HOA GRE E CE 1

GREEK ARCHITECTURE 2000 BC - 30 BC

SYLLABUS UNIT 3– ROME
EVOLUTION OF CITY STATES
DEVELOPMENT OF ART, SCULPTURE, ARCHITECTURE IN THE ARCHAIC AND THE CLASSICAL
PERIOD FACTORS INFLUENCING ARCHITECTURE
OUTLINE OF ARCHITECTURAL CHARACTER
ORDERS IN ARCHITECTURE – DORIC, IONIC,
CORINTHIAN PARTHENON, ATHENS
ERECHTHEON, ATHENS
THEATRE EPIDAURUS
TOWER OF WINDS

CHRONOLOGY OF PERIODS IN GREECE:

1. HELLADIC PERIOD in the AEGEAN AREA (CRETE)
 EARLY PERIOD 3000 – 2000 BC 

 MIDDLE / MINOAN PERIOD 2000 – 1125 BC
 o Eg. PALACE OF MINOS @ KNOSSOS 
 LATE/ MYCENAEAN PERIOD 1600 – 1050 BC
o Eg. CITADEL OF MYCENAE 
LION GATE @ MYCENAE
TREASURY OF ATREUS (TOMB OF AGAMEMNON –
THOLOS)
2. GREEK / HELLENIC ARCHITECTURE
 THE DARK AGE 1000-750 BCE 

 ARCHAIC PERIOD 750 – 479 BC
 o GREEK AGORA 
 CLASSICAL PERIOD 479 – 336 BC 
o PARTHENON, ERECHTHEON
 HELLENISTIC PERIOD 323 – 30 BC 
o THEATRE EPIDAURUS, TOWER OF WINDS

ARCHITECTURAL CHARACTER OF AEGEAN AREA----------------------ESSAY

The Aegean period has 2 distinct architectural traditions:

1. Typical house: a free standing hut with a single room found in the mainla nd
and the region of Troy
2. House: a totally random asymmetrical agglomeration of rooms found in Asia
Minor and Crete

1. MEGARON PLAN: CITADEL OF TROY

 Included a large rectangular hall consisting of a room which was nearly square
 with a deep porch formed by extending the side walls -------------sketch 
  This was the basis for all Classical Greek Temples 
 By the 2nd millennium BC the houses developed
 into an agglomeration of buildings 
 The typologies were: 
HOA GRE E CE 2

o Palaces – king’s palace, administration

Places of manufacture & storage
 The arrangement of rooms was
 o Asymmetrical 
o Around a central court,
o Totally enclosed 

2. PALACE OF MINOS AT KNOSSOS
 Typical Minoan Architecture 
 Arranged around a central open court 170’ x 82.5’ 
 The building covered 4 acres 

 Exterior planning:
 o Paved West court 
o Crossed by raised walks typical Minoan feature
o Overlooked by a monumental West Façade 
 o At the S end was the Principle Entrance 
 Palace building was 2 storeys 
 Ground floor - storage rooms
- west wing had oil jars
- north wing had granaries
  Throne room – important room at the W end 
- approached from an Anteroom at a level lower than the
Court
- opened by 4 pairs of Folding Doors
- the room was for religious purpose rather than royal
purpose
- Stone Throne against the N wall flanked by benches
- Walls decorated with Frescoes
 Principal floor- 1st floor
- W wing had spacious state rooms
- Rooms arranged for functional purpose
- Ceremonial rather than for symmetry
 N of Court - separate Entrance approached from the Theatral Area
outside
the palace
 E wing - central hall of states
 SE corner - accommodate 3 stories of Royal Apartments
- Uppermost level with court
- Other 2 below the court level
- Faces Eastwards facing terraced gardens
- Rooms were isolated from the court connected with each
other
- Passages lit by 3 light wells
- Approac hed by rows of double doors, opened or partially
shut off
HOA GRE E CE 3

- Designed to permit cool air or shut out the intense heat of

Cretan summer
 Typical Minoan Character: 
- Stairways
- Light wells
- Colonnades
- Cypress wood
- Drainage & sanitation system
- The planning is chaotic but a result of organic growth

3. PALACE OF MYCENAE
 Large fortifications 
 Similar to that of Tiryns (neighboring) 
  Principal feature – Entrance protected by flanking Bastions 
 Lion Gate of Mycenae 
- At the inner end
- Great upright stone jambs 10’ high
- Support an immense lintel 16’ x 3’6” x 8’
- Over an opening 10’ wide
- Above was a t ri angu
l ar, corb
e l edopeningf il ed

with a stone
- Relief depicts 2 rampart lions facing a central
column of the typical downward tapering type

