LESSON 2

Objectives:

By the end of this lesson, the students will be able to:

1. understand the development of West Asiatic architecture;

2. distinguish the architectural character of Mesopotamian and Persian
architecture;
3. appreciate West Asiatic architecture through its sample structures;
4. understand the development of Greek architecture;
5. distinguish the architectural character of Greek architecture;
6. appreciate Greek architecture through its sample structures; and
7. be familiar with some Greek architectural terminologies.

Pre-test 2

Instruction: Write the letter that corresponds to the correct answer before each number.
Strictly no erasures. 2 points each.

1. Chief building material of the Greeks

were
a. stone b. brick c. marble d. clay
2. West Asiatic structures were raised to
platforms 30-50ft above the ground due to
a. abundance of clay b. flooding c. geology d. superstition
3. Holy Mountains; chief building
structure of Babylon that symbolized bridge between man & the gods.
a. Agora b. Stoa c. Temenos d. Ziggurat
4. Palace famous for the “Hanging Garden
of Babylon”.
a. Darius b. Nebuchadnezzar c. Sargon d. Xerxes
5. Gateway in Greek acropolis.
a. pinacotheca b. propylea c. glyptotheca d. parthenon
6. A spiral scroll in an Ionic capital
a. Fluting b. Arris c. Fillet d. Volute
7. Greek temple famous for its caryatid
porch.
a. Parthenon b. Olympeion c. Erechtheion d. Nike
8. Largest Greek temple dedicated to
goddess Athena.
 b. Parthenon b. Olympeion c. Erechtheion d. Nike
9. Persian columns are tall, slender, finely
fluted & ___ times the diameter.
a. 4-6.5 b. 9 c. 10 d. 15
10. Feature of Greek architecture also
known as coffered ceiling.
a. battlement b. lacunaria c. bigas d. quadrigas
GENERAL TOPIC

West Asiatic Architecture (400BC-4th century AD)

I. Influences

A. Geographical Influence

The Tigro-Euphrates valley was the seat of a civilization nearly or quite as old as that
of the Nile, though inferior in its monumental art. West Asiatic architecture
flourished & developed in the Twin Rivers “Tigris & Euphrates”. Mesopotamia
means the land between two rivers, this is an ancient region in western Asia
between the Tigris & Euphrates Rivers, comprising the land of Sumer & Akkad &
occupied successively by the Sumerians, Babylonians, Assyrians & Persians (now
part of Iraq). Thus Mesopotamia refers to Assyria & Babylonia in the lower plains.
Persia is in the upper plains/mountain.

B. Geological Influence

Babylonia is an alluvial district of thick mud & clay deposited by the 2 rivers. Such
soil, in which no stone was found & no trees would grow, was eminently suitable
for the making of bricks, which thus became the usual building material in
Babylonia. In Assyria, there was plenty of stone in the mountains to the north, but
the Assyrian followed the Babylonia in the use of brick. In Persia, there were hard,
colored limestones which were used in the building & timber was used for the roofs
while Persian tiles have always been famous for their beauty of texture & color.

There was abundance of clay which when compressed in moulds & either dried in
the sun or kiln-fired, provided bricks for every kind of structure. In the alluvial plains
of the Tigris & Euphrates, stone & timber suitable for building were rare or
unobtainable except by importation.

C. Climatic Influence

Babylonia was, by reason of its situation around the river, a region of swamps &
floods, besides which torrents of rain fell for weeks at a time & these conditions,
were aggravated during the long summer by unhealthy, miasmic exhalations.
Therefore, elevated platforms on which to build towns & palaces were desirable.
 Assyria, nearer the mountains & farther from the river mouths than Babylonia, had
a similar estimate but with fewer swamps & lesser miasma, but any climatic
difference had little effect on architecture, as Assyrians followed the Babylonian
style. In Persia, they had dry & hot climate which resulted in building open type
temples & open columned halls in the palaces.

D. Religious Influence

Mesopotamians were superstitious, believers of symbolism & also believers of

genies & demons. The polytheism of Mesopotamians was variously expressed, in
the worship of heavenly bodies, divisions of the universe & local deities. The priests,
as depositories of wisdom, arrogated to themselves the power of reading the starts,
of divination, & to interpreting the will of the gods, & for these astrologer-priests,
the towering ziggurats or temple observatories were erected. The Mesopotamians
were not great tomb buildings as they had no strong belief of the Egyptians in a
future life.

The religion of the Persians based on the teachings of Zoroaster, was a system of
ethical forces, good & evil at war from the beginning of time, with a belief in the
final triumph of good. Fire was held to be the manifestation of good, & fire worship
needed no temples, but only altars for the sacrificial flame, & thus in Persia, it is
expected that temple remains are not evident nor religion to have exercised much
influence on architecture.

