ANCIENT GREEK ARCHITECTURE|ENGINEERING
GREEK Architecture Or HELLENIC
EMPIRE (REVIEWER)
ARCHITECTURAL INFLUENCES
1. SOCIAL AND POLITICAL INFLUENCE
- Chief diversion were music, dancing, wrestling,
boxing, gymnastics, and bull-fighting often
with religious connection
- Women participate in hunting and more
strenuous games, as well as in craftwork.
- Tyrannic, Aristocratic, and Democratic were
the form of government and Pericles of the
democratic leader of Athens.
2. GEOGRAPHIIC INFLUENCE
- MAINLAND – mountainous hinterland
separated inhabitants into group clans and
state
- ARCHIPELAGO AND ISLAND – sea was the
inevitable means of trade and communication
- The rugged nature of the Greek Peninsula and
its island, with mountainous made
communications difficult.
- It was bounded on two sides by Black Sea and
Mediterranean Sea
- Athens as its center kingdom contains the
upper city known as “Catedal”
3. GEOLOGIC INFLUENCE
- Marble is the chief building material in Greece,
they also had ample supplies of building stones
4. CLIMATIC INFLUENCE – mild and rainy winters,
relatively warm and dry summers and,
generally extended periods of sunshine
throughout most of the year
5. RELIGIOUS INFLUENCE
 NATURE WORSHIP
- Religious rites, sacred games, ritual dances,
sacrifices
- They worship natural phenomena
- Priestesses conduct the religious rites rather
than priests
 Represents their deities by large statues
HISTORICAL INFLUENCE
 Aegean Architecture or Early Period or (3000 –
700 BCE)
 Greek Architecture and Hellenic Period (650-
323 BCE)
ARCHITECTURAL CHARACTER
1. AEGEAN ARCHITECTURE OR EARLY PERIOD
(3000- 700BCE)
a. Low pitch or flat roof on multi-storey
structures.
b. Stairways was developed for vertical
circulation
c. Megaron or Aegean houses and places were
principal building types then.
d. 4 methods of walling surface
finishes:
 Cyclopean – a masonry made up of huge
stone blocks with clay beddings but without
mortar
 Polygonal – a masonry which is constructed
with stones having polygonal faces; advance
technique but without pith nor tar
 Rectangular – block of stone cut into
rectangular shapes that serve as dowels
 Inclined blocks – stones with inclined blocks
2.
a. Simplicity and harmony
b. Purity of lines
c. Perfection of proportion
d. Refinement of details
e. Characteristic Feature:
 They use rectangular plan
 Propylaea – temple’s gateway
 Colonnade surround the temple
 Ceiling were omitted and treated with timber
panelled coffers “Lacunria”
 Wallls were made-up of stones
 Marble sculptures completed the buildings
 Mural painting on the walls of temples was
highly developed
 Optical illustration were corrected from
horizontal lines not to appear dropping or
sagging from the center, a slight convex
outlines were formed for stylobates, cornices
and architraves from the temple Parthenon,
same with the vertical lines for columns.
ARCHAIC PERIOD
 Temple – were the chief class buildings.
Usually the plan is rectangular in shape
 Were not places of worship but monuments
dedicated to the beloved gods and goddesses
a. NAOS- principal chamber containing the
statue of the gods and goddesses
b. PRONAOS – the inner portico in front of the  The Oldest and the simplest of the classical
Naos order
c. EPINAOS/OPISTHODOMUS- particum which  Characterized by fluted column having no
serves as treasury chamber base, a plain cushion – shaped capital
d. Pteron- a colonnade parallel but apart from supporting a square abacus and an
the Naos entablature consisting of a plain architrave, a
e. ANTA – a rectangular pier or pilaster formed frieze of triglyphs and metopes, and a
by thickening the end of a projecting wall cornace, the corona of which has mutules on
f. Distyle in Antis – having two columns in front its soffit.
between Antae
g. STYLOBATE – a course of masonry forming the PARTS OF DORIC ORDER
foundation for a row of columns esp. The A. Doric order part
outermost colonnade of a classical temple. Order – any of the classical architecture – Doric, - Pediment
h. STEREOBATE – A solid mass of masonry visible Ionic, Corinthian, Tuscan, and Composite – - Entablature
above ground level and serving as the Characterized by the type and arrangement of - Crepidoma
foundation of a building. Also known as columns of entablatures employed. B. Pediment parts
“Crepidoma” or “Podium”. - Antefixae or Antefixale
DORIC ORDER
TWO WAY OF DESCRIBING TEMPLES - Tympanium
- Acroterion
C. Entblature parts
- Cornice
- Frieze
- Architraves
D. Cornice parts
- Mutule
- Guttae
E. Frieze parts
- Triglyphs
- Metope
F. Architraves parts
- Taenia
- Regula
- Guttae
a. According to the number of columns on G. Triglyph parts
the entrance - 2 whole and 2 half channel
b. By the arrangement of the exterior - Shank
columns of the temple in relation to Naos H. Column Parts
- Capital
- Shaft
- Base  Characterized esp. By the spiral volutes of it’s PROPYLEA
I. Capital parts capital
- Abacus  The fluted columns typically had molded bases
- Echinus and supported an entablature consisting of an
J. Shaft architrave of three fascias, a richly ornamented
- Annulets frieze, and a cornice corbeled out on egg – and
- Tracheleum or Trachelion dart and dentil mouldings
- Hypotracheleum or Hypotrachelion
K. Crepidoma parts CLASSICAL PERIOD
- Stylobate  A piece of ground specially reserve and
- Stereodate enclosed as a sacred place
L. Shaft’s plan Parts  Also known as citadel or acropolis (UPPER
- Flutes CITY)
- Arris
TEMPLE OF NIKE APTEROS
IONIC ORDER