 Enclosure - inside the fortification is a circular enclosure

- Formed by an inner and an outer row of continuous upright
stones with horizontal slabs over them
- Surrounded the shaft graves of the burial place of kings
- Houses inside
- Shrine among them
 Shrine - house of idols
- Had fresco painting depicting a goddess
- Had terracotta cult figures
 Palace - at the top of the citadel
- Plastered court led to the Megaron Plan
 Megaron plan had a porch
An antechamber entered by a single door
A main room 42’6” x 39’3”

4. TREASURY OF ATREUS
Also known as the Tomb of Agamemnon
 The most splendid Tholos at Mycenae 
  Built between 1350 – 1250 BC 
 Excellent quality Stone Masonry throughout 
 Dromos: - 20’ wide
- 118’ long
HOA GREECE 4

-Side walls rises to a max. 45’ at the entrance to the

chamber
 Chamber: - 47’6” in Dia. 48’ high
- 34 circular courses of masonry gives curvature by cutting
- Capped with single block of stone
- Metal decoration on walls
 Rock cut Chamber 27’ square, 19’ high
- Lined with masonry
- Place of burial
 Entrance - doorway 17’9” high
- Façade 34’ high
- Passageway 5.4m long
- Roofed by 2 enormous limestone lintels
- On either side of the door are 2 green limestone half
columns
- Usual tapering form decorated with bands of Chevron
pattern
- The triangle over the lintel has slabs of deep red stone
- Carved with horiz. bands of spirals & mouldings with plain
bands in between
 Lintel - a strip of green stone
- Carved with rows of discs
- Surmounted by rising spirals and the Triglyph and
Metope pattern
HOA GREECE 5

FACTORS INFLUENCING ARCHITECTURE-------------------------

ESSAY
ORIGIN
 The 1st major civilization in Europe 
 Developed around the Aegean Sea influencing subsequent European civilizations 
 Origin of European architecture which influenced the Roman Empire &
medieval Europe 
 Developed in and around Aegean, mainland and Crete 
 Influence through seafaring from Asia Minor, Near East & Egypt 
 Shifted to mainland by 14th c. BC 
 Collapsed in the 12th c. BC leading to the period of Dark Age 
 Revival in the 10th c. 
 Establishment of Macedonian supremacy and conquest by Alexander of Persia 
 Great extension of the area of Political Greek and thus intellectual, and Artistic
 domination 
 The Greeks brought qualities of intellect and aesthetic judgement to all arts,
literature and science 

CLIMATIC FACTORS 

Climate:
 Mediterranean climate with short severe winters, extreme in the mountains of central
 Greece 
 Hot & dry summers with adequate rainfall in autumn winter & spring 
Exteriors:
 The sunshine made it possible to appreciate fine details of buildings, hence colour and
carving used 
Interiors:
 Designed to provide relief from heat 
 The lighting to Temples was only through the main door 
 Windows and openings were small and opened into the inner courtyards which were
 surrounded by roofed porticoes 
 Windows never opened into streets 
 Public activity took place only in open air even in winters 
 The main typology was the Greek Temple 

 Developed from the extended roofed portico or stoa which was predominantly used in
the Classical & Hellenistic period 

The homelands of the Greeks was divided by inlets of sea and mountain barriers
into regions
The size & importance of the community depended on the ease with which adjacent
communities could amalgamate into larger units
The important City States of the classical period were amalgamations
HOA GRE E CE 6

EVOLUTION OF CITY STATES IN GREECE

During the Dark Ages Greece underwent depopulation both in the mainland & Aegean.
 These movements formed the basis of dialect divisions of Greek. 

 The N migrants brought
 with them the dialect – 
Dorian, Laconia,
Corinthia, and adjacent
areas of Crete & Rhodes 

 Migrants to E Aegean
spoke Ionian which was
 used in Athens 
 These dialects are
equated with the principle
geographic divisions with
the characteristic
architectural forms 

 The revival in Greece
 began in the 8th c. 
 Evidence of renewal of
 overseas trading contacts 
 The smaller Greek
communities grew richer
by amalgamating with
their neighbours and
formed larger states –
 Polis (city state) 
 This was the political entity
 in the classical period 
 The main city states of 
 Greece were- Athens, Corinth, Argos, Sparta in the mainland 
 E Aegean, Samos, Chios, Smyrna, Ephysus & Miletus 
 Each city state was jealous of its autonomy and independence 

 In Classical Greece, the polis was of paramount importance with the
individual as a subordinate 
 All aspects of life were under the protection of the Gods 