E. Social & Political Influence

Babylonians among the three were considered extraordinary because they achieved
highest degree of civilization. They had an elaborate legal system, cities had rights &
charters, and there were feudal holdings, a system of police & even a postal system.
They practices “cuneiform system of writing” on clay tablets which have proved
more lasting than the Egyptian records on perishable papyrus. The Babylonians
were primarily traders in origin & commercial life flourished. The People were
divided into nobles, with hereditary estates, a landless class of freemen, & lastly,
slaves, a social system that is not only Medieval but almost modern in some
aspects.

In Assyria a military autocracy with a conscript army was the dominating class. The
Assyrians were fighters & sportsmen rather than traders. Assyrian wall sculptures
form an illustrated history of the battles & exploits from monarchs; there is little
reference to religion, with its sacrificial rites, on these delicately incised slabs, which
are devoted to war & chase, & the trail of cruelty is over them all.

The Persian domination was due to military superiority to this hardy, upland race,
which gradually imposed its civilization on Western Asia under the rule of the
Satraps. They were soldiers all; landowners as horsemen & people as infantry. It is
 therefore not surprising that the Assyrians & Persians erected lordly palaces in
preference to stupendous temples & tombs.

F. Historical Influence

Four historical periods:

1. Babylonian Period –the great King Hammurabi established the domination

of Babylon. The Babylonian power, however, later declined under the attacks of
Hittites & Kassites, until Assyria became a separate kingdom.

2. Assyrian Period – the Assyrians conquered the Babylonians & remained the
great military power of Western Asia until the destruction of Nineveh. Sargon,
most famous of Assyrian Kings, defeated the Egyptians, & like many a
conqueror, he was also a great builder, as is testified by his magnificent palace
at Khorsabad; Nineveh was captured & destroyed, & the Assyrian Empire
divided. The new Babylonian only lasted 70 years.

3. Neo-Babylonian Period – Babylonian leader was Nabopolassar, a Chaldean.

He was succeeded by his son, Nebuchadnezzar II of bible fame, despoiler of
Jerusalem & responsible for the captivity of the children of Israel. He is lastingly
associated with the wonder of Babylon, its palaces, hanging gardens & towered
walls. The dynasty ended with Nabonidus, defeated by Persian King Cyrus.

4. Persian Period – The domination of Persia over Western Asia & her struggles
for a further extension of power is reflected in her architecture. Persia
conquered Greek colonists of Asia Minor & the recurring vertical scroll in
Persian column capitals is probably derived from Greek examples. The Persin
conquest extended to Egypt & there seems no doubt that the impression
produced by the marvelous buildings of Memphis & Thebes caused the
introduction of the column into Persian architecture, though in curious &
grotesque forms. The Persians under Darius invaded Greek mainland but they
were defeated at Marathon & a season expedition under Xerxes was likewise
defeated. Under Alexander the Great, Persia became a Greek province.

II. Architectural Character

 Mesopotamian : Massiveness, Monumentality & Grandeur

 Persian : Light & Airy Magnificence

 System of Construction
 Mesopotamian : Arch & Vault

 Persian : Columnar & Trabeated

 Principal Materials
 Mesopotamian : brick

 Persian : stone (for columns), brick (for walls) & timber (for roofing)

 Principal Structures
 Mesopotamian : Temples & Ziggurats

 Persian : Royal Palaces

 Comparative Analysis
 Plan
o Mesopotamian : square/rectangle, used tripartite plan in their temples;
temples & palaces were built on artificial platforms 30-50 ft above the plain
for defense & protection against Malaria; Ziggurats, which rose to tower-like
in diminishing terraces to the temple observatory at the top, had their
angles to the cardinal points
o Persian : palaces placed on platforms to have taller or more monumental
impression for their palace
 Walls
o Characteristic “battlemented crestings”
o Babylonian : normally made of sun-dried bricks faced with kiln-burnt.
o Assyrian : also made of sun-dried bricks finished with polychrome, glazed
tiles or marble slabs
o Persian : also made of bricks & followed the Assyrian style, surface is
finished with polychrome brickwork.
 Openings
o Babylonian & Assyrian doors are usually spanned by semi-circular arches
guarded by sculptured monsters to protect people from unknown elements.
Assyrians introduced the use of pointed arch which was employed in the
drains under the great palace at Khorsabad; No windows due to climatic
condition; but light was admitted through doors & probably through pipe-
holes in walls & vaults
o Persian doors & windows are square-headed spanned by lintels.
 Roofs
o Mesopotamian : externally flat; dome is used as roof covering in some
instances; internally is the barrel vault
o Persian : flat & made of timber
 Columns
o Mesopotamian : no columns because there were no available materials
for columns due further to climatic condition
o Persian : tall, widely spaced, slender and finely fluted; height is 15 times
the diameter. Use of double bull “cradle capital” & “double Unicorn capital”.
Persepolitan architecture is noted for its use of wooden columns. Architects
resorted to stone only when the largest cedars of Lebanon or teak trees
 of India did not fulfill the required sizes. Column bases and capitals were
made of stone, even on wooden shafts, but the existence of wooden capitals
is probable.
 Mouldings
o Mesopotamian : did not develop any type
o Persian : adopted the Egyptian gorge moulding
 Ornaments
o Mesopotamian : chiseled alabaster slabs which influenced Greek bas-
reliefs; these slabs form an illustrated record of Assyrian pursuits & military
sporting exploits
o Persian : have the flanking monster entrance portals mural decoration
by polychrome bricks of blue, white, yellow & green low relief slabs

 Features
  Assyrian & Babylonian arch’re: arcuated type of construction; arch & vault & flat
strip, buttresses with glazed tile adornment.