 A vestibule or gateway of architectural

importance before a temple area or other
enclosure, such as entrance structure to the
Acropolis in Athens
 ARCHTECT: MNESICLES

STATUE OF ATHENA PROMACHOS

 Is the a temple on the acropolis of Athens

 The temple is the earliest fully Ionic temple
 Was open, entered from the Propylaea’s
southwest wing and from a narrow stair on
the north
 More sophisticated order
 ARCHITECTECT: CALLICATRES
 Was a colossal bronze statue of Athena
 SCULPTED BY: PHEDIAS
ERECTHEION
 An ancient Greek temple on the north side of
the north side of the acropolis of Athens in
Greece which was dedicated to both Athena
and Poseidon
PARTHENON
 Is a former temple on the Athenian Acropolis,
Greece, dedicated to the goddess Athena,
whom the people of Athens considered their
patron
 ARCHITECT: ICTINUS AND CALLICRATES
STOA OF EUMENES
 STOA-covered walkways or particos,
commonly for public usage
 It was built the slope of the hill (meaning it
needed a retaining wall supported by piers
and round arches
ODEON OF HERODES ATTICUS
 Is a stone structure located on the southwest
slope of the acropolis of Athens
 Was built by HERODES ATTICUS in memory
of his wife
THEATER OF DIONYSOS ELETHERUS
 Is a major open air theatre and one of the
earliest preserved in Athens
 It was used for festivals in honour of god
Dionysus
AEGEAN PERIOD
 MINOANS
- Minoan homeland was the island of Crete
- Buildings were typically made of timber frames
filled with clay bricks
- At the heart of each Minoan city was a multi-
story with a large central courtyard
- Also known as “PALACE AGE”
PALACE OF KING MINOS, KNOSSOS
 Paved court crossed by raised walks a typical,
a typical feature of Minoan architecture
 The building of the palace had at least two
story. Ground floor consist mostly of storage
rooms
 The purpose is religious rather than royalty
NORTH ENTRANCE OF THE PALACE OF KING
MINOS, KNOSSOS
 This section has been partially restored,
including the unusual Minoan columns with
“bulbous capitals” and downward tapering
shafts
PLAN OF THE PALACE OF KING MINOS
 The plan is organized around in an open
rectangular room open
THRONE ROOM, PALACE OF KING MINOS,
KNOSSOS
 Named for the elaborate “throne” this room
is provided with bench seating along the
adjacent walls. Frescoes show griffins in luch
foliage. Since a lustral basin adjoins this room
it is possible the space was used for religious
ritual rather than royal audiences.
THE MYCENAEANS
 The Mycenaeans based their culture firmly on
that of the Minoans, as evidenced by their
general architectural style
 The Mycenaean surrounded their cities with
massive defensive walls. The ruins of such
walls have been preserved at several sites,
including Mycenae, the civilization’s foremost
city
 A typical Mycenaean palace consisted of a
central rectangular hall flanked by smaller
chambers. The central hall, featured a grand
entrance formed with portico (covered porch
with columns
 It was from Megaron they developed their
temples
GATE OF LION, MYCENAE
 Most ancient stone sculpture in Europe it was
the main entrance of the citadel of Mycenae
 It is massive and imposing construction.
 It narrows as it rises measuring 2.78m (9ft)
below the lintel. The opening was closed by a
double door mortised to a vertical beam that
acted as a pivot around which the door
revolved
 The imposing of gate of the citadel with the
representation of lionesses was an emblem of
the Mycenaean kings and a symbol of their
power to both subjects and foreigners
The Palace Mycenae
 Built in different levels on the uneven ground
the Main elements of complex were the
Megaron with central hearth and anteroom
and the central court
 It has two entrances that both leads the
central court
The Palace, Tiryns
 Massive fortification tot eh upper part of the
citadel irregular style of cyclopean masonry
 It has a decorative propylon on the east side
 Built of massive blocks and roofed by means
of corbelled vaults
 Inner room contained a large circular
decorated hearth in a group of four columns
AEGEAN TOMBS
1. THOLOS
2. ROCK-CUT OR CHAMBER TOMB
THOLOS
 Also known as “Bee Hive tomb”
 It consist of a long passage known as dromos
leading to domed chamber.
 A stone built Subterranean tomb of the
Mycenaean civilization covered by a corbelled
dome and entered by a walled passage
through hillside
INTERIOR OF THE TREASURY OF ATREUS,
MYCENAE
