Architecture of the Ancient Greece

Opisthodomos

Back porch of temple

Lionhead waterspout

Given by Attalus as a sort of "alumni" gift

Perikles (Pericles)

Sponsor and Patron of the Parthenon, Athens

Entasis

a slight convex curve in the shaft of a column, introduced to correct the visual illusion of concavity produced by a straight shaft.

Proskenion

portion immediately in front of the skene was used as an acting area

Temple of Athena Parthenos (Parthenon), Acropolis, Athens, Greece, 447-432 BCE (Classical Period)

-This temple was sponsored by Perikles -architect: Iktinos and Kalikrates -Master sculptor: Phedias -the front porch had columns ( the pronaos), the cella held the statue of Athena, it had a western chamber and a back porch (the opisthodomos) - It was peripheral 8x17 columns (2x+1) - It had stylobate curvature and entasis - Very many sculptures on it: one side was birth of Athena, the other had the contest of Poseidon and Athena. -Doric metopes - Doric and ionic frieze

Prostyle columns (or prostyle plan)

A portico of columns on the front of a building

Temple of Hera, Paestum, Italy, ca. 550 BCE (Archaic Period)

Doric order and was peripteral, 9x18 columns with a three room interior. It had important architectural details such as the capital profile. The columns used column entasis meaning they bulged out.

Acropolis

Greek for "high city". The chief temples of the city were located here.

Stoa

an ancient Greek covered walkway having columns on one side and a wall on the other

Architrave (or epistyle)

(in classical architecture) a main beam resting across the tops of columns, specifically the lower third entablature. -The bottom element in an entablature, beneath the frieze and the cornice

What are the main design elements of a "normal" (or "ideal") Greek temple in both plan and elevation?

-Doric, peripteral columns -three-room interior(Pronaos, cella, opisthodomos) -columns tapered upwards (entasis) -entablature (architrave, frieze (triglyph and metope), cornice) -triangular pediment -flute (grooved) + arris (sharp edge) columns

How does the Ionic order differ from the Doric order in terms of elevation? How is an Ionic column different from a Doric column? How is an Ionic capital different from a Doric capital? How is an Ionic frieze different from a Doric frieze?

-Ionic columns have a base while Doric columns do not. -Ionic columns have the volutes (scrolls) at their capital while doric columns only have the echinus -Doric has triglyph and metope frieze while the Ionic has a continuous sculpture frieze -Both use triangular pediments and towards the bottom they use a stylobate

In what ways can the Parthenon be considered an "extraordinary" Greek Doric temple in terms of architectural design & decoration? Why does the Parthenon have such a large cella? What do these details tell us about the working relationship of architects and sculptors/artists in the ancient world? Who were the architects and artists who worked on the Parthenon?

-constructed entirely of marble (largest sole marble construction) -there are no straight lines. stylobate is curved, columns are curved (entasis) and lean inwards, architraves are curved...so each piece is unique and fits in only one place -46 columns, 70,000 pieces total for the parthenon -shot at, exploded, set on fire, rocked by earthquakes, converted to church and then a mosque, and looted for its sculptures and subjected to catastrophic restorations of iron clamps that rusted and cracked and pieces put back in the wrong place -people worked together to build the parthenon, it was a tribute to their democracy -golden ratio 1:1.6 (pythagorus) shows up in the ratio between the height and width of its facades. Also 4:9 ratio shows up a lot -Sponsor/Patron: Perikles -Architects: Iktinos & Kallikrates -Master Sculptor: Pheidias

Ionic

2nd of Greek architectural styles, had a column base, fluted columns, and volutes(scrolls) on the capital.

hypaethral

A building having no pediment or roof, open to the sky.

Doric frieze

A frieze containing alternating triglyphs and metopes.

Corinthian

This style of column has elongated capitals that are decorated with leaves.

Kallikrates

Architect of the Parthenon

Iktinos (Ictinus)

Architect responsible for the Parthenon, the Temple of Apollo at Bassai, and more

Temple of Hera at Olympia, ca. 600-590 BCE (Archaic Period)

Doric, peripheral 6x16 columns. 3 room interior: pronaos, cella, opisthotonos. Had columns constructed with abacus, echinus, and column shaft.

Athens, Greece, Temple of Athena Nike c. 425 BCE (Classical Period)

Ionic order with ionic columns. it is non- peripitual with "amphistyle". the columns are not all around

Greek theater

Open-air structure in which plays were performed. The stage faced the afternoon sunlight to illuminate the performance while allowing the audience to view the action without squinting.