 Persian arch’re: Columnar & Trabeated with flat timber roof, sometimes domed.

III. West Asiatic Structures

 BABYLON

1. Ziggurats – or Holy Mountains, high pyramidal staged tower, of which the

angles were oriented to cardinal points, which formed an important element in
ancient Mesopotamian temple complexes; chief building structure,
square/rectangular with steeply battered sides & an open flatform with temple
or shrine on top. They were religious shrines that symbolized a bridge between
man on earth, and the gods in heaven. The number of stages rises from 1 to 7.

ii. Types:
 Archaic Ziggurat – usually have one flat top rectangular mound carrying
the upper temple;
ex. The E.Anna (House of anu) / White Temple of Wharka – believed to
be the predecessor of the ziggurat
 Multi-level/Two or more Stages Ziggurat – rectangular in plan, designed
with several piers or stages;
ex. The Ziggurat, Tower of Babel – square plan of 90m sides with 7 stages
in all, the summit temple being faced with blue glazed bricks
Ziggurat at Bursippa, seven stage pyramid dedicated to 7 heavenly
planets.
 Seven Stages Square Base Ziggurat – square base;
ex. Palace of Nebuchadnezzar, it has famous “Hanging Garden of
Babylon” – 275m x 183 m overall; among its maze of rooms was a
vast throne-room 52m x 17m, its long façade decorated with
polychrome glazed bricks

2. City of Babylon – contained the Tower of Babel, the famed Hanging Garden &
the Ishtar Gate; dominated the region in 6BC & was heavily fortified; has 250
towers & 100 Bronze Gates; was rebuilt by Nebuchadnezzar II for it had been
thoroughly destroyed by Sennacherib; had an inner & outer part, each heavily
fortified; the inner town approx square in plan (1300m sides) containing the
principal buildings, the Euphrates river forming the west side. The few main
streets intersected starkly at right angles, terminating in tower-framed bronze
gates where they met the walls. Between the main streets tiered dwellings,
business houses, temples, chapels & shrined jostled in lively disorder.

 ASSYRIA
1. Palace of Sargon, Khorsabad – a complex of large & small
courts, corridors & rooms covering 23 acres; entrance portals flanked with
statues of headed winged bulls & lions. It contained 700 rooms. The main portal
is flanked by great towers, guarded by Lamassus (Lamassu - monumental stone
sculptures of human-headed, winged bulls, lions that guarded the entrances to
Mesopotamian palaces & temples; some refer these as stone demons); planned
in grids, with atriums (pockets for ventilation) & evaporating pools (located at
atriums)

Parts:
a. Seralio – palace proper which includes the King’s residence, halls, men’s
apartment & reception courts.
b. Harem –private family apartment
c. Khan – service chambers, Khan is the Moslem “Inn”

Groupings:
a. A group of 3 large & 3 small temples on the left
b. Administrative offices & service quarters on the right
c. Private & residential apartments with the state chambers behind
 2. City of Nineveh – capital of Assyrian empire, built by Sargon’s
son Sennacherib; contained the following structures: the Palace of Sennacherib
& the ‘Palace Without a Rival’ (the south-west palace)

 PERSIA

1. Palace of Persepolis – occupies 460m x

275m ft & elevated 15m above the plain at the base of a rocky spur. The
buildings at Persepolis include three general groupings:
a. military quarters
b. the treasury
c. the reception halls and occasional houses for the King.

Contains the ff:

o Apadana – a grand audience
hall, 76.2m square & with 3 columns within its 6m thick walls, begun by
Darius but completed by his 2 successors.
o Palace of Darius – immediately
south of the Apadana, 12 columns supported the roof of the central hall
from which 3 small stairways descend. Relieves on these stairways depict
servants coming up the steps carrying animals & food in covered dishes to
be served at the King’s table. On the eastern & western doorjambs are
relieves showing the king in formal dress leaving the palace, followed by 2
attendants, relieves on the northern & southern doorways depict the king in
combat with monsters.
o Tripylon – lay centrally among
the buildings & acted as a reception chamber & guard-room for more
private quarters of the palace group.
o Treasury – in the SE angle of the
site, a double-walled administrative & store-house building with columned
halls of different sizes & only a single doorway.
o Palace of Xerxes - shows similar
decorative features on its stone doorframes & windows, except for 2 large
Xerxes inscriptions on the eastern & western doorways. Instead of showing
the king’s combat with monsters, these doorways depict servants with
ibexes.
o Hypostyle Hall of Xerxes - covers
100,000 square feet—more than double the area of the Hypostyle Hall at
Karnak.
o Hall of Hundred Columns – also
called Throne Hall, 68.6m square with columns 11.3m high, supporting a
flat, cedar roof; used mainly for receptions for representatives of all the
subject nations of the empire. Later, it also served as a storehouse & above
all, as a place to display more adequately objects, both tribute & booty,
from the royal treasury.
o Propylaea – gatehouse made of
mud brick wall, faced with polychrome bricks & front & rear portals guarded
by stone bulls; designed by Xerxes
Greek Architecture (8th century BC-2nd century BC)

I. Influences

A. Geographical Influence

Most of Greece is made up of mountainous terrain. Mount Olympus is the highest

mountain in Greece reaching its peak elevation at about 9,570 feet. Mount
Olympus is also regarded to be the heavenly abode of the Greek gods and the site
of Zeus' throne. Many temples, such as the Acropolis, can be found sitting atop a
hill.

The rugged nature of the Greek Peninsula & its widespread islands, made
communications difficult. It was bounded on two sides by “Black Sea & the
Mediterranean Sea”. Athens as its center kingdom contains the upper city known as
“Citadel”. They were by geographical situation, by character, and by circumstances,
peculiarly fitted to receive, develop, and transmit the mingled influences of the East
and the South.

Ancient Greece, however, extended geographically far beyond the mainland &
adjacent islands, & thus ruins of Greek buildings are found in the Dorian colonies of
Sicily & South Italy & in the Ionian colonies of Asia Minor.

B. Geological Influence

The chief mineral wealth of Greece was in her unrivalled marble, the most beautiful
& monumental of all building materials, & one which facilitates exactness of line &
refinement of detail. This marble is found in abundance, notably in the mountains
of Hymettus & Pentelicus near Athens, & in the islands of Paros & Naxos. The
Greeks attached so much importance to the quality of fine-grained marble for
producing exact outlines & smooth surfaces that they even coated coarse-grained
limestone with a layer of marble “stucco” in order to secure this effect, which is the
great characteristic of their architecture. Although marble is the chief building
material; they also had ample supplies of building stones.

C. Climatic Influence

Climate was intermediate between “cold & hot”, which favored an outdoor life, &
consequently the administration of justice, dramatic presentations, & most public
ceremonies took place in an open air, even in religious rites, & to this is largely due
the limited variety of public buildings other than temples. The hot sun & sudden
 showers were probably answerable for the porticoes & colonnades which were
such important features.

D. Religious Influence

Greeks were devoted to religion and held many religious festivals.

Aegeans: Worship “nature”, priestesses rather than priests conducted the religious
rites.
Greeks: The Greek religion was in the main a worship of natural phenomena, of
which Gods were personifications, & each town or district had its own
divinities, ceremonies & traditions. There are also traces of other primitive
forms of religion, such as the worship of ancestors & deified heroes. They
represent their deities by large statues. The priests who carried out the
appointed rites, in which both men & women officiated, were not an
exclusive class, & often served for a period only, retiring afterwards into
private life.

Greek Roman
Attributes
Deities Deities
Aphrodite Goddess of commerce, love & beauty Venus
Apollo Son of Zeus, God of law & reason, art, music & poetry Apollo
Ares God of war Mars
Artemis Goddess of chastity Diana
Athena Goddess of learning & wisdom Minerva
Demeter Goddess of earth & agriculture Ceres
Dionysus God of wine, feasting & revelry Bacchus
Hephaestu God of fire, flame & forgery Vulcan
s
Hera Wife of Zeus, goddess of marriage Juno
Heracles Son of Zeus, mythical half god & man, god of strength & Hercules
power
Hermes Messenger of the gods with winged feet, therefore god Mercury
of eloquence
Hestia Goddess of hearth (sacred fire) & home Vesta
Nike Goddess of victory Victoria
Pan God of flock Pan
Poseidon God of sea Neptune
Zeus Supreme god, ruler of the sky, chief god Jupiter

E. Social & Political Influence

Chief diversions were music, dancing, wrestling, boxing, gymnastics & bull-fighting
often with religious connection. Women took part in hunting & more strenuous
 games, as well as in craftwork. Tyrannic, aristocratic & democratic were the forms
of government. Pericles – one of the democratic leaders in Athens.

The people of the various Greek states were united by devotion to their religion, &
by religious festivals, as well as by their love of music, the drama & the fine arts, &
also by national games & by emulation in those manly sports & contests for which
they were so distinguished.

