HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE

TOPIC: GREEK ARCHITECTURE

LECTURE BY:
AR.KRITIKA
INTRODUCTION:
The civilization of Ancient Greece was one that spanned many years, and in this time, many the
Greeks excelled various fields, such as art, entertainment, music, government, economy,
leadership, science, mathematics, astronomy, and more. One particular application of science and
mathematics is the ancient Greeks’ stunning and advanced architecture and engineering. This
empire flourished in so many aspects has influenced a significant portion of our culture today.
Everywhere in one’s life can he see Greek influence on modern day, especially in Architecture. The
ancient Greeks developed and innovated for hundreds of years; from the 8th century BCE until
around 600 CE.
HISTORY:
The history of the Ancient Greek civilization is divided into two eras, the Hellenic and the Hellenistic
The Hellenic period commenced circa 900 BC, (with substantial works of architecture appearing
from about 600 BC) and ended with the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BC. During the
Hellenistic period, 323 BC - AD 30, Hellenic culture was spread widely, firstly throughout lands
conquered by Alexander, and then by the Roman Empire which absorbed much of Greek culture.
 Ancient Greek architecture is best known from its temples, many of which are found throughout the
region, mostly as ruins but many substantially intact. The second important type of building that
survives all over the Hellenic world is the open-air theatre, with the earliest dating from around 350
BC. Other architectural forms that are still in evidence are the processional gateway (propylon), the
public square (agora) surrounded by storied colonnade (stoa), the town council building
(bouleuterion), the public monument, the monumental tomb (mausoleum) and the stadium
Climate:
•Climate was moderate. As it supported the outdoor life and we see structures like theatres and
agoras(open market spaces).
•There used to be unexpected rain shower so we see structures like poticos (porch) and stoas
(colonades).
Construction Material:
The ancient Greek architectural characters has a great impact because of readily availability of high
quality marble.
• Worked on a fine details, marble was the medium by which Greek architecture attained standards
of perfection seldom reached in later history.
• The importance of civic buildings were conceived as three dimensional, free standing sculptural
objects.
• Unlike the civic buildings minimal effort and concern for domestic comfort.
• Direct contrast to civic buildings houses were rudimentary and either grouped by chance or rigidly
organized along basic grid line.
GREEK ORDERS:

Introduced by a Roman architect, Marcus Vitruvius

Defined column styles and entablature
Order of Architecture
A set or rules or principles for designing buildings.
Classical order of architecture An approach to building design established in Greece or Rome
during the Classical period, roughly 850 BC through 476 AD.
How Classical Architecture Began
Great buildings were constructed according to precise rules Marcus Vitruvius (De Architectura, or
Ten Books on Architecture) believed Builders used mathematical principles when constructing
temples Without symmetry and proportion, no temple can have a regular plan.`
•Doric column stood directly on the flat
pavement without a base.
•Vertical shafts were fluted with 20 parallel
concave grooves.
•Smooth capital that flared from the column
to meet a square abacus.
•Carried the horizontal beam(architrave).
•The Parthenon has the Doric design columns.
Acropolis Agora
•The acropolis was the city of temples. •he Agora was the political and commercial heart.
•It is the location where all the major It was the CBD which developed at the foot of
temples of a city are located. the Acropolis. There was a stress on a finite size
•It was built to glorify the gods. for all things.
•The acropolis were usually located on the •Ideal size of a city-polis: 1lakh-2 lakh
highest ground. •The Greek towns attempted to fit in as another
•Greek considered high placed to be component of nature.
important and sacred. •Architectural massing and detailing of building
•Other puvlic buildings such as gymnasia always gave a sense of human measure.
stadia and theatres were usually regarded as
part of religious rituals.
GREEK TEMPLE PLANS:
Typical floor plan incorporated a colonnade of columns (peristyle) on all four sides; a front porch
(pronaos), a back porch (opisthodomos).
Categorized based on their ground plan and the way in which the columns are arranged.
1.Prostyle temple is a temple that has columns only at the front
2.Amphiprostyle temple has columns at the front and the rear.
3.One of the more unusual plans is the tholos, a temple with a circular ground plan
4. Temples with a peripteral arrangement have a single line of columns arranged all around the
exterior of the temple building.
5. Dipteral temples simply have a double row of columns surrounding the building.
CHARACTERISTCICS:
ORIENTED TOWARDS THE EAST
• NAOS ( it refers to the Cella, i.e. the inner chamber of a temple which houses a cult figure)
• PRONAOS ( is the inner area of the portico of a Greek or Roman temple, situated between the
portico's colonnade or walls and the entrance to the cella, or shrine)
• AND EPINAOS (OPISTHODODMOS) - a room in the rear of the cella of an ancient Greek temple
• SURROUNDED BY OPEN COLONNADE
• ENTRANCE DOORS on the east and west walls
• WINDOWS WERE RARE
• PEDIMENT
• TYMPANUM
• TIMBER ROOFS covered with MARBLE OR TERRACOTTA TILES
• ANTIFIXAE ORNAMENT at the end of the roof tiles
 •Use of “post” and “lintel” techniques
involving vertical uprights(columns and posts)
supporting horizontal lintels(beams). This
method is known as trabeated construction,
dates back to earliest time when temples were
made from timber and clay and later applied
to stone post and horizontal stone beams.

