Greek Architecture - Orders - Temples- Civic Buildings

1. GREEK ARCHITECTURE
Outline of Lecture
•Social Characteristics
•Architecture - Orders ,
•Temple Architecture – Partheneon ,Hera Argiva ,
Erechtheum ,Temple of Nike , Corinthian Temples
•Civic Buildings -
•Material – Construction Technology
Ar. Goldi

2. Social Characteristics
• Greek civilization is the first major civilization in Europe
• The ancient Greeks lived in self governing city-states
called “Polis."
– The ancient Greek world was made up of hundreds of
these independent city states
– They were all bounded by common language and
religious beliefs.
– They all made efforts to preserve their own unique
identity, and each city state believed that their state was
better than all the other states.
– The city states often fought with one another.
– The scale of the polis was small.

3. – The city state of Athens on the
Greek mainland was among the
most famous and powerful of
the city states .
– It was a major center for
learning and the arts.
– When city-states were first
formed, they were ruled by a
few wealthy men. However, they
gradually moved towards
democracy.
– Athens developed an early form
of democracy
How did they make laws? Only men who were born in Athens were allowed
to vote.
They did this at public assemblies where upper class citizens discussed and
adopted laws that might benefit Athens.

4. • Architecture
• The Greeks convinced themselves that the secrets of beauty lie
in proportions
– Man was viewed by the Greeks as having the most ideal
proportions and is the measure of all things
– With time, they refined their system of building proportion,
and developed the classical Greek orders.
– Greek construction was of a simple post and lintel or
trabeated construction
– Their ground plans were always very simple, usually
rectangular

5. Ionic
feminine, light, delicate and
elegant.
Corinthian
grandiose
Doric
masculine, serious, and
dignified
The Orders – Consists of Upright column ( base , shaft and capital )
and the horizontal entablature . Entablature consists of architrave ( lower
part ) , frieze ( middle part ) , and cornice ( Upper Part )
Greeks are credited with originating the three orders of the classical
language of architecture, Doric, Ionic and Corinthian.

6. The Orders - Doric Order
• The Doric order was the earliest
to be developed. Used in temple
Parthenon at Athens .
• The Doric order is made up of
three elements; stylobate
( crepidoma) , Column and
entablature
• The stylobate( Crepidoma ) is a
podium raised three steps on
which the temple stands.
• The Doric column is further
divided into the shaft and a
square capital .
• It had a height of 7 times its
diameter.

7. The Orders - Doric Order
• The shaft is tapered and made to
bulge slightly to provide correction
for optical illusion.
• Entasis refers to the practice of
optical correction in Greek Doric
temples
• The shaft is usually divided into 20
shallow flutes.
• The entablature is divided into an
architrave, a frieze and the cornice.
• The Doric column represents the
proportions of a man’s body, its
strength and beauty.

8. Orders of Greek Architecture
a. Doric Order b. Ionic Order c. Corinthian Order

9. The Orders
Ionic Order
• The ionic column including the
capital and base had a height of 9
times its diameter
• It had 24 flutes, which is more than
that of the Doric column, even
though it is smaller in diameter.
• The Ionic order had a capital
developed from a pair of volute
about two-thirds the diameter of the
column in height
• Ornaments are used to decorate the
capital and the volute.
• Entasis was not applied to the ionic
column

10. The Orders
Corinthian Order
• The Corinthian order takes its name
from the city of Corinth in Greece
• This order is similar in its proportions
to the Ionic order but has a different
capital
• The core of the capital is shaped like
an inverted bel.
• The bell-like capital is decorated with
rows of carved acanthus leaves.
• Because of its symmetry, the
Corinthian capital unlike the ionic
capital is designed to be seen from all
directions.