The Greeks were great colonists, & emigration, especially to Asia Minor, South Italy,
Sicily & the coasts of the Mediterranean, was directed by government as early as
700BC, not to develop trade but also to provide an outlet for the superfluous
population, & so reduce internal party trouble.

F. Historical Influence

Periods of Development:

 Early Period (3000BC-700BC) – Aegeans, Minoans &

Myceneans were the only people in Greece.

o Mycenaean architecture – the architecture of

the Aegean civilization that spread its influence from Mycenae in southern
Greece to many parts of the Mediterranean region; characterized by:
- shaft graves – a tomb consisting of deep
rectangular cut into clopping rock & a roof timber or stone.
- monumental beehives/ beehive tombs – a
stone built subterranean tomb of the Mycenaean civilization of a circular
chamber covered by a corbelled dome & entered by a walled passage
through a hillside.
- palaces fortified with cyclopean walls.

o Minoan Architecture – the architecture of the

Bronze Age civilization that flourished on Crete; named after the legendary
King Minos of Knossos; characterized by the elaborate palaces at Knossos &
Phaetus
- Great buildings with porches provide access to
unfortified compounds
- Foundation walls, piers & lintels were of stone
with upper walls framed in timber
- Rubble masonry was faced with stucco &
decorated with wall frescoes
- Ceilings were wood, as were the many
columns with balloon capitals, & featuring a distinct downward tapering
shaft
 o Minoan & Mycenaean architecture, also
known as Pelasgic or Primitive, are rough & massive in character, although it
is evident from recent excavations in Crete that the builders of this time had
considerable knowledge & skill in domestic architecture. The character of
the architecture is now chiefly known from the walls, which are of 3 kinds of
masonry:
1. Cyclopean – masses of large rough stones one on another, with small
pieces in the interstices; & the whole bound together with clay mortar;
of this are examples at Argos, Tiryns, Mycenae, Knossos in Crete &
Athens;
2. Rectangular – carefully hewn rectangular blocks in regular courses, but
the joints between stones in the same courses are not always vertical;
there are examples in the entrances & towers at Mycenae, & in the
entrance passages in the “tholos” or beehive tombs;
3. Polygonal – many-sided blocks, accurately worked so as to fit together,
examples of which are found at Mycenae, in the Acropolis wall at
Athens, & at Cnidos.

Various other features, such as corbels, inclined blocks & arches,

characterize the work of this period. A water-channel or drain at Athens,
which crosses the town from east to west, is partly arcuated & partly roofed
with projecting corbels. The barrel vault occurs in subterranean funeral
chambers in Macedonia, in the vaulted passages at the theatre at Sicyon, in
the tunnel leading to the Stadion at Olympia & in other places.
 Hellenic Period (800-323BC) – the recognized Greek
type of architecture, mostly of religious character; which was essentially
Columnar & Trabeated, & this gave it that simple, straight-forward character in
which the constructive system is self-evident, uncomplicated by such devices as
are involved in arch, vault & dome. Acropolis or the “upper city” was crowned
by “Parthenon”. By the 6th century, Parthenon was converted into a Christian
church.

 Hellenistic Period (323-30BC) – provided much of the

decorative inspiration to the Romans; Corinthian gained popularity in expense
of the Doric; development of civic design, town planning (buildings laid out on
symmetrical lines in orderly schemes)
II. Architectural Character

 Simplicity & harmony

 Purity of line

 Perfection of proportions

 Refinement of detail


 System of Construction
 Columnar & Trabeated

 Principal Material
 Marble

 Principal Structure
 Temples

 Comparative Analysis
 Plan – rectangular; entrances face east; light enters through temple door, clear
storey (clerestory) & through roof (made of marble slab); use of oil lamp to light
statue during the night.
 Walls – made of solidly constructed blocks of stone/marble.
 Openings – square-headed, temples are windowless
 Roof – supported by sloping rafter & externally covered by thin marble slab;
roof pitches were always low usually about 13-17o
 Columns – built from separate drums dowelled together; surfaces were left
rough to avoid damage in transit. 3 orders:
1. Doric Order – 1st & most popular, expresses character of Greek people;
fluted without base; shaft usually divided into 20 shallow flutes separated by
arrises (sometimes 12, 16, 18, 24); general rule: Doric friezes must end with
a triglyph; used in Parthenon Temple.
o Parts: (refer to the drawing)
o Column = 4-6.5 x the diameter
o Entablature = ¼ height of the
order
2. Ionic Order – 2nd & more sophisticated order; less heavy than Doric; 24 flutes
separated by flattened arrises with different forms of base; Ionic friezes are
plain; used in “Erechtheion, Athens” also of “Artemis, Ephesus.”
o Parts: (refer to the drawing)
o Column = 9 x the diameter
o Entablature = 1/5 height of the
orderp
3. Corinthian Order – 3rd, most elaborated & most elegant of all capitals
introduced; looks like an “inverted bell”; mostly used in interior of buildings
o Parts: (refer to the drawing)
o Column = 10 x the diameter
o Entablature = 1/5 height of the
order