GREEK TEMPLE, COLUMNS AND LINTELS

•All early temples had a thatched roof,
supported by columns but as soon as walls
were made from stone and could therefore
support a heavier load, temples were given a
slightly sloping roof , covered with ceramic
terracotta tiles. These roof tiles could be up to
three feet long and weigh as much as 80
pounds.

THE GREEK TEMPLES ,ROOF

PARTHENON •Architects –Ictinus & Callicrates ;
sculptor –Pheidias.
•Rectangular plan measuring 71m X
32m.
Stands on a crepidoma of 3 steps with
tread 70cm & rise 50cm.
Designed in octal-style, eight columns in
front & back, columns having base d =
1.9m, h = 10.4m and of the Doric order.
The entablature is 3.4m high and curve
up in the middle.
•Architrave was ornamented with bronze
shields.
•Sculptured metopes are about 1.34m X
1.34m, 14 in on front, 32 on south and
north. •The frieze lean outward slightly.
The pediment inclined at 13˚ 30 mins.
It has floral decoration called Acroteria
about 3m high.
The sloping cornices of the pediment has
ornamentations. The Tympana had fine
sculptures in bright colors
ERECHTHEION(421BC-406BC)
OPEN AIR THEATRE (O.A.T)

PLAN OF OAT
OPTICAL COREECTION
Optical corrections refers to the implementation of some of the mathematical proportions in
construction of the structures which is known as GOLDEN PROPORTIONS. The ideal of proportion
that was used by ancient Greek architects in designing temples was not a simple mathematical
progression using a square module. The math involved a more complex geometrical
progression, The ratio is similar to that of the growth patterns of many spiral forms that occur in
nature such as rams’ horns, shells, fern fronds, and vine tendrils and which were a source of
decorative motifs employed by ancient Greek architects as particularly in evidence in the volutes
of capitals of the Ionic and Corinthian Orders.
OPTICAL CORRECTIONS FOR COLUMNS:
Ex_Parthenon.

The architects calculated for perspective, for the optical illusions

that make edges of objects appear concave and for the fact that
columns that are viewed against the sky look different from those
adjacent that are viewed against a shadowed wall. Because of these
factors, the architects adjusted the plans so that the major lines of
any significant building are rarely straight. The most obvious
adjustment is to the profile of columns, which narrow from base to
top. However, the narrowing is not regular, but gently curved so
that each columns appears to have a slight swelling,
called entasis below the middle.
OPTICAL CORRECTIONS FOR THE TEMPLE
FLOOR

The plinth of the temple floor if slightly made convex at

the center, so when it viewed from far, the floor will appear
straight. It is achieved by using larger stones at the center and
much thinner stones towards the end of the plinth.

OPTICAL CORRECTIONS FOR THE COLLONADES AT

THE ELEVATION OF GREEK TEMPLES

The series of columns which shows the strength and power

of the Greek empire was the most important element which
needs to convey what it is meant to. So to make it look
stronger and longer, these colonnades are slightly inclined
inwards which looks straight when viewed from at a far
distance.
THANK YOU!