 Movement of Greek colonies overseas (Italy, Sicily, N Africa, Black sea) was
 challenged by the rise of major states in the E 
 Greeks supported by Lydian kings who were overwhelmed by Persia in the
 6th c. 
 A period of flux in the civilization with pressure from the Persians and rivalr y
 between Athens and Sparta 
 Gradual political chaos and decline of the civilization with a brief transformatio n
by the Macedonian rule and Alexander (Hellenistic) 

 After Alexander in 323 BC the Greek cities established their freedom for the
Achaean and Aetolian confederation 
HOA GREECE 7

NATURE OF GREEK ART AND SCULPTURE

During this period the Archaic (8th – 6th c. BC),

 The Greek artists broke away from Abstract, Geometric forms which came
 from the Late Bronze Age 
 Introduction of oriental motifs, decorative patterns and representation of
animals and human beings which was part of the Levant community 

 Orientalising Phase of Greek art- the Levantine origin is emphasized in the
 development of a new alphabet system of writing from the Phoenician script 
  Unity of language, religious concepts and beliefs 
 Arts was greatly stimulated by aristocratic & tyrant patronage 
 Sculpture flourished in Athens 
  In Greek temples the statue of the God was wooden, or of stone or bronze 
 The most expensive were made from Plaques of gold and ivory attached to a
 wooden frame 
 Few temples built during the end of the Classical Period due to political chaos 

 During the Hellenistic Period, the Greek forms of art & civic life were
 transformed into the new areas- N.Africa etc. 
 New levels of wealth with art and architecture flourishing 
 Introduction of Greek architectural concepts in new cities 

CULTURAL FACTORS

 Religious belief was constantly changing with new cults introduced time to time 
 Gods were all powerful 
 Regular ritual of sacrifice to the God which required an open altar or space 
  Temple buildings developed later based on the importance and wealth of the cult 
  Buildings were considered as offerings and were hence magnificently executed 
 Other typologies: 
1. Agora: the Greek society and political system was dependent on gatherings 
o With the growth of an organized town, the Agora was a central
element in the town plan
o The Agora was an open space with structures required for functioning of
the polis at its edge
2. Domestic architecture: houses turned their back on the streets
o Inward facing a courtyard
o Division between male and female quarters
3. Greek city:
o Temple was the principle building – a simple rectangular roofed
structure
o Designed to be admired from outside
o Buildings were built around a central courtyard or
space o Appreciated only from within the court
o Series of separate buildings with porticoes or colonnades
o Colonnaded courts a feature of Hellenistic cities
HOA GRE E CE 8

GREEK AGORA – ARCHAIC PERIOD (Urban Architecture)

The Agora was the heart of ancient Athens, the focus of political, commercial,
administrative and social activity, the religious and cultural centre, and the seat of
justice.
A large, open public space which served as a place for assembly of the citizens and,
hence, the political, civic, religious and commercial center of a Greek city.
Buildings for all of these various purposes were constructed as needed in and
around the agora.
Formal layout of the agora was developed in the Hellenistic period. The
Greek agora is the predecessor of the forum of imperial Rome.

AGORA OF ATHENS

 Situated to the N of the Acropolis 

 Built during the early Archaic period 
 An essential stage in its development as a 

civic core was due to the drainage
developed by Peisistratos in the 2nd half
 of the 6th c. 
 Drain built in polygonal masonry along
 the W boundary of the Agora 
 The civic and the religious buildings were
built along the perimeter of the agora 

 The main typologies in the Greek Agora
were: 
1. Temples
o Temple of Hephaisteion
2. Stoas- a portico or a detached
colonnade
o These provided shelter and were multifunctional
o They were separate self contained rectangular buildings which
developed giving the Agora the appearance of a colonnaded
courtyard
o Stoa of Zeus
 
Doric stoa on the W
 
Late 5th c.
  
2 aisles with projecting wings

Inner ionic 
colonnade due to greater height which supported a wooden
ridge beam
o Stoa of Attalus
  
Addition during Hellenistic
  
2 storied 116m x 19.4m
  
Doric in ground floor and Ionic in upper with a balustrade
  
M arble structure
 
A row of rooms on both floors
HOA GRE E CE 9

o Royal stoa
o South stoa
  
80.5m x 14.9m
  
Doric colonnade
  
Inner ionic colonnade

Behind the colonnade was a row of 15 rooms each 4.9m square
 with off center doors and plinths 
around the walls to
accommodate 7 dining couches
  
