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Feature – Greek Architecture
Greek structures were composed using a system known
as post and lintel, by which a horizontal beam is placed on top of two separated
vertical beams (picture the balancing act at Stonehenge). Early temples were built
with non-durable materials such as wood and thatching, however, under the influence
of stone-working Egyptians (remember the Pyramids?), the Greeks switched over
to stone.
Stone architecture evolved in three styles, or orders:
Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian.
Doric architecture developed directly from mud brick and
wood construction, and was the first, and simplest of the three orders. It is
easiest to distinguish between the styles by comparing the columns (although orders
did go further than just the columns). Doric columns were created by stacking
cylindrical blocks (called drums). 20 flutes (or channels/grooves) run up the
entire shaft of the column. The column bulges outward in the center. And the block
at the top of the column (known as the ‘capital’) is quite plain, consisting
only of geometric shapes.
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The Ionian order was developed by Greeks who left the
mainland and settled in Asia minor. The Ionian order followed the same main geometric
principals of Doric architecture, with a few notable differences. Ionic columns
were much slimmer than Doric columns, and had many more flutes (40-48; thus the
ribs on the columns would be quite narrow in comparison to Doric ribbing). The
column capital featured a more ornamental, scroll-shape design.
The Corinthian order was very similar to the Ionian, except that the column capitals
were much more ornamental, and featured leafy foliage. This order was actually
rather rare among the Greeks, and featured more heavily in the later architecture
of the Romans.
It is interesting to note that the Greeks were a much more colourful civilization
than we imagine looking back. Whereas we see only whitened stone where Greek structures
still stand, evidence in Greek writing alludes to bright colours, which would
have made the seemingly stolid, calm, and quietly elegant edifices of today look
like the pages of a colouring book.Religion was the center of Greek life. It should
not, then, be surprising that religion is the focus of Greek architecture, from
temples to theatres (please note that theatre, as discussed in the feature article
on Greek theatre, was actually a religious act).
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Akropolis
‘Akropolis’ (or Acropolis in modern spelling) was the Greek word for
‘upper city,’ a sort of raised fortification intended to protect the
entire city. Akropolis was also the name of one of the most important sites in
Athens, and indeed, in all of ancient Greece.
Between 450 and 330 BC, three temples were erected at the Akropolis: the Parthenon
(447-438 BC), the Erechtheion(~420 BC), and the Temple of Nike (pronounced Nee-Kay;
~420 BC), as was the Propylaea (437-432 BC), the gateway to the Akropolis.
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The Temple of Nike was built in adoration of Nike, the
goddess of victory. It is built in the Ionic style, and features a series of friezes,
which are flat (ish) carvings (surface carvings on a slab, rather than 3-D sculptures
that are complete from all angles), depicting memorable scenes between gods or
mortals. The Nike friezes depict, appropriately, scenes from battles and conferences
between gods (who often determined the outcome of battles, by giving other-worldly
support to one of the warring armies).
The Erechtheion was also built in the Ionian style, and
was split into two main sections, in adoration of the goddess Athena, goddess
of wisdom and patron of Athens, and Poseidon, god of the sea. Outside the temple
was a relief wall-painting, probably depicting the birth of Erechtheus, the ancestral
figure, and ancient king, of Athens.
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The Parthenon, dedicated to Athena Parthenos, is the most
characteristic and important monument of Greek civilization. Unlike the temples
described above, this temple is built in Doric style, though it incorporates some
Ionic elements. It is built to appear clean and ordered, with each column bowing
inward at the center so as to look more slender, and all of the columns tilted
slightly toward center as they raise, so as the create an illusion of greater
height. The sculptures depict various struggles between order and chaos, and the
frieze blends mythic and historical events. The main focus of the Parthenon was
a wood and clay sculpture of Athena, which stood 40 feet high.
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Amphitheatres
Ancient Greek performances occurred in amphitheatres, which were outdoor theatres
carved into hillsides. While originally built with wood, many later theatres were
stone-built, allowing the ruins to persist through the present day.
A few of the more notable Greek theatres include the Theatre Epidaurus, the Attic
Theatre (‘Attic’ as in ‘Attican’), and the Theatre of Dionysus.
Most Greek amphitheatres seated 15,000 to 20,000 people, although more people
often showed up. The audience was arranged in a strict classist manner, and sat
in a semi-circular U-shape, in raked seating formed of steps that crawled up the
hillside.
The Audience curved around the circular performance area, which was called the
Orchestra. At the center of the Orchestra was the Thymele, an altar used in ceremonies
to honor the God, Dionysus.
Behind the Orchestra, on the side not occupied by the Audience, was the Skene,
a sort of backdrop/costume house/properties room, from which the mechane, a crane-like
machine used for special effects such as raising gods to the heavens, was anchored.
Who Ruined the Ruins?
Over 2,000 years after their creation, it is often startling to think that Greek
Edifices still stand, in any manner of disrepair. The ruins seem to be a poetic
reminder of entropy, decay, that everything must eventually fall to dust.
It is easy to assume that the buildings have crumbled of their own accord, that
they are slowly sliding toward the earth with the sands of time.
It is true that earthquakes and fires have taken their bites of the Greek structures.
But unfortunately, the destruction of these stone creations has much less to do
with time and the natural order than it has to do with men, who did not appreciate
these edifices as a special legacy of an extremely special civilization.
As the Romans rose in power and the Greeks declined, the Romans sought to wrestle
Greece from the Greeks, often commandeering Greek buildings and rebuilding them
in a more Roman fashion, or, during the course of the Roman and Celtic invasions,
simply destroying buildings with no idea of the legacy that might be left for
the world, thousands of years in the future.
As polytheism was overtaken by Christianity, the Crusades plagued the past, working
to wipe out memories of polytheism, by destroying Greek temples, or altering them
to adapt them to Christian purposes. Again, it is unlikely that this was done
with the malicious intent of covering the past, so much as with a sense of progress,
of building the world for the swell of Christianity.
Likewise, Muslim jihads have subjected the Greek temples to the destructions of
wars, and the alterations of a new faith.
There are, however, efforts to restore the ruins, such as the massive Akropolis
restoration project which was undertaken in the 1970s.
In the end, it will never be possible to accurately return the Greek structures
to their original states, however it may be possible to protect them from further
damage; and the ruins are certainly worth appreciating while they last.
Join us soon for another Feature.
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