 Although the interior space is relatively large,
it is dark driving it’s light only from the open
doorway and triangular transom of corbelled
 arch above it. The even courses of ashlar, or - NEW CITIES – specially colonial cities
shaped, stones can be compared to the established during the Hellenistic period had a  Most ornate of all classical order
irregular cyclopean stones used elsewhere at grid-iron street plan  Similar in most respects to the ionic but
Mycenae  Certain things were common among cities usually of slenderer proportions and
- Temples - Civic Structure characterized esp. by a decorated with
ROCK-CUT OR CHAMBER TOMB
- Theaters - Public buildings acanthus leaves and an abacus with concave
 is the creation of structures, buildings and side
Greek city planning and design patterns Mennese
sculptures, by excavating solid rock where it 1. Public Building – Restoration of Athens,
naturally occurs. Rock-cut architecture is  Towns had fixed boundaries and some were Olympia, Delphi and Epidauros gave an idea of
designed made by man from the start to finish protected by fortification distribution of buildings on this famous site
 regular chamber, cut with in the slope hillside  Much of the town was devoted to the public a. Prytaneion – a semate house for th chief
approach by dromos use. dignitaries of the city
 same with the rock-hewn from Egypt  Greek city was usually divided into three b. Bouleuterian- or council house covered
parts: THE ACROPOLIS, THE AGORA AND THE meeting place of the democratic elected
TOWN council
HELLENISTIC PERIOD  site planning and design was centered on the c. Assembly Halls –used by citizens in general
outside assembly
MAJOR EMPIRES d. Odeon – a theatre building used mainly by
 the location of building was therefore such
1. ANTIGONID EMPIRE (GREECE) command a good view musicians in the presentation of their works
2. SELEUCID EMPIRE (MESOPOTAMIA for competition public approval
3. PTOLEMAIC EMPROE CORINTHIAN ORDER e. Stadium or Stadion – foot race course and
also used for other athletic performances
HELLENISTIC CITIES f. Palaestra – wrestling school
g. Gymnasium – place for physical exercise
1. PRIENE
both Palaestra and gymnasium were
2. PERGAMON
prototype of Roman “THERMAE”
3. ALEXANDRIA
1. COURT OF ATHLETES
4. DURA-EUROPOS
2. TANKS FOR BATHERS
5. DELOS
3. DRESSING ROOM
6. RHODES
4. EXEDRAE AND OTHER SEAT FOR
GREEK CITY PLANNING AND DESIGN PLANNING SPECTATORS
AND DESIGN PRINCIPLES 5. STORE, PLACES FOR REST AND CONVERSE
6. EPHEBIUM OR CLUB FOR LECTURERS
 The ancient Greek Civilization had established
h. Naval Buildings – includes ship-shed and
principles for planning and designing cities.
stores
City form were of two types:
i. Tombs – Monumental tombs on of the
- OLD CITIES – such as Athens had irregular
most famous of all tombs and one of the
street plans reflecting their gradual organic
seven wonders of the world was erected
development
 by King Mausolos by his widow, Artemsia Diazoma
and from it declare the term “Mausoleum”
An aisle between the lower and upper tiers of seats
j. Domestic Buildings or Greek Houses –
in an ancient greek theatre, concentric with the
usually one story with room built around
orchestra a the outer wall and communicating with
an internal court with porticos on the three
the radial aisle
sides and chamber group around
2. AGORA - a market place or public square in
an ancient Greek city, usually surrounded with
public buildings and porticos and commonly
used as place for popular or political assembly
PARADOS
STOA- an ancient place considered as a One of the two side passageway to an ancient
promenade meeting place in a public place greek theatre, between the stage and the
3. Greek Theater – an open air theatre usually seating area through which the chorus
hollowed out of a slope of a hillside with enetered the orchestra
tiered seating area around and facing a
circular orchestra backed by the skene, a
building for actor’s use

ORCHESTRA Cercis
The circular space in front of the stage in the A wedge-shaped section of seats between two
ancient greek theatre, reserve for the chorus stepped passageways in an ancient greek
PARASCENIUM theatre
The two wings flanking and projecting forward
from the skene of an ancient greek theatre,
containing apartment for the actors

SKENE
A structure being the audience in ancient
greek theatre, forming the background before
which performance were given