Superstructure of mud brick
 
Floors and colonnades of beaten earth hence rarely well preserved
o Middle stoa
3. Administrative buildings:
o Provided closed accommodation
o The Bouleuterion was the council
house o Held 500 people
o Square building with windows and a pyramidal roof
o Had an anteroom and an auditorium
o The Tholos was a circular hall used for dining by the
council o Made of unbaked mud brick
o Conical roof with tiles
4. Heliaea – courtyard structure on the S- meeting place of the jury
5. Shrine of Theseus – walled enclosure containing famous wall paintings
6. Fountain houses- colonnaded structures on the S side with a portico
7. Mint – public buildings
8. Altar dedicated to the 12 Olympian gods
9. Gymnasias and stadias were added later for the public

CLASSICAL PERIOD

The principle orders of Classical Greek architecture are:

1. Doric
2. Ionic
3. Corinthian

1. DORIC ORDER

The Doric order was the most commonly used order for the facades
of temples and structures till the mid classical period when the ionic
orders were also used in the exteriors

DORIC COLUMN
 The Doric Column stands directly on the Crepis (Crepidoma) 
The Crepidoma is normally 1-3 in temples
Shaft height:
HOA GRE E CE 10

 The columns are thick with the Height = 4D (diameter) 

 In the 5th c. the height was increased to 5½– 5¾ D 
  In the Hellenistic period the height was increased to 7D 
Shaft: 
 The shaft tapers to ¾ - ⅔ D 
  Divided into 20 flutes or channels, 12, 16,18, 24 
  Sharp “arrises” 
 Slight convex profile called the Entasis to counteract the concave appearance of straight
columns 

 Hypotrachelion: the shaft terminates in the form of 3 grooves or 1 on the block which forms
 the capital 
 Trachelion: the continuation of the fluted shaft also known as necking 
Capital:
  The distinctive capital consists of the Abacus and the Echinus 
 Abacus: 
o This is the square slab forming the top of the capital
o With or without moulding
o Supported the Entablature
  Echinus: 
o Near the base of the Echinus are Annulets 3-5 in number which stop the vertical lines
of the Arrises and flutes of the shaft
o It projects considerably and is fuller in outline in the early period
o In the period of the Parthenon the projection is less with a subtle profile
o In the Hellenistic period the whole capital is shallow with the curve of the Echinus
approaching a straight line

DORIC ENTABLATURE
Consists of 3 main components:
1. Architrave –
 The principal beam which is made up of 2 – 3 slabs of stone in depth, the
 outermost showing a vertical face in the façade 
 Taenia: The flat projecting band capping the Architrave 
 Regulae: strips of stone at intervals corresponding to the Triglyphs 
  Guttae: small conical drops below the Regulae normally 6 in number 
2. Frieze –
 Triglyph: 
o These consist of 2 vertical channels (glyphs) and 2 half channels at
each side, hence amounting to 3 (tri)
o Aligned over each column and centrally over each
intercolumniation
o 2 Triglyphs meet in the corner to form a beveled edge
o As Doric orders must end with a Triglyph, the outermost one is
moved outwards from its position over the center of the column
o The columns are hence brought closer at the corners
HOA GRE E CE 11

 Metope: 
o The square spaces which are ornamented with fine relief sculpture
3. Cornice / Geison –
 The upper or the crowning part 
 Soffit: the underside with an inclination to the slope of the roof 

 Mutules: Flat blocks over each Triglyph and Metope ornamented with 18
 Guttae in 3 rows of 6 each 
 Corona: vertical face with an overhanging drip at the bottom 
 Sima: continuous gutter - often omitted eg. At the Parthenon 
o Crowns the raking cornice of the pediment
o Not provided with Mutules
 Antifixae: ends of cover tiles stopped by an ornamental element 
The pediment crowns the Doric Entablature consisting of the Tympanum and the Acroterion.
The Tympanum is the triangular portion with fine relief work depicting scenes from religion

2. IONIC ORDER
The Ionic order includes the Base and the Capital. It made its appearance in the 4 th c. BC

IONIC COLUMN
Base:
 There were different forms of the base used in
eastern Greek are, which developed in the 5 th c.
BC in Athens with a small moulding 
Shaft:
 Height is 9 – 10 D (including the base & shaft) 
 24 flutes with flattened Arrises, 40,44,48 flutes also present 

Capital:
 Consists of 2 pairs of Volutes or spirals 

 ⅔ D with 1 pair in the front of the column and
 the other at the back 
 Joined on the sides by a concave cushion 

 Plain or ornamented with numerous flutes,
 fillets or beads 
 The Volute scroll rests on an Echinus which is
circular in plan 

 Carved with an Egg & Dart Moulding usually
with running Palmettes where it disappears
 under the Volutes 
 The Abacus is shallow 

 The Ionic Capital presented difficulties at the
 corners where a Canted Volute was used 
 In the Hellenistic period the capital has 4 fronts 
HOA GRE E CE 12

