History Of Architecture IV

Greek Architecture Typologies

Prepared by
Ar. Anusha Patil
Asst Professor
BGSSAP
Acropolis.
Acropolis.
• An `acropolis’ is any citadel or complex built on a high hill. The name
derives from the Greek Akro, high or extreme/extremity or edge,
and Polis, city, translated as 'High City’, 'City on the Edge’ or 'City in the
Air’, the most famous being the Acropolis of Athens, Greece, built in the
5th century BCE.
• Acropolis is the most significant reference point of ancient Greek culture,
as well as the symbol of the city of Athens itself as it represent the apogee
of artistic development in the 5th century BC.
Acropolis – the design
 The Acropolis rises 490 feet (150 metres) into the
sky above the city of Athens and has a surface area
of approximately 7 acres (3 hectares).
 The site was a natural choice for a fortification and
was inhabited at least as early as the Mycenaean
Period in Greece (1900-1100 BCE) if not earlier.
 There was already a complex built on the hill, and a
temple to Athena in progress, which was destroyed
by the Persians under Xerxes in 480 BCE when
they sacked Athens.
 The later structures, famous today, were built as a
testament to the resilience of the Athenians
following the defeat of Xerxes’ forces at
the Battle of Salamis (480 BCE) and to exemplify
the glory of the city.
 The four main buildings in the original plan for the
Acropolis were the Propylaia, the Parthenon, the
Erechtheion, and the Temple of Athena Nike.
The Propylaia was the ornate entranceway into the
temple complex, while the Parthenon was the
central attraction.
Acropolis consisted of:
 Parthenon
 Erechtheion
 Propylaea
 Acropolis fortification wall
 Temple of Athena Nike
 Temple of Rome and Augustus
 Pedestal of Agrippa
 Chalkotheke
 Old temple of Athena
Erechtheion
• The elegant building known as the Erechtheion, on the
north side of the sacred rock of the Acropolis, was erected
in 421-406 BC as a replacement of an earlier temple
dedicated to Athena Polias
• The temple was made of Pentelic marble
• On its east side, an Ionic portico with six columns
sheltered the entrance to the east part of the building.
Inside was the cult statue of Athena, made of olive wood
• The temple burned in the first century BC and was
subsequently repaired with minor alterations. In the Early
Christian period it was converted into a church dedicated
to the Theometor (Mother of God). It became palace under
Frankish rule and the residence of the Turkish
commander's harem in the Ottoman period.
• Erechtheion became the first monument of the Acropolis
to be restored as part of the recent conservation and
restoration project.
Propylaea
• The Propylaia of the Athenian Acropolis were built on the
west side of the hill, where the gate of the Mycenaean
fortification once stood.
• The first propylon, or gate, was constructed in the age of
Peisistratos (mid-sixth century BC), after the Acropolis had
become a sanctuary dedicated to Athena.
• A new propylon, built in 510-480 BC, was destroyed by the
Persians in 480 BC and repaired after the end of the Persian
Wars, during the fortification of the Acropolis
• The central section, the propylon proper, had an outer
(west) and inner (east) fa?ade, both supported by six Doric
columns, and between them a wall with five doors.
• Three Ionic columns flanked the main, middle door on
either side.
• The central section followed the configuration of the
terrain so the east portico and its crowning pediment were
placed higher than those to the west. The two lateral
sections, too, were placed lower than the central one. The
sloping terrain dictated the creation of flights of steps both
inside and in front of the propylon.
Acropolis – time line.
 Agora:
• The Agora, the marketplace and civic center,
was one of the most important parts of an
ancient city of Athens.

• In addition to being a place where people

gathered to buy and sell all kinds of
commodities, it was also a place where people
assembled to discuss all kinds of topics:
business, politics, current events, or the nature
of the universe and the divine.

• The Agora of Athens, where ancient Greek

democracy first came to life, provides a
wonderful opportunity to examine the
commercial, political, religious, and cultural
life of one of the great cities of the ancient
world.