INTRODUCTION

GREEK
ARCHITECTURE
MYCENEAN (ANCIENT GREEK ARCHITECTURE)

The Architecture Of Ancient Greece Background

 The term “Ancient Greece” refers to the civilization that thrived

around the Mediterranean Sea from the 3rd millennium to the 1st

century BC.

 The society is credited for making several advances in

philosophy, architecture, drama, government, and science.

Examples of these achievements could be:

 Cultural: the Parthenon in Athens, an outstanding example of

classical architecture.

 Philosophy: Socrates affected Western speculative thought and

philosophy with his emphasis on dialogue and rational argument.

 Science: Greek scientists developed methods of reasoning to

demonstrate mathematic principles.

 Dramas: The Greeks set structural and thematic styles emulated by

great Western playwrights such as William Shakespeare.

 Classical Age is the most famous period, which lasted from about 480

to 323 BC.
 Greek communities treasured the freedom to govern themselves,
and owing to differences they warred against each other.
 They shared traditions, language, religion, customs, and
international festivals, such as the ancient Olympic Games.
 The city-states of ancient Greece fell to Roman conquerors in 146
BC ending the Greek Era.
 Although Greece lost its political and military power to the
Romans:
 Its cultural accomplishments deeply influenced thinkers, writers,
and artists, especially those in ancient Rome, medieval Arabia, and
Renaissance Europe.
 People worldwide still enjoy ancient Greek plays, study the ideas of

ancient Greek philosophers, and incorporate elements of ancient Greek

architecture into the designs of new buildings.

 Modern democratic nations owe their fundamental political principles to

ancient Greece, where democracy originated.

 Because of the enduring influence of its ideas, ancient Greece is known

as the cradle of Western civilization. In fact, Greeks invented the idea of

the West as a distinct region; it was where they lived, west of the powerful

civilizations of Egypt, Babylonia, and Phoenicia.

LANDS AND SETTLEMENT OF ANCIENT GREECE

 The heartland of ancient Greece consisted of the mountainous Balkan

Peninsula and southern Italian Peninsula, as well as dozens of rugged
islands in the northern Mediterranean region.
 Mountains acted like walls separating communities.
 The mountains were once heavily wooded, but early Greeks steadily
deforested the slopes for fuel, housing, and ships.
 Good harbors as well as size of fields level enough for farming and
raising animals determined size of communities. A few cities, such as
Athens, Corinth, and Syracuse, grew to have 100,000 or more inhabitants
because they had more farmland, deposits of valuable natural resources,
and excellent ports.
 The Mediterranean Sea connected Greeks with each other and
with the rest of the world.
 In the world of the ancient Greeks, the seas were more
efficient travel routes than roads.
 Ships could go much faster and carry much more cargo than
wagons bumping over rough terrain.
Access to the sea was so important that most Greek
communities were within 60 km (40 mi) of the coast.
Cities that controlled good harbors grew prosperous from the
trade that flowed to them and from the fees they could charge
ship owners and merchants.
Eventually, ancient Greeks inhabited about 700 communities
clustered around the Mediterranean Sea.
The settlements reached from the Iberian Peninsula (now
occupied mostly by Spain) in the west to the Mediterranean
coast of the Middle East in the east, extending southward to the
northern coast of Africa.
EARLY HISTORY