Entablature:
Consisted of 2 components:
1. Architrave –
 Normally a 3 fasciae (3 rows in front face) 
  Capped by 2 mouldings, a low Astragal and a high Ovolo 
2. Cornice –
 The cornice supported on a frieze of large Dentils 

 The Entablature was hence light compared to the Columns being only
 1/6 H 
 The height was increased by the addition of the vertical parapet Sima
with carved decoration as for the Frieze with Dentils under the cornice 
There were a lot of differences in the order from place to place
 The order was first used for the treasuries 
  In the 5th c. used for Temples such as the Erechtheon & Temple of Nike 
 In the mainland a frieze was inserted in the entablature
 but the dentils were omitted 
 The frieze when present was a continuous band of
sculpture 

 The Ionic Temples did not have Antifixae on the
flanks, instead the Sima was carried along the
 side cornices too 
 Often ornamented with an Acanthus scroll 

 Carved lion
heads 
served to throw rainwater from the roof

3. CORINTHIAN ORDER
This order 1st made its appearance in the 5th c. BC as
a decorative variant of the Ionic
  The main difference was in the capital 
 Used 1st only for the internal colonnades or
 fancy monuments 
 Its use as an external colonnade was in the
Hellenistic Period 

 The distinctive capital is much deeper than
 the ionic and was of a variable height first 
  The proportion of the capital was finally 
1⅓ H 

The invention of the Corinthian Capital was due to

Callimachus
a famous sculptor in bronze. He observed a basket over the
grave of a maiden. The basket was placed over the root of
the Acanthus plant, the stems and foliage of which grew
and turned into volutes at the angle of the tile
HOA GRE E CE 13

Corinthian Capital:
 A deep inverted bell 
 The lower part is surrounded by 2 tiers of 8 acanthus leaves 
 From between the leaves of the upper row rise 8 Caulicoli (caulis-stalk) 

 Each is surmounted by a calyx from which emerge volutes or helices
supporting the angles of the abacus and the central foliated ornaments 

 Each face of the moulded Abacus is curved outwards to the corners where
it ends either in a point or is chamfered 

[Explain the Ionic shafts and entablature for the Corinthian too. Only the capital and
the Height is different]

GREEK TEMPLES AND SANCTUARIES

  The Greeks recognized separate areas as sacred to God in Towns and Villages 
 Some were on sites occupied in the Late Bronze Age where there were remains of
 earlier walls and some continuity of cult 
  Others were chosen buildings of natural distinctions such as proximity of springs 
 Towns: 
o Some sanctuaries were in walled citadel
o Several others in the countryside
o Rarely walled, formal gateways infrequent
  All sanctuaries included a temple 
 Temples: 
o Varied in detail
o Consisted of a simple rectangular building to hold the statues of gods
o The statue stood in the Cella or Naos
o The width of the Naos was limited by restricted sizes of timber roofs
o The side wall extended to form Porch (traditional Megaron Plan)
o Porches were embellished with columns
 Columns: 
o Placed either between the ends of side walls in ANTIS
o In a row in front of them - PROSTYLE
 Description: 

o Conventional consists of a Greek numeral + word STYLE (stylos is the
greek word for column)
 
Distyle -2
HOA GREECE 14

 Tetrastyle -4
 Hexastyle -6
 Octastyle -8
 Decastyle -10
o Odd nos. were unusual in early buildings
 Tristyle -3
 Pentastyle -5
 Heptastyle -7
 Enneastyle -9
 Distyle was common in the Antis 
 No. of columns forming the façade: 
o Peripteral - cella surrounded by columns
- Columns along the flank variable
o In Doric Temples of 5th c. the No.of columns on the flank = 2
no.on façade +1
o Length reflects internal arrangement
o There may be extra rooms or false porches at the back
 Externally: 
o Temples made larger and impressive using double rows of external
columns
o Dipteral – 2 rows
o Tripteral – 3 rows
o Eg. Temple of Athena Nike – Tetrastyle
Temple of Athena Delphi – Hexastyle
o Pseudodipteral the outer columns are spaced as though there were a 2nd
or internal row which is not present or omitted
[Give plan & elevation of a typical Greek temple & explain parts]
 Temples in Sanctuaries: 
o These may contain more than 1 temple
o They may include a temple of lesser importance than the principal
building.
o Eg. Temple of Artemis in Asklepios at Epidaurus
o Or may be temples constructed at different periods but of equal
importance
o Eg. Temple of Selinus in Sicily
 Altars: 
o Often monumental
o Rectangular
o Embellished with architectural motifs and mouldings
o Triglyphs & Metopes
o Friezes
o Screens of columns
o All sanctuaries had altars
 Sanctuary: 
o Became full of monuments, statues, other offering rooms
HOA GREECE 15

o Often placed on an elaborate high base, with exedrae, rectangular or

semicircular seats and recesses
o Possible to distinguish the most sacred area which was near the temple and
altar
o Less holy areas devoted to human involvement in cult and ritual
 Less Holy Areas: 
o Outer areas
  