o Figures used as vertical

support:
a. Male –
Atlas/Atlantes & Telamon/Telamones
b. Female –
Caryatids & Canephorae
o Rules followed in placing
columns:
a. number of
columns in front:
Henostyle One column
Distyle Two columns
Tristyle Three columns
Tetrastyle Four columns
Pentastyle Five columns
Hexastyle Six columns
Heptastyle Seven columns
Octastyle Eight columns
Enneastyle Nine columns
Decastyle Ten columns
Dodecastyl Twelve
e columns

b. arrangement of
exterior columns of the temple in relation to the naos:
In-antis Have from 1-4
columns between anta
at the front. Two is
usual.
Amphi-antis Have from 1-4
columns between anta
at the front & rear.
Two is usual.
Prostyle Have portico of
columns at the front,
not between the anta.

Amphi-prostyle Have portico of

columns at the front &
rear, not between the
anta.
Peripteral Have single line of
columns surrounding
the naos.

Pseudo- Have flank of columns

peripteral attached to the naos
wall.
 Dipteral Have a double line of
columns surrounding
the naos.

Pseudo-dipteral Like dipteral but inner

range of columns is
omitted on the flanks
of the naos.

c. Intercolumnati
ons:

Pycnostyle 1 ½ diameter
Systyle 2 diameter
Eustyle 2 ¼ diameter
Diastyle 3 diameter
Araeostyle 3 ½ diameter

 Mouldings
o Cyma Recta - moulding having an upper concave curve and a lower convex
curve
o Cyma Reversa (Ogee) - moulding having an upper convex curve and a lower
concave curve
o Corona - component of the cornice that has a vertical face and
horizontal soffit
o Ovolo - convex moulding, among woodworkers it is referred to as a "quarter
round"
o Astragal (Bead) - small convex molding usually semi-circular in section
o Torus - semi-circular, convex moulding
o Fillet - narrow band with a vertical face; often interposed between curved
mouldings
o Scotia / trochilus - concave moulding between two fillets
 o Cavetto - concave, quarter-round moulding
o Bird’s Beak & Hawk’s Beak - moulding shaped into a beak-like form

Ornaments
o Anthemion – an ornament of honeysuckle or palm leaves in a radiating
cluster; also called honeysuckle ornament; favorite Greek ornament
o Palmette – a stylized palm leaf shape used as a decorative element in
classical art & architecture
o Water leaf & Tongue – molding having pendant, tongue-like elements
o Fret / Key Pattern – decorative design contained within a band or border,
consisting of repeated, often geometric figures
 o Egg & Dart / Egg & Tongue – consist of a closely set alternating series of ova
& pointed forms
o Beads & Reels – convex molding having the form of disks alternating with
spherical or elongated beads
o Guilloche – border formed of 2 or more interlaced bands around a series of
circular voids
o Acanthus leaf & Acanthus scroll – patterned after the large, toothed leaves
of a Mediterranean plant of the same name; important Greek ornament
 Sculptures: Classifications:
1. architectural sculpture – found in the frieze, tympanum, acroterion (base &
top of pediment) & metope
2. sculptured reliefs – placed on the wall of temples
3. free-standing statuary – consisted of single/group figures of 2-horse chariots
(bigas) & 4-horse chariots (quadrigas)

 Features
1. Lacunaria – coffered ceilings
2. Mural paintings or sculptures on the walls of temples were highly
developed.

III. Greek Structures

 AEGEAN / EARLY PERIOD

1. Megaron – domestic unit of Aegean civilization, houses with the following

areas:
 enclosed porch
 Living apartment or megaron proper
 “thalamus” or sleeping room
2. Gate of Lions, Mycenae – most ancient stone sculpture in Europe; topped
by a 4.9 m high lintel, a horizontal covering an opening; a relief showing two
lions separated by a column stands on top of the lintel
3. Palaces – used by kings or local chieftain; ex.; the Palace, Tiryns; The Palace,
Mycenae & Palace of King Minos, Knossos – this was the largest & most complex
of the Minoan palaces; was built over a long period & rooms seem to have been
added as needed; the rooms were grouped around a central courtyard;
beautiful wall painting called frescoes decorated many of these rooms; the
palace of Minos had a plumbing system & a flushing laboratory; many rooms in
the palace open to courtyards that are surrounded by columns of cypress
wood.
4. Tombs – types:
a. Tholos – a subterranean stone-vault construction, circular in plan,
consist of a long passage known as “Dromos leading to the domed chamber;
ex. “Treasury of Atreus” & “Tomb of Agamemnon” – finest example
 b. Rock-cut/Chamber Tombs – rectangular chamber cut within the
slope hillside approached by dromos.

