Greek Architecture

and
Culture
Dr. Khaled Mohamed Dewidar
Professor of Architecture
Ain Shams University
Cairo - Egypt
A) Historical Background
 Historical Background
Location
• Greek civilization occurred
in the area around the
Greek mainland, on a
peninsula that extends into
the Mediterranean Sea

• Greek civilization spread to

other far away places
including Asia Minor and
Northern Africa
The Greek World
 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
– 500 B. C. – 323 B. C. Classical Period
– 323 B. C. – 147 B. C. Hellenistic Period
• The classical and archaic period are
sometimes collectively referred to as
Hellenic period
– Architectural Characteristics
• Buildings and other architectural elements
• Building materials, construction and
technologies
• Architectural Organizing principles
Architectural Characteristics
Buildings & Other Arch
Elements
 Buildings & Other Arch. Elements

Building Types
• The major architectural element of the Greek civilization is
the order and their principal building type is the temple
• Greek buildings also feature civic buildings such as theater,
council chamber, stoa, etc
• Greeks invented the classical orders of architecture
• Their invention of the orders was a result of the search for
rational methods of expressing beauty
• The orders embody a system of proportion that determines
how the whole building looks
• An order consist of a column shaft with its base and
capital, and an entablature
• All its dimensions were derived from the diameter of the
column
• The entablature is further divided into architrave, frieze and
cornice
 Buildings & Other Arch. Elements

Building Types
• Three orders of architecture were invented by Greeks;
Doric, Ionic and Corinthian
• Doric was the earliest and has a square capital and the
stoutest proportion, resembling the power of a man
• Ionic was taller in its proportion, has a volute capital and
resembles the proportion of a maiden
• Corinthian has the same characteristics with the Ionic
except that its capital is decorated with the Acanthus leaf
• Temples were the principal building types of the Greeks
• Temples were considered as house of the Gods and
efforts to beautify them pushed architectural development
Buildings & Other Arch. Elements

Building Types
• Temples were design to be seen and
appreciated rather than used
• The evolution of the orders led to standard
temple forms based on them
• Towards the later part of the Greek civilization,
there was also a focus on civic construction
• The Greeks needed civic buildings to support
their democratic institutions and also satisfy
their social and recreational needs
• Council chambers, theaters, Stoas, were
among the civic buildings that became popular
with the city states
Materials, Const. & Tech.
 Materials, Construction & Tech.
Materials
• Examination of Greek architecture points to three
common materials of construction
• These are Stone, timber and clay
• Stone was the most common construction material for
buildings
• Greece had an abundant supply of stone, particularly
marble
• Stone was used for all types of temple and civic
construction
• It was used for all type of building elements
• The characteristic grey color of the stone of the area is
also what gives most ancient Greek buildings their
characteristics color
 Materials, Construction & Tech.
Materials
• Timber was used mainly for roofing
• It was a very scarce commodity and it also had
limited length
• This limited its use
• The limitation in length meant that the width of
buildings was restricted and only very important
buildings such as the Parthenon could go
beyond a certain width
• We did not examine Houses but clay was used
mostly in housing construction
• Clay was made into sun dried blocks for use in
construction
 Materials, Construction & Tech.
Construction and Technology
• The principal Building Material of ancient
Greece was stone
• The principal construction system was
trabeated or column and beam construction
• Combined, the two were used for temples and
civic buildings
• Construction technology involves ordering
stones in semi-prepared state from quarries,
• On site, they were roughly shaped and placed
in position on the building
• Elements placed in position would be been
sized to the right proportion
 Materials, Construction & Tech.
Construction and Technology
• Building blocks were not bonded, but are rather
held in position by their weight
• Then the rough stones were finished to achieve
the final form and treatment of the building
• Finishing enables the builders to create
buildings of a particular order
• It is in finishing that the Greeks showed their
mastery of construction
• Finishing work involved creating the fluting, base
and capital decoration on columns
• The Frieze and cornices of buildings were also
decorated with appropriate relief carving
 Materials, Construction & Tech.
Construction and Technology
• Pediments were also finished with relief carvings,
which in temples depict stories of the gods
• Full statues of gods were also carved and placed
on strategic places on the outside of the temple
and also as the major element in the interior
• The Greeks essentially formalized architectural
sculpture and decoration
• They were able to effectively translate their ideas
of beauty into tangible buildings
• Ancient Greeks did not make significant
contributions in the aspect of building
technologies
Principles of Arch.
Organization
 Principles of Arch. Organization
Principles
• It is possible to understand forces and
principles shaping Greek architecture by
examining the following issues;
– The role of religion in architectural
development
– Ideas about architectural aesthetics
– Principles of architectural organization
– Principles of city planning and urban design
 Principles of Arch. Organization
The Role of Religion in Arch. Dev.
• Religion played a significant role in the
development of Greek architecture
• Architecture started in the service of religion
• The important question for Greek architects was
the right form of the temple
• Temples were the house of the Gods
• The duty of the architect was to make them
beautiful
• The search for how to make the temple beautiful
resulted in the establishment of Greek ideals of
beauty
• Greek ideals of beauty was rooted in
mathematical proportions
 Principles of Arch. Organization
Ideas about Architectural Aesthetics
• The Greeks believed that mathematical
proportion is at the root of beauty
• They also believed that the human body has
the best of proportions
• Greeks also valued harmony, balance and
symmetry in design
• Greeks developed principles based on their
believes about aesthetics
• These principles were refined over time as they
are applied in building
• With time they developed into a standard that is
widely applied
 Principles of Arch. Organization
Ideas about Architectural Aesthetics
• Builders exerted great effort in ensuring
that buildings were created to meet the
aesthetic ideals of the society
• The Greeks in essence became the first
society to have well established ideas
about architectural aesthetics with
principles for their translation into physical
design
 Principles of Arch. Organization
Principles of Organization
• The Greek ideals of mathematical
proportion was applied in architecture
through the use of the orders
• The orders provide a means to codify
mathematical proportioning, by linking all
the elements of the building with the
diameter of the column
• The orders were also viewed as
anthropomorphic, representing the human
body
 Principles of Arch. Organization
Principles of Organization
• The Doric represents a man and the Ionic
and Corinthian represent a woman
• The use of the orders also provided a
means for the Greeks to design buildings
to meet their ideals of harmony, balance
and symmetry
• The use of optical correction, entasis, is a
pointer to the desire of the Greeks to
achieve their ideals of beauty in
architecture
 Principles of Arch. Organization
Principles of City Planning & Design
• Ancient Greeks not only develop ideals of architectural
aesthetics, but they also developed principles for the
design and planning of cities as location for architecture
• The ancient Greek city states developed a standard plan
of the city
• The city consisted of three defined elements; the town,
acropolis and Agora
• Principles were developed for organizing each element of
the city based on activities and its symbolism
• The town was a place to retire for the day
• It was composed of simple courtyard houses separated
by streets
• It could either be organic or grid-iron
Thank You.