Theatre
  
Stadium
  
Hippodrome
  
Exercise ground
  
Palastroi
  
Gymnasium close to stadium

Sacred banquet for privileged worshippers  who consumed their share of
sacrificial meals while reclining on couches
o Thesaurus
  
Treasury

  resembling a small peripteral temple offered to God from individual
Building
cities
  
Lavishly decorated
  
Commemorating some important event
 
Victory in War – Athenian treasury in Delphi
HOA GRE E CE 16

THE ACROPOLIS, ATHENS 650 BC – 330 BC

The Acropolis hill, so called the

"Sacred Rock" of Athens, is the
most important site of the city.
The cult of the city's patron
goddess was established as early as
the Archaic period (650-480
B.C.).
The Acropolis is the supreme
example of a Greek Sanctuary
with the Greek Proportions and
orders, and optical refinement

Development of the Parthenon from the Archaic to the Classical

Period: ARCHAIC PERIOD
  Originally a Late Bronze Citadel 
 Massive fortifications similar to the Lion Gate at Mycenae 
 Built during the 6th c. BC 
  Consisting of a palace, and an altar at the highest point dedicated to Athena 
PRE
 PARTHENON 
 Peripteral temple; slightly east of center of the Acropolis, under the remains of
 the Parthenon 
Date: 488 B.C. - 480 B.C 
Period: Archaic 
 Double cella with long cella at east end and smaller cella at west end, with 
Opisthodomos(treasury/ offering room) and pronaos. 

 East cella, 2 rows of interior columns,
10 columns in each row. 

 West cella, 4 interior columns
arranged in a square in the center. 

 Construction interrupted by the
Persian invasion of 480/79 B.C., and
 the Parthenon was built over its ruins. 
  Hexastyle façade 6 x 16 columns 
 Tetra style porches at each end, a
peripteral colonnade in the Doric order 

 The Temple was rebuilt with the same plan in 525 BC burnt down by the Persians
in 480 BC 
New buildings were added to the Parthenon in the 5 th c., the main addition being
the gateway or the Propylon which was H shaped in plan
The Acropolis was in a state of constant rebuilding and demolition due to the Persians It
was only when the Persians withdrew in 449 BC that the work was renewed
HOA GRE E CE 17

CLASSICAL PERIOD (450 – 330 BC

During the Classical period three important temples were erected on the ruins of earlier
ones:
• Parthenon,
• Erechtheion,
• Propylaea, the monumental entrance to the sacred area was also constructed in
the same period
• Temple of Nike, dedicated to
• Athena Parthenos,
• Athena Polias, and
• Athena-Apteros Nike

1. PROPYLAEA
• The monumental gateway of the Acropolis was designed by the architect
Mnesikles and constructed in 437-432 B.C.
• The Propyleae was built on the Western narrow end of the Acropolis
• It comprises a central
building and two
lateral wings.
• The inner hall is at a higher
level and the cross walls has 5
doors placed closer to the back
• It has 7 steps except through
door allowing a slope for
processions
• The colonnades along the west
and east sides had a row of
Doric columns hexastyle
while two rows of Ionic
columns divided the central corridor into three parts.
• The inner and the outer halls are at 2 different levels
• The roof of the outer hall is supported by 2 rows of 3 Ionic orders
• The lateral wings are tristyle in the antis with Doric orders
• The walls of the north wing were decorated with painted panels or wall
paintings and that is why it was called the "Pinakotheca".
• This room is rectangular and served as a dining room with couches along
the walls
• The south wing was truncated with only a wall behind the colonnade
• It gave access to the Nike Bastion
• The ceiling of the Propylaea had coffers with painted decoration and a
perforated sima around the roof. The ceiling is of marble with gilded stars
• The Propyleae was left incolplet in 431 BC
HOA GRE E CE 18

2. PARTHENON
• The Parthenon is the main building in the Acropolis
• It was dedicated to Athena the warrior goddess
• Constructed between 447 BC – 436 BC
• The existing south foundations were reused but was made wider
extending it towards the center of the Acropolis
• The architects were Ictinus and Callicrates, Phidias being the master
Sculptor
• The façade was made octastyle with 17 columns in the flanks(follo wing
the 5th c. proportion of 2 times no. of columns + 1)
• Planning Details:
  
The Parthenon is a Doric peripteral temple,
  
Rectangular floor plan 30.9m x 69.5

The temple stands on a series of 3 steps below which was the original

 foundation platform the remains of which are seen on the West
  
Series of low steps on every side for access

The main steps were 20” in height, too high foe climbing
 hence intermediate
steps were added at the center of the shorter sides

  
Exterior details:
  
The Peristyle is Octastyle (8 x 17) of Doric columns
  
Extending around the periphery of the entire structure.
  