 GREEK / HELLENIC PERIOD

1. Temenos – “sacred enclosure”, also known as citadel or acropolis or upper

city.
o Important structures found in Acropolis:
a. Propylea (gateway)
b. Principal Temple
c. Pinacotheca (picture gallery)
d. Glyptotheca (sculture gallery)
e. Statue of Athena
f. The Erechtheion
g. Old Temple of Athena
h. The Parthenon
i. Theater of Dionysos
j. Stoa of Eumenes
k. Odeion of Herodes Atticus
l. Temple of Nike Apteros
m. Chalkotheke (armoury)*
n. Sanctuary of Artemis*

2. Temples –were the chief class of buildings; usually rectangular in plan.

o Parts:
1. Naos – principal chamber containing the statue of the god or goddess,
with porticoes & colonnades.
2. Pronaos – the inner portico in front of the naos, or “cella” of the naos.
 3. Epinaos – or “opisthodomus”, posticum which serves as the treasury
chamber

o Examples:
 The Parthenon, Athens (Doric, Peripteral, Octastyle)
dedicated to the goddess Athena, largest Greek temple; contains the
gold & ivory statue of Athena Parthenos.
Architect: Ictinus & Callicrates
Master Sculptor: Phidias (“Sculptor of the Gods”)
 The temple of Zeus Olympus, Agrigentum (Doric, Pseudo-
peripteral, Heptastyle) 2nd largest Greek temple, uses “atlantes”. Unusual
temple having 3 naos.
Architect: Theron
 Temple of Apollo Epicurius, Bassae (Doric, Ionic, Corinthian,
Peripteral, Hexastyle)
Architect: Ictinus
 Temple of Nike Apteros, Athens (Ionic, Amphi-prostyle,
tetrastyle) dedicated to the “wingless victory”, smallest temple, 23ft high
from ground to the apex of pediment.
Architect: Callicrates
 The Erechtheion, Athens (Ionic, Irregular plan, no side
colonnades) forms the imposing entrance to the Acropolis. Main feature
is the “caryatid porch”; uses “egg & tongue” of “egg & dart” ornament.
Architect: Mnesicles
 The temple of Artemis, Ephesus (Hellenistic temple, Ionic,
Dipteral, Octastyle) one of the seven wonders of the world, center of
Pan-ionic festival of the Asiatic colonies.
Architect: Deinocrates, under the time of Alexander the Great
Master Sculptor: Scopas
 The Choragic Monument of Lysicrates, Athens (Corinthian)
– a type of monument erected to support a Tripod, as a prize for athletic
exercises or musical competitions in Greek festivals.
 The Olympeion, Athens (Corinthian, Dipteral, Octastyle)
Architect: Cossotius
Builder: Antiochus Epiphanes
 Tower of the Winds, Athens (Octagonal structure) known as
the Horologium of Andronikos Cyrrhestes, Clepsydra or water-clock
internally, sundial externally.

3. Propylea – entrance gateways which marked the approach to the sacred

enclosures in many cities; literally, a plural term indicating that it is more than a
simple proplylon entrance.
Ex. Propylea of Athens – (Doric, Hexastyle-Prostyle) forms the imposing
entrance to Acropolis; primarily made of marble with some limestone as
contracting elements; Erected by Pericles/ Architect: Mnesicles;
 Propylea, Epidauros;
Propylea, Priene;
Propylea, Eleusis

4. Theater – an open air structure, which consisted of orchestra, auditorium or

cavea scene, stage, parascenia, stoae & diazoma. The building was generally
hollowed out of the slope of a hillside, in or near a city.
o Parts:
a. Orchestra – stage; a complete circle
b. Auditorium / Cavea – seats encircling about
2/3 of the orchestra
c. Skene / Scene / logeion – stage; where
performances were given
d. Proscenium – speaking place of orators; front
of stage
e. Parascenium – dressing room; apartments for
actors
f. Diazoma – wide horizontal walkway between
the upper & lower auditorium seats, communicating with the radial
aisles
g. Episcenium – raised background to the
proscenium
h. Parodos – passageways between the stage &
the auditorium, through which the chorus entered the orchestra
i. Stoae- columnated portico
o Examples:
 Theater, Epidauros – most beautiful & well preserved
building; Architect: Polycleitus
 The Theater of Dionysos, Athens – where famous choragic
competitions took place during the Panathenaic festivals, prototype of
all Greek theaters, accommodated 30,000 spectators.

5. Public Buildings – restoration of Athens, Olympia, Delphi & Epidauros gave

an idea of the distribution of buildings on this famous sites.

o Agora – or town square, an open air meeting place for

the transaction of business, also marketplace; Civic Square – “city market or
market place”, the focus of Greek’s political business & economic life. ex.
Civic Square @ Miletus, Civic Square @ Ephesus, Civic Square @ Priene,
Agora, Athens

o Stoa – a long colonnaded building which serves to

connect public monuments; used for seating & for shelter. Ex. Stoas of
Eumenes, Athens; Echo Collonade or Stoa Poikile, Olympia; Stoa of Attalos
11, Athens
 o Prytaneion – a senate house for the chief dignitaries
of the city. Ex. Prytaneion, Olympia; Prytaneion, Athens; Prytaneion, Priene

o Bouleuterion – or council house, covered meeting

place of the democratically elected councils. Ex. Bouleuterion, Milletus –
largest accommodation of 1,200 people

o Ecclesiasterion – religious assembly hall. Ex.

Thersillion, Megapolis; Eclesiaterion, Priene

o Odeion – open-air theater used mainly by musicians in

the presentation of their works for competition & for public approval. Ex.
Odeion of Periscles, Athens; Odeion of Herodes Atticus, Athens

o Stadium/Stadion – foot race course & also used for

other athletic performances. Ex. The Stadium, Athens – up to 50,000
spectators; Architect: Herodes Atticus; largest stadium: Louisiana
Superdome

o Hippodrome – plan similar to stadium though longer,

for horse & chariot racing, prototype of Roman Circus.

o Palaestra – a wrestling school

o Naval Buildings – includes ship-sheds & stores. Ex.

Sanctuary of the Bulls, Delos

o Gymnasium – a place for physical exercise, both

palaestra & gymnasium were prototype of Roman Thermae; Parts:
a. Courts for athletes
b. Tanks for bathers
c. Dressing rooms & toilets
d. Exedrae & other seats for expectators
e. Stores, places for rest & conversation
f. Ephebium or club – for lectures
Ex: Gymnasia, Olympia; Gymnasia, Ephesus; Gymnasia, Pergamon

6. Domestic Buildings or Greek Houses – usually one storey with rooms built
around an internal court or peristyle with porticoes on three sides & chambers grouped
around; resembled the palaces in general arrangement.
Ex. House # 33, Priene – planned similar to Aegean Megaron & considered
to be the best example of a Greek house; Maison De La Colline, Delos
7. Tombs – “mausoleum” or monumental tombs, one of the most famous of all
tombs & one of the seven wonders of the world was erected to “King Mausolos by his
widow, Artemesia & from it derived the term Mausoleum” applied to monumental
tombs.
Ex. The Mausoleum, Halicarnassos – elevated with podium (Architect: Pythius &
Satyrus; Master Sculptor: Scopas);
Tomb of Annia Regillia;
The Lion Tomb;
Sarcophagus, Cnidos;
Tomb of the Weepers, Sidon;
Neried Monument, Xanthos
IV. Greek Terminologies:

1. Abacus – the flat square slab on top of a capital; uppermost member of a

capital
2. Ancon / Console – scrolled bracket which supports a cornice or entablature
over a door or a window
3. Andron / Andronitis – the part of a building used by men especially the
banquet room
4. Apotheca – store room, wine storage
5. Arcade – a line of counterthrusting arches raised on columns or piers
6. Architrave – the beam that spans from column to column, resting directly
upon their capitals
7. Arris – a sharp edge or ridge formed by two surfaces meeting at an exterior
angle, also called piend
8. Attic base – base to a classical column, consisting of an upper & a lower
torus separated by a scotia between two fillets
9. Columniation – the use & arrangement of columns in a structure
10. Cyclostyle – a circular colonnade
11. Cyma – a projecting molding having the profile of double curve formed by
the union of a convex & concave line
12. Cyrtostyle – a circular projecting portico
13. Dentils – a small square block used in series in Ionic, Corinthian, Composite
& rarely in Doric cornices
14. Dromos – the long deep passage way to an ancient Egyptian tomb
15. Drum – any of several cylindrical stones laid one above the other to form a
column or pier
16. Fluting – a shallow, concave grooves running vertically on the shaft of a
column, pilaster or other surfaces.
17. Hecatompedon – a building 100 ft in length or width; especially the cella of
Parthenon
18. Intercolumnation – the clear space between two adjacent columns usually
measured at the lower parts of the shafts
19. Konistra – in ancient Greek theater, it was the Orchestra
20. Loggia – an arcaded or colonnaded porch or gallery attached to a larger
structure
21. Modillion – a console on the other sides of a doorway supporting a cornice
22. Plinth – the lowest square member of the base of the column, pier or
pedestal
23. Pteroma – space between wall & column
24. Quadriga / Triga – a chariot drawn by 4 horses
25. Superimposition/Supercolumnation – the placing of one order after another
or above another.
26. Thesaurus – in ancient Greece it is the treasury house
27. Volute – a spiral scroll in an Ionic capital, smaller versions appear on
Corinthian & Composite capitals
28. Zophorus – a frieze bearing carved figures of people or animals, also,
zoophorus

Entasis – a slight convex curve used on Greek columns (vertical & horizontal) to
correct the “optical illusion” which gives a shaft bounded by straight line
appearance of curving inwards.
Kinds:
1. Single

2. D
o u
b le