11. The Orders
Column Construction
• Do you wonder how the columns of
the Greek orders were constructed?
• Each column was made up of
several drums of marble
• They were held together by a stone
peg in the center
• The stones were assembled and put
together in their rough form.
• the grooves called flutes were cut up
and down the shaft of the column
and all around it

12. Temple Architecture - Main Buildings in Hellenistic Period
• The temple is usually rectangular in plan.
• The temple always faced east so that the
rising sun would light the statues inside
• It is stood on crepidoma of 3 or more steps.
• Colonnades define a portico around the
temple and support the triangular shaped
Pediment
• Naos - It contains the statue of God with
treasury chambers in front and rear known as
Pronaos and Epinaos . It is is made up of
four walls enclosing a rectangular space .
• Internal space of Naos is framed by a pair of
colonnades on the long side creating a central
processional space
• Statue of God was centrally located within a
naos, or chapel.

14. Parthenon - 447-432 B.C.
– Dedicated to Athena, - goddess of wisdom
• Built after the Persian Wars
• Commissioned by Pericles
• Architects: Ictinus and Callicrates
• Sculptor: Phidias
• Sculpture both inside and outside temple
• East pediment: Birth of Athena
• West pediment: Contest between Athena and
Poseidon for Athens

15. Temple of Parthenon at
Athens ( 447-432 B.C.)
• Octa -style in Plan
(17 columns on sides)
•Crepidoma measures 101’4”x
228’
• Naos - 19mx30m
•West of Naos was Parthenon
accessed by opisthodomos
•Ambulatory 7’-0 wide on sides
and 11’ wide at front and rear ,
Wall 4’ thick
•All columns are 10.4m high
and about 1.88m in diameter
and of Doric order .

16. On the Acropolis:
The Parthenon – West Side
VIEW

19. Doric Temples
Temple of Hera Argiva at Paestum
• The temple is hexastyle but
with 24 columns on its flank
• It also has a double row of
columns in the interior, and
divided into two separated
by a stone architrave
• The most perfect of the
Doric temples is the
Parthenon; We will examine
this temple later

20. Greek Architecture in Athens
The Erectheum
• The Erechtheion or erechtheum is
an ancient greek temple on north
side of the Acropolis of Athens .
• Built between 421 and 406 B.C.
• Sculpture and mason – Phidias .
• The shape of the erechtheum is not
a perfect rectangular and it does
not have a colonnade surrounding
it .
• Two porches spring out from the
core rectangle of the temple at
different levels
• A small porch faces the Parthenon

21. Greek Architecture in Athens
The Erectheum
• This has columns in the shape
of a woman called caryatid .
• Greeks copied the Caryatid
slave women in stone and
forced them to carry the roof .
• The weight of the roof is carried
from the top of the head of the
caryatid through their leg
• A larger porch on the northern
side has ionic columns
• The ionic columns have all the
characteristics of the Ionic
order

22. The Erechtheion temple at Athens
•
Distance of column to
column is 4D c/c .

23. Greek Architecture in Athens
Temple of Nike
• Just beside the propylae
is the Temple of Athena
Nike, meaning victorious
Athena
• It was built around 420
BC and was designed by
Callicrates.
• The Athenians
worshipped Athena Nike
in the hope of victory

24. Corinthian Temples
Introduction
• The Corinthian order was not
widely used during the Greek
period.
• The temple of Olympian
Zeus in Athens was in the
Corinthian order
• The Corinthian order became
very popular during the
Roman period.

25. L - 24,Architectural Features of Theaters of
Dionysos of Athens and Epidauros
• The Greeks invented the theater design that is still
used in movies and auditoriums today.
• Every important Greek city had a theater
• Their theater was built into a hilly landscape.
• The theater had a bank of seats steps created from
the landscape.

26. Theater of Dionysos 500 B.C., Athens
• Major open-air theatre .
• It was used for festivals in honor of the god Dionysus.
•Situated on towards the South slope of the Acropolis
•It contains – Orchestra,
Auditorium and skene of
building .
•It had a capacity of 18,000
spectators.
•67 marble thrones for kings ,
priests and noble people.
•2 horizontal path ways
“Diazoma ” were provided

27. Theater - Epidauros
• Epidauros theatre is the
most beautiful and best
preserved .
• Their theater was built into a
hilly landscape
• The theater had a bank of
seats steps created from the
landscape.
• It had a capacity of 13,000
spectators

28. • . It was divided into two
parts: seats aimed for the
citizens and aimed for the
priests and rulers.
• Have good acoustics
• This was the largest theater
in ancient Greece.
• It is still in use today
Theater - Epidauros

29. Stadiums
The stadium of Olympia, Greece is located
to the east of the sanctuary of Zeus.
•Stadium was a holy place for the ancient
Greeks.
•The stadium could hold 50,000 spectators.
•The track were of 3 types .
•All the seats were made of mud and on the
southern slope there was a stone platform .
•Stadiums were mainly used to hold games.
•Games further expanded in different events
like horse race , jumping , wrestling and
many other excluding swimming .
•Conduits ran around the track to drain off
excess rainfall
Entrance to Stadium

30. Propylae
• The propylae is the imposing entrance
gates to the Acropolis or upper city
• It was built around 437 B.C by Architect
Mnesicles
• To reach the acropolis, people had to
enter through the center section of the
propylae
• The columns on the outside of the
propylae were Doric
• The columns in the interior were however
Ionic.
• Designed to view of buildings as a 3
dimensional object .

31. • This was a council hall .
• Used as a meeting place by
the elected councillors
• It was a covered chamber
fitted with banks of seats like
a theater
• The example shown is from
the city of Miletus
• Similar buildings were found
in every Greek or Hellenistic
city
Council Chamber – Bouleterion, Miletus

32. Greek City Planning and Design
Planning and Design Principles
• The ancient Greek civilization had established
principles for planning and designing cities
• City form were of two types
• Old cities such as Athens had irregular street
plans reflecting gradual organic development
• New cities, especially colonial cities established
during the Hellenistic period, had a grid-iron street
plan .
• Principle of Straight and Wide streets .

33. The Greek City was usually divided into
three parts; the Acropolis, the Agora and
the Town.
The location of buildings was therefore
such that it could command a good view to
it.
The Acropolis was the city of temples .
It is the location where all the major
temples of a city are located.
The Acropolis were usually located on the
highest ground
.
The Acropolis and Agora in Athens also
have some of the best examples of ancient
Greek architecture

34. The Acropolis in Athens, Greece

35. •Towns - developed a
standard plan of the city .
•Town was made up of
only residential houses.
•Houses were usually
constructed of mud bricks.
•Houses were of the
courtyard type, with rooms
arranged around a
courtyard.
•The walls were coated
with stucco outside.

36. Athens

37. athens
• It has an organic plan.

38. Greek Architecture in Athens
The Agora
• The Agora in Athens was a
space used for social,
commercial and political
activities
• It was a city square or an
open air market place.
• Located at the base of the hill
of the Acropolis
• Civic and religious buildings
were progressively erected
around the perimeter of the
Agora space

39. The Agora
• Agora was in the center and includes :
– Assembly hall
– Council hall
– Chamber hall
• Of all the buildings, the stoa was
the most important
• Stoa were useful buildings in the
context of the Agora approx. of
size of 100m long and 10m wide
• They provided shelter and served
for many other purposes .
• They also served to embellish the
boundary of the Agora

40. Materials, Construction & Tech.
Materials
• Three common materials of construction 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
• The characteristic grey color of the stone of the area gives
most ancient Greek buildings their characteristics color.
• Timber was used mostly for roofing .
• Clay was made into sun dried blocks for use in construction

41. Materials, Construction & Tech.
Construction and Technology
• Stone blocks were large and retained in position by their
own weight; it was not necessary to fix them together in
any way
• Then the rough stones were finished to achieve the final
form and treatment of the building
• 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