Architecture 150 Quiz 2 Notes

6. Egypt: Architecture of the Old Kingdom

After the unification of the Lower and Upper Egypt in the third millennium bce, the Old Kingdom
was established in the north around a capital in Memphis. The Old Kingdom and its authoritarian
power gave rise to the grand monuments of the pyramids that were associated with the death of a
pharaoh. The geography of the Nile and its predictable pattern of flooding also provided an
unchanging architectural tradition in Egypt. This lecture looks at the tradition of double burials in
Egypt and the burial structure of the mastaba, the Djoser burial complex in Saqqara, a Step
pyramid from the third dynasty in Meidum, the Bent pyramid of Dahshur, and finally the Great
Pyramids at Giza.

Additional Notes
- Egyptian history begins with the unification of the lower and upper Egypt. Upper Egypt is in the
South and lower Egypt is in the North and is derived from the Nile’s topography, from South to
the North.
- Lasted roughly 1000 years. Dynasties 1-8. Gave rise to the pyramids of Giza and the Saqqara.
- Middle Kingdom had political instability and chaos. New authorities and dominate rise of
priesthood.
- New Kingdom: Territorial conquest and also a time of political turmoil. Reforms against
pharaohs and then monotheism began in Egypt, which was only short lived.
- Each year at the same time the Nile would flood leaving a rich soil deposit along the Nile.
- Nile protected Egypt from outsiders and was a source of food for people.
- Djoser House of the North had engaged columns, columns that are part of the wall.
- Djoser, House of the Wall that was built as the same type of temple structure.
- Serdab is the pyramid
- Ancient Egyptians had no iron tools and pulleys and no wheels.
- Egyptians cut holes in stone faces and inserted wedges into holes and soaked wooded wedges to
expand and then hit them with hammers.

Terms:
axis (axial):
casing stone: Great Pyramids are covered by limestone casing stones that form a smooth outer surface.
When the pyramid was almost finished, casing blocks of white limestone were laid on top of the main
pyramid blocks. Each casing block was then trimmed so that the outer surface of the pyramid would be
smooth and white. Casing block from the Great Pyramid.
causeway: The causeway was a long walkway that joined the valley temple and the mortuary temple.
Although most of Khufu's causeway is now gone, some of the blocks that made up the causeway can still
be seen today. The causeway would have had walls decorated with painted reliefs and perhaps a ceiling
with painted stars. Passage as part of the burial practice connected the mortuary chapel to the valley
temple by the river. Body arrived by boat at valley temple and then sent to the mortuary temple for
mourning and then sent underground at pyramid to be buried.
double burial: The symbolic burial and the actual body was buried at another site. The upper Egypt at
Abydos. The lower Egypt at Saqqara.
dummy temple: Buildings that were used as only facades and the insides were filled with ruble and had
no interior rooms.
mastaba: The earliest tombs, were built as eternal houses for the departed and were in all likelihood
based on the design of the dwellings of the living. The mastaba was located in upper Egypt at Abydos and