Each entrance has an additional six columns in front of it.
  
17 columns in the flank
  
Columns – 6’3” dia.(1.9m) – 4’9” dia.(1.5m) at the top
  
The columns were 33’ (10.4m) high which is approx. 5 and a half times the dia.

 
The spacing between the columns allowed for the frieze to terminate
in a triglyph
 
The antis or Pronaos ( prostyle porch) is hexastyle
HOA GRE E CE 19

  
Interior details:
  
The Parthenon consists of 2 interior rooms or cellas

 The larger ofthe two interior rooms lay on the East, the Naos, housed the
cult statue.
  
The hall was rectangular 29.8m x 19.2m
  
It had an internal Doric colonnade in 2 tiers of 9 columns each

Inside the east cella was a U-shaped colonnade of 9 columns and a
 pier on each long side, and 3 
columns between the 2 piers on the
short side.(behind the Altar)
  
Statue of Athena :
 Toward the west end of the interior colonnade was a
statue base for the cult statue of Athena Parthenos with a
large shallow rectangle cut to create a reflecting pool in
front of it. 

 The Phidias' statue was made of gold and ivory with
polychrome details. 

 Athena fully armed with spear, helmet, aegis and,
accompanied by a snake, and holding in her extended
 right arm a statue of victory. 
  
The ceiling was of wood, with painted and gilded decoration.

 Light was admitted, as normally in  Greek temples, only through the doorway
when the great doors were opened.
  
Bronze doors are postulated for both eastern and western cellas.
  
To the West with its own Porch was a square chamber, the

Virgin’s Chamber,(the Opisthodomos) was used as a treasury.
  
Here the roof was supported by 4 ionic columns

  the antae and the porch columns at either end were closed
The spaces between
by metal grilles
  
Optical refinement:

 The Parthenon is thebest example in Greek Architecture of the practice of
optical refinement
  
The entasis on the columns

The long and the horizontal lines of features such as the Stylobates,
  would have seemed to sag if they had
architraves and the cornices
been constructed straight
  
They were hence formed with a slightly convex outline

 The Stylobate: has an upward curve towards the center of 60mm on the E &
W ends and 110 mm on the sides
  
Vertical features were inclined upwards towards the top
 
The axis of the outer column hence lean inwards by 60mm

TEMPLE OF NIKE -420 BC

 Ionic temple 
 Architect Kallikrates 
  Stands on a bastion outside the Propylaea 
 Tetrastyle amphiprostyle 
HOA GRE E CE 20

 Continuous frieze with no dentils 

 8.2m x 5.4m 
  No conventional porch 
 The front of the cella has 2 rect. Piers between the antis closed by grills 

 The relief frieze on the upper section of the walls depicts the conference of gods
 on the east side, and scenes from battles on the other three. 
 A marble parapet decorated with the relief representation of Nikae (Victories),
 protected the edge of the Bastion on which the temple was erected 
  11 feet high from the stylobate to the apex of the pediment 
 The ratio of the height of the column to its base diameter is low: 7:1 instead of the
normal Ionic 9:1 or 10:1. 

ERECHTHEION 421 – 406 BC

 The Erechteion lies on the N side of the
 Acropolis 
 Constitutes of – 
o Salt pool – spot where Posiedon
struck the ground with his
trident)
o Shrine of Erechtheus – legendary
king of Athens
o Layout:
o The Erechteum was completed in
406 BC. It has a Prostasis on the
east side, a monumental
propylon on the north and the
famous porch of the Caryatids on the south.
o The main temple was divided into two sections, dedicated to the worship
of the two principal gods of Attica, Athena and Poseidon-Erechtheus
 Details: 
o Unusual & irregular in plan
o Gathering together of several elements into a complex but unoted
arrangement
o Site was contoured
o The cella was built on 2 levels
o The E part higher than the W part
 W part: 
o Contained an anteroom and 2 inner rooms placed side by side
 E porch: 
o At a higher level
o Hexastyle prostyle
o Columns 21’7” high
 Entablature: 
o Has a continuous frieze in dark limestone with attached marble figures
o Extends along the sides of the cella across W end
 E Cella: 
HOA GRE E CE 21

