GREEK

1. GREEK
HISTORY

2. INTRODUCTION
• Timeline of the history of Greece. (800BC – 30BC)
o Stone age
o Aegean
o Minoan
o Mycenaean
o Archaic
o Classical
o Hellenistic
• Main cities – Athens, Sparta, Thebes Corinth and Delphi
• Known for Democracy, education, science, mathematics,
athletics, drama, politics, architecture.

3. GEOGRAPHY
• Greece was surrounded by the Mediterranean, Aegean and the
Ionian sea.
• It helped trade grow.
• It is a mountainous country.
• Made is safe from invaders.
• Also segregated small villages

4. GREEK CITY STATES
• Each city state ruled on its own, no concept
of kingdom and one ruler.
• Known as POLIS
• Center built on a high location like a hill –
called the ACROPOLIS
• Looked down onto the city, farmlands and
the marketplace called the AGORA
• Athens as the first city to follow democracy.
• Citizens could own property, vote, testify in
court.
• Sparta was also known as the military
state.

5. AEGEAN SEA
• The region of the Mediterranean where the
Greeks first settled is called the Aegean
Sea.
• Greek city-states formed all along the
Aegean coastline and on the many islands
in the Aegean Sea.
• The people of Greece used the Aegean to
travel from city to city.
• The Aegean also provided fish for the
people to eat.

6. ATHENS
• Athens is named after the Greek goddess
Athena.
• She was the goddess of wisdom, war, and
civilization and the patron of the city of Athens.
• Her shrine, the Parthenon, sits on top of a hill
in the center of the city.
• The Athenians admired the mind and the arts in
addition to physical abilities.
• Athens was home of Greek democracy and
culture.
• Athens was a busy center of manufacturing and
commerce.
• Education was very important in Ancient
Athens, peaceful city-state.

7. GODS
• Also known for
their mythology.
• Embodiments of
humans
• Lots of stories
about their gods
and goddesses.

9. ARCHITECTURE
• Reflected their way of life for being utopian and
idealistic
• Known for its beauty in equilibrium and balance.
• Had a set vocabulary and perfect proportions.
• Always set their buildings on high grounds, so it can
be admired for its elegance.
• Initially built with wood and then later started using
stone. So you can see features of wooden construction
in stone.
• Types of buildings were
• Temples
• Public squares – Agoras
• Stadiums
• Theaters
• Colonnades – Stoas
• Public buildings

10. THEATERS
● Theatre is centered in Athens
where it was institutionalized
as part of a festival called the
Dionysia, which honored the
god Dionysus.
● Athens exported the festival to
its numerous colonies and
allies in order to promote a
common cultural identity.
● Western theatre originated in
Athens and its drama has had
a significant and sustained
impact on Western culture as a
whole.

11. HOUSES
• Greek houses were probably the most common of all
buildings. They were built out of mud, and bricks.
They all had a few rooms for dining, cooking,
bathing, and sleeping. Houses usually were
centered on a courtyard that would have been the
scene for various ritual activities; the courtyard
also provided natural light for the often small
houses.

12. GREEK ORDERS

13. GREEK TEMPLES
• The earliest shrines were built to honor divinities and were made from materials such
as a wood and mud brick—materials that typically don't survive very long.
DORIC ORDER -
parthenon , temple of
Athena .
IONIC ORDER -
Erechtheum ,temple from
middle classical period
CORINTHIAN ORDER -
Temple of Apollo ,most
ornate order

14. OPTICAL ILLUSIONS

15. FURNITURE
• Traced back to Egyptian furniture. – transformed
• Very simple and elegant
• Comfort was given importance more than decoration.
• Simple lines – curved lines – gave its elegance and beauty – symmetry and regularity
• Architectural concepts were applied
• Similar materials like Egypt, but not as rectangular and stiff – softer and elegant
• Very functional
• Advanced technology in furniture design
• Designs were inspired by nature – plant designs, animal feet or heads – like swans
• Materials – mostly wood – ebony, oak, maple, beech, cedar, olive -Stone for bigger pieces – Marble - Metal – bronze, iron, gold, silver.
• Some decoration with inlay work of precious stones, tortoise shells, glass or gold carving – but not overdone – still elegant.
• Also wood would be painted and polished with oil or covered with veneer.
• Joinery was done by the mortise and tenon joint. – pegs, metal nails and glue was used.
• Wood was shaped by carving or steam treatment.
• Tools used in construction was – ax, chisel, jammer, ruler, spirit level.

16. THRONOS

17. STOOLS
BATHRONS
DIPHROS
OKLADIUS
X FRAME STOOLS
• These seem to be the most
common type of stool.
• They were meant to be
easily folded to put away and
unfold for use.
CURULE
CHAIR

18. KLINE

19. KLINE AND TRAPEZA
These couches were used as beds, dining chairs, and a place to lounge.
They were the most essential piece of furniture in the ancient Greek home.
Kline and Trapeza Klines were one of the only actual pieces of furniture in Greek
homes, and so it is not surprising that they were well decorated.
Here we see one of the trapeza tables underneath as well.

20. TABLE
Called the trapeza or sometimes the trapeze table,
this is the most common table to be found in ancient
Greek homes.
• It is very distinct, having only three legs.
• Also, the third leg always seems to face outward,
while the two that are together face each of the sides.
• They were often lion-footed, but as seen here, not
always so.

21. KLISMOS
• These chairs are
most often depicted
with women seated in
them.
• Klismos are very
distinct with their
outward-bowed legs
and curved backs.

22. CHESTS
● Chests were used
primarily to store
linens and
valuables. •
● Most other Greek
possessions seemed
to be hung on the
walls instead of
stored in furniture.

23. DECORATION
● 'Meander' is a decorative border
constructed from a continuous line,
shaped into a repeated motif.
● Such a design is also called The Greek
Key or Greek Fret.”
● “It was the most important symbol in
Ancient Greece, symbolizing infinity
and unity: most ancient Greek temples
incorporate the sign of the meander.
● Greek vases, especially during their
Geometric Period, were likely the
genesis for the widespread use of
meanders.”