Stylobate curvature

Optical refinement technique used at the Parthenon to combat the illusion of sagging that occurs with rows and columns of straight lines.

Geison (or cornice)

The part of the entablature that projects outward from the top of the frieze in the Doric order and from the top of the frieze course of the Ionic and Corinthian orders; it forms the outer edge of the roof on the sides of a structure with a sloped roof.

Athens, Greece, Propylaia, c. 437-432 BCE (Classical Period)

The propylaia had a doric exterior with an ionic interior. The west facade with doric columns and the main hall had ionic capital on the columns. The building is not symmetrical due to the preexisting temple of Athena Nike.

pronaos

The space, or porch, in front of the cella, or naos, of an ancient Greek temple

Pheidias (Phidias)

a Greek sculptor, painter, and architect. His statue of Zeus at Olympia was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. ... Phidias is often credited as the main instigator of the Classical Greek sculptural design.

Ionic Frieze

a long narrow band of sculpture that runs along the architrave of a Greek temple or another building

Agora

a public open space used for assemblies and markets

Pergamon (Pergamum)

a rich and powerful ancient Greek city in Aeolis. During the Hellenistic period, it became the capital of the Kingdom of Pergamon under the Attalid dynasty in 281-133 BC, who transformed it into one of the major cultural centres of the Greek world.

Echinus

a rounded molding below an abacus on a Doric or Ionic capital

Metope

a square space between triglyphs in a Doric frieze.

Caryatid

a stone carving of a draped female figure, used as a pillar to support the entablature of a Greek or Greek-style building.

Mnesikles

architect of the Propylaea

Acroterion or acroterium (plural = acroteria)

architectural ornament placed on the flat base called the acroter , plinth, and mounted at the apex of the pediment of a building

Skene

building used as dressing room

in antis columns

columns in the plane of a wall and often between antae

What are the primary locations for architectural sculpture on a Greek Doric or Ionic temple?

in the frieze Doric = in the metope part of the frieze Ionic = the frieze is a continuous thing of sculpture

Choragic monument

large, freestanding pedestal that formed the display base for an athletic or choral prize won at an ancient Greek festival.

Frieze

ornamental horizontal band on a wall

Dentils

rectangular tooth-like elements forming a decorative horizontal band in a cornice

Theatron

seeing place

Acanthus

the leaves on the Corinthian capital

Cornice (or geison)

the overhanging molding atop any building, projects beyond the exterior wall

Entablature

the upper story of a Greek temple

Orthogonal plan

The imposition of a strict grid plan on a site, regardless of the terrain, so that all streets meet at right angles. See also Hippodamian plan.

Panathenaic procession

The line cutting through the Athenian Agora up to the Acropolis.

Doric

Along with Ionian and Corinthian; distinct style of Hellenistic architecture; the least ornate of the three styles, a plain, sturdy column with a plain capital. characterized by heavy fluted columns with plain, saucer-shaped capitals and no base.

How does the Corinthian order relate to the Ionic order? What natural element is the basis for the design of the Corinthian capital?

Both orders have a base, shaft, and entablature however the corinthian order does not use a stylobate -Corinthian columns feature thin fluted columns and capitals elaborately decorated with acanthus leave carvings -Ionic columns feature wider fluted columns with the volutes -Corinthian order does not used a triangular pediment

Miletos (Miletus)

City that shows idea of city planning with the creation of a grid

Pediment

In Classical architecture, the triangular section of a temple roof often decorated with sculpture

Column inclination

In architecture, entasis is the application of a convex curve to a surface for aesthetic purposes. Its best-known use is in certain orders of Classical columns that curve slightly

Capital

In classical architecture the termination of a column, generally given decorative carving (top of a column)

peripteral temple plan

In classical architecture, a colonnade all around the cella and its porch(es). A peripteral colonnade consists of a single row of columns on all sides; a dipteral colonnade has a double row all around. -Temple chamber surrounded by columns -typically 6 x 13 columns -Entrance (front) on east

Cella (or naos)

Main room in the temple (holds the statue)

Bassai (Bassae), Greece, Temple of Apollo Epikourios (Epicurius), c. 430 BCE (Classical Period)

The architect was Iktinos, It had a doric exterior and created the corithian capital which was an acanthus plant.

Stylobate

The uppermost course of the platform of a classical Greek temple, which supports the columns.