in the second half of the 6th century B.C. Rectangular hall, almost square Seats along walls Roof carried by a forest of columns Telesterion 6th BC Roofed Structures Assembly Halls Roof buildings that were built to shelter a large number of users, to gather and hear or see something. 2. Assembly Hall in Priene Built in the 4th century B.C. Capacity of 700 people Almost square Seats on 3 sides Row of 14 pillars behind the seating and the passage Hall in Priene 4th BC Assembly Hall - Priene TOWN PLANNING Town planning was important to the Ancient Greeks, since they believed in the importance of beauty in the city. The center of the city was left open and used for many activities. Government buildings and market places, called Agora. Major streets from different direction entered the main open space, with fountains marked on the corners. The rest of the city was made of houses and some other structures made for different activities such as theaters, gymnasium, schools and gardens. Through the different type of buildings, Ancient Greeks showed their way of living between private houses and their activities in public places. Agora – center of a Greek city Stoa Stoa – offices & shops Stoa is a long structure with porch and long colonnade in front and offices and shops behind. City of Priene 4th c. City grid plan was using: 6 main streets running east-west 15 secondary roads running north-south City of Miletus 5th & 4th C. First city planner Hippodamus discovered the method of dividing cities City of Milletus, shows planning during the 5th century B.C. Grid system used for town planning. Designed by Hippodamus, which considered to be the father of European urban planning. Dividing the city by grouping public buildings at the center of the city. Residential areas were built around, with big blocks having smaller houses, and small blocks with larger houses. Walls were built around the city, with space for permanent greenery, where trees placed between houses and the wall of the city.  Let us summarize… Materials & Building Techniques  Basic Body of a Temple  Proportion Orders Varieties of buildings Greek Orders   Acropolis of Athene  Propylaea Parthenon  Erecteum   Public Buildings  Theaters  Assembly Hall  Agora  Town Planning 