Community High School

Greek Architecture

Written by Kate Levy

Around 3000 BC, the first inhabitants of the Greek peninsula were moving in. The architecture of these Neolithic people was very basic and unimpressive when compared to later "classical Greek" buildings. They built houses mainly that were circular, oval, apsidal, and rectangular. The rectangle houses were mostly square, but some were oblong, having the entrance at one of the short ends. Mud, mud brick, small stones set in mud, and reeds or brush with or without plastering were the materials these early people used. The houses would have only one room, with rare exceptions of two. The impact of these people on later Greek culture and architecture are not easily seen, whereas that of the Minoans are.

On Crete, the Neolithic people made a culture with a greater significance over the next thousand years. The Minoan architecture was mostly residential, like that of the earlier people. They had no temples or public buildings. Unlike the earlier people, though, their private houses had many rooms and often more than one floor. To separate the rooms, there would only be pillars, making the houses very open. Stairways were a prominent feature in these massive homes. From here the next period of architecture is that of the ancient Greeks.

Classic Greek architecture is made up of three different orders that are most seen in their temples. They are Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian. The orders are known mostly by their column style. The Corinthian order was not as widely used as Doric and ionic. It was fancier than the others, and had a lot more detail.

Perhaps the most basic temples were of the Doric order. Doric architecture was known for being used by the Spartans. It all starts with a shaft of wood, which later became stone. On top of this shaft there would be a circular pad with a square block of wood over that. The vertical columns supported beams called architraves. To form a ceiling, other beams were laid across the building with their ends on the architraves. The ends of these beams would be channeled to make triglyphs. On top of this, another beam would be placed for the overhanging rafters. These beams are referred to as mutules. The roofs were finished with flat gables called pediments. A gutter ran along the tops of the pediments, ending at a lion's mouth, which acted as a drain. Thatch, and then terra-cotta and marble, was used to cover the roof's. These temples were similar to ionic ones in their layout.

Ionic columns were slenderer than Doric. They were eight or nine diameters high, instead of four to five. The columns had a molded base under them and sculpted figures on the lower part of the shaft. The shafts had channels in them, like folds in a matron's garment. At the top of the shaft there were rectangular blocks of stone, carved into the shape of flowing hair or other wavy shapes and lines. The cornice was decorated with great detail. Although there were differences in the construction of temples, they were mostly all used for the same activities.

When talking about Greek temples, there are some things one must keep in mind. First, that Greek religion is not like that of the Christians. The Greeks thought their gods were of the same nature as man, except smarter and stronger. Second, that the temple was the house of the god they worshipped, so it had to be finer than that of man. Third, that congregations of people did not meet in the temples to worship, as if it were a church. And last, that all the gods demanded they be satisfied by sacrifice, and so sacrifices were made at the temples. For this there was a great altar outside the east porch of every temple. Some temples only had a porch for the altar and a hall leading to it, while others were much more complicated.

The Parthenon is one temple that is very famous and beautiful, but also very basic in its construction. Built between 447 and 438 BC, it was the first building to be constructed on the widely know Acropolis. The Parthenon is called octostyle peripteral because it has eight columns in the front and the back of it and is surrounded by a colonnade or peristyle. Inside, it is constructed as most temples were. The central chamber, or cella, faced east, with a wood figure of Athene covered in gold and ivory in it. There was a pornaos, or porch, at the east end and a opisthodomus, or porch, at the west end. At the back of the temple is a chamber called the Parthenon, or chamber of the Virgin, which was used as a treasury and held the sacrifices. This layout was very common among temples of that period.

One rather famous temple that was very complicated was The Great Palace of Knossos, also known as just Knossos. It began as a town with buildings in blocks around a square, or court, and grew into an extremely large palace. The process of becoming a palace was that of the gradual condensation of all the buildings under one roof, except for the court. Even the streets were covered, making them into corridors. The layout of Knossos had long, narrow chambers on the west side, with the shrines and ceremonial rooms on that side of the court. The luxurious living spaces were at the southeast side of the court and the service rooms and some small industries were aligned with them in the northeast side. This was truly a great palace.

As we have seen there were different styles and different layouts of temples, but they were used for the same thing. Also, we have seen that the Greeks made amazing buildings, that were carefully planned and skillfully created. Perhaps the architects of that day were the true geniuses of Greek culture, not the philosophers.

Bibliography

Quennell, Marjorie and C.H.B., Everyday Things in Ancient Greece. New York, G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1954.

Scranton, Robert L., Greek Architecture. New York, George Braziller, 1985.

last edited 2005-02-18