o Entered through a door flanked unusually by windows

 W cella: 
o Illuminated by openings between columns
 Low porch: 
o The SW porch is low
o Projected at higher ground level
o The only part of the temple which rests on the
foundation of the old temple
o Consisted not of columns
o Had statues of young girls – Maidens-
“Caryatid porch”
o There are 4 statues in the front and one
behind each of the corner figures making it
6 in all
o The maidens stand on a low wall with an
opening between the E rear figure and the
main cella wall through which a staircase
leads to the anteroom
 Entablature: 
o On the maidens head is an Ionic frieze with Dentils
o Supports a flat roof
 N Porch: 
o Lower ground level
o Similar plan
o Ionic columns 25’ high
o W side not aligned with the W wall which projects
further W
o The porch thus has 2 doors
o The main central door with ionic jamb and lintel
detail
o The smaller door on the W leads to the sanctuary of
Pandrosus
o Contained the sacred olive tree given by Athena
o This porch has a continuous Frieze of dark limesto ne
with attached white figures
HOA GRE E CE 22

GREEK AMPHITHEATRES

There were a lot of buildings for dramatic and athletic activities

These unroofed structures consisted of 3 main parts:
 The auditorium / cavea / seating 
 Orchestra / dancing floor 
 Stage building / skene 
The cavea provided the seating for a mass audience
The orchestra was the area where the chorus played and danced
The actors were confined to an area behind the orchestra; this was usually a
temporary structure
The stage building was separated from the cavea by a passage known as the
paradoi/parados
The theatres were provided permanent cavea normally in stone, and stage building
during this period

THEATRE EPIDAURUS 300 BC

 Open air ampitheater 
  Typical Hellenistic structure with the three basic parts: 
 the cavea, 
 the orchestra and 
 the stage-building (skene). 
 The longest radius of the cavea is 58 m. 
  The diameter of the orchestra is about 20 m. 
 The lower of the two diazomata (sections) is divided with 
 13 stairways into 12 cunei (with 34 rows of benches) 
 And the upper with 
 23 stairways into 22 cunei (with 21 rows of benches). 
 The upper section does not extend as far as the lower 
  The stage building included a main room with four pillars along the central axis, 
 And one square room at each end. 
 The proskenium had a facade with 14 half-columns against pillars. 
  Two ramps on either side led to the stage while 
 Monumental double gates stood at the two entrances.
The theatre was built in two stages. 

 During the first, at the end of the 4th century B.C., the orchestra, the lower
diazoma and the stage building (in its "pre-hellenistic" phase) were constructed.
During the second, at the middle of the 2nd century B.C., the cavea was enlarged
at the top, and the stage building was given its "late-hellenistic" shape. The
theatre was used for musical and poetical contests and theatrical performances. 
HOA GRE E CE 23

TOWER OF WINDS 50 BC

In old Roman marketplace located in Athens, Greece not far from the famed Parthenon
stands a structure known as the "Tower of the Winds."

 Constructed around 50 BC, by the Greek architect and astronomer Andronikos of

 Kyrrhos, 
  It combined 
 Sundials, 
 A complicated internal water clock, and 
 A weathervane many historians cite as the first ever built. 

 The octagonal, white marble Tower stands over 12 m (46 feet) high with a
diameter of about 8 m (26 feet), resting on a base of three steps. 

 The Tower was originally topped by a revolving bronze weather vane, which
we know from historical records to have been of the sea god Triton, who had the
head and torso of a man and the tail of a fish. A pointed wand in his hand
indicated the direction from which the wind was blowing. 

 Considering the Greeks' sense of architectural proportion, the Triton vane likely
 measured from 1.2-2.5 m long to look proper atop a 12 m high structure. 
 To the ancients, the winds had divine powers. 

 The Tower, made of local marble, is decorated on each side with a sculpted
 figure of the wind deity ruling the compass point to which it faces. 
 Each winged figure personified the character of its wind direction. 

 Built in the 1st century AD, of Pendelic marble, by Andronicos of Syria, this
 octagonal tower is 42 feet tall and 26 feet in diameter. 
 The roof forms a low octagonal pyramid composed of 24 slabs of marble held
together by a round keystone 

 The 8 sides of the structure face the 4 cardinal points of the compass and the
supplementary ones as well and each has a frieze depicting the
corresponding 'wind'. Below center left is the SE wind. 

 Within the interior was installed a hydraulic clock, invented by Andronicos, of
which nothing remains but some rather extensive fixtures by which we can
surmise a rather advanced mechanism. The reservoir picture right likely fed it. 