 50,000 BC: Stone Age people who made their tools and weapons from
stone, bone, leather, and wood probably first entered the Greek heartland
wandering from southwest Asia and from Africa, hunting herds of game
animals.
 10,000 BC: the technology of farming land that started in the Middle East
reached ancient Greece.
 7000 BC increasing numbers of people were migrating from Asia Minor to
start new farming communities in the Greek heartland, eventually
establishing large settlements on the Balkan Peninsula, the Aegean
Islands, and the large island of Crete.
 3000 - 1200BC: the Greek Bronze Age that resulted from accelerated
growth of technological skills fueled by knowledge of how to work with
metals and use the wheel for transport.
 Two significant periods recognized in this era are Minoan of the island of
Crete and Mycenaean of the mainland Greek.
MINOAN PERIOD (2200-1400 BC)
 Knossos was a center of the Minoan civilization, an advanced society on
Crete named after Minos, a legendary Cretan king. Skilled in such fields as
engineering and architecture, the Minoans constructed the palace at
Knossos in 1700 BC.
 6000 BC saw large number of settlers reaching Crete because the island
offered large plains for farming and sheltered ports for fishing and sea
trade.
 2200 BC, settlers had created a “palace society,” named for its several huge
buildings that served as royal residences and administrative centers.
 Many houses for ordinary people surrounded each palace, but there were
no defensive walls; smaller towns existed in the countryside. The palaces
were probably independent, with single ruler imposing unity over the
island.
 The Minoans were the first great culture of Aegean civilization. They
mastered metallurgy and other technologies, and knew how to write.
 Minoans became prosperous due to:
- The use of innovative agricultural techniques
Devising labor efficient system of agricultural production that
simultaneously grows olives, grapes, and grain, which each
required intense work at different seasons.
- Healthy population size and number
Combination of crops provided a healthy diet, which helped the
population grow
-Ruler controlled economy through redistributive system
Rulers collected products from farmers and craft workers then
redistributed goods in accordance to the needs of each individual
as set by the rulers
- Significant international trade.
Produced olive oil and wine for trade.
Knossos, the 1st and 2nd Palace
• The first settlement in the Knossos area was established circa 7000 BC,
during the Neolithic Period. The economic, social and political development
of the settlement led to the construction of the majestic Palace of Knossos.
• Knossos was the seat of the legendary King Minos and the main centre of
power in Crete.
• This first Palace was destroyed circa 1700 BC. It was rebuilt and
destroyed again by fire, this time definitively, in 1350 BC. The environs of
the Palace were transformed into a sacred grove of the goddess Rhea, but
never inhabited again.
•The Palace of Knossos is the monumental symbol of Minoan civilization,
due to its construction, use of luxury materials, architectural plan,
advanced building techniques and impressive size.
Knossos: West Entrance and West Court
(panoramic image): 01
Knossos: Corridor of the Procession: 02
Knossos: South Propylaeum: 03
Knossos: Piano Nobile (panoramic image):
04
Knossos: West Magazines of the Palace:
04
Knossos: the room with the Minoan
Frescos (panoramic image): 05
Knossos: the Central Court (panoramic
image): 06
Knossos: the Throne Room: 07
Knossos: the Tripartite Shrine: 08
Knossos: the Grand Staircase: 09
Knossos: the Southeast Section of the
Palace: 10
Knossos: King Minos Apartments: 11
Knossos: Queen's Apartments
Knossos: East Wing of the Palace, the
Minoan Workshops: 12
Knossos: The Magazine of the Giant
Minoan Pithoi and the Drainage System of
the Palace of Knossos: 12
Knossos: North Entrance: 13
Knossos: North Section of the Palace
(panoramic image)
Knossos: The Theatre, the Customs House
and the Royal Road: 14
Knossos: Caravan Serai and the The
Royal Tomb of King Minos
Aerial view of the palace at Knosses, ca. 1700-1400 BCE
• The building covered approx. 4 acres.
• Principal entrance- Southern end
Typical feature of
minoan arch.
Monumental entrance – Western façade
• The buildings of the palace had at least two
storeys.
• The Ground floor consisted storage rooms.
Those in the west wing contained oil jars, where
north side were granaries.
• The most important one on the west side was
the Throne room, approached from an ante
room, at the lower level than the court, from
which it was opened by four pairs of doors.
• The throne room was dark and mysterious.
• North walls decorated with frescos.
• The purpose is religious rather than royal.
 Reconstruction
of the
Palace of Knossos
c. 1600-1400 BCE

Architect Dedalos
It had such
complexity that no
one placed in it could
ever find its exit.

Reconstructed porticos
of the north entrance
passage with fresco
Toreador Fresco, from Knossos, Crete. (c. 1500 BCE)
Minoan Civilization
• The Queen’s megaron,
• Palace of Minos,
Knossos, Crete,
• c. 1600-1400BCE
• Minoan period
View of the “Throne Room” Palace of Minos,
Knossos, Crete (c.1600-1400 BCE) Minoan
Landscape with swallows (Spring Fresco), from Delta 2, Akrotiri, Thera,
Cyclades, Greece, c. 1650 BCE
Snake Goddess, from
Knossos, Crete
c. 1600 BCE
Minoan
• On the first floor if the west wing were spacious state rooms.
• The restored PIANO NOBILE illustrates the way in which rooms in the
palace were arranged for functional purposes.
• To the east were rooms for industrial activity.
• Near the south-east corner of the central court was the three storey
royal apartments.
• The uppermost storey was on a level with the court, the other two are
below court level and faced east-wards over terraced gardens.
• The rooms were isolated from the court but connected with each other.
• Passages were cool and the area was lit by three light wells.
• Rooms were approached through rows of double doors, so that they
could be opened, or totally or partially shut off. Everything was designed
to permit the circulation of cool air, to counteract the intense of the
Cretan summer.
 • The stairways, light wells, and colonnades of downward tapering cypress-
wood columns were typically Minoan as were the elaborate and developed
sanitation and drainage.
• In plan, particularly, the palace appears at a first glance to be chaotic,
but its layout was the result of organic growth.

Megaron plan:

Consisting of a room which was

nearly square with deep porch
formed by prolonging the side
walls. – this was the basis of the
Classical Greek temple.
 House of Commons

Postern Gate megaron

Great Ramp

Lions’ Gate
Grave Circle A Warrior Vase house
MYCENAEAN PERIOD (1550-1000 BC)

 Mycenaean is the first culture of Aegean civilization on the Greek

mainland.
 They are the first people known to have spoken Greek.
Mycenaean’s settled on the mainland from the north and the east
from about 4000 to 2000 BC.
Similarities with Minoan Differences with Minoan

Lived in independent communities They featured men much more

clustered around palaces and ruled prominently than women in
by kings. religious leadership positions
Wealth generated by agriculture and They built their palaces around
international trading megarons, soaring throne rooms
with huge hearths.
Redistributive economy Had a warrior culture that enabled
them to conquer the Minoans by
about 1400 BC
DOWNFALL OF MYCENAE

 By 1200 BC Mycenaean’s were warring with each other and embarking on

overseas raids for treasure, riding into battle on expensive two-wheeled
chariots.
 Modern archaeological evidence suggests that general civil war was the
reason for the Mycenaean’s collapse.
 With the collapse of Mycenaean culture, Greeks also lost their knowledge of
writing.

THE GREEK DARK AGE (1000-750 BC)

 The wars caused Greece’s economy to collapse and its population to
plummet, which created poverty and political confusion that lasted for more
than 200 years.
 This period traditionally is called the Greek Dark Age (1000-750 BC)
 Greeks had lost the distinguishing marks of civilization: cities, great
palaces and temples, a vibrant economy, and knowledge of writing.
 Because lack of written evidence limits our knowledge
 Because living conditions were harsh.
 Petty chiefs, who had limited power and wealth, replaced the Mycenaean
kings.
 Artists stopped drawing people and animals on pots, restricting their
decoration to geometric designs.
 During this period:
 Greeks cultivated much less land
 Had many fewer settlements
 Did much less international trade than they had during the period of
Aegean civilization.
 900 BC: An innovation in metallurgy helped Greece escape its
Dark Age. Mediterranean metal workers invented the technology
to smelt iron ore.
 Greeks began mining their own iron ore, which was
common in their heartland.
 Generally harder than bronze, iron eventually replaced it
in most uses, especially for agricultural tools, swords, and
spear points.
 The lower cost of iron implements meant more people
could afford them.
 Plentiful tools helped increase food production and thus
restore the population and prosperity.
 Technological innovation paved the way for the political and
cultural innovations of the archaic period.
propylaea. a vestibule or entrance to a temple area or other enclosure,
especially when elaborate or of architectural importance.
piano nobile  (ˈpjɑːnəʊ ˈnəʊbɪlɪ) — n architect  the main floor of a large
house, containing the reception rooms: usually of lofty proportions [Italian:
great floor]
mag·a·zine   /ˌmægəˈzin, ˈmægəˌzin/
a room or place for keeping gunpowder and other explosives, as in a fort or
on a warship.
a building or place for keeping military stores, as arms, ammunition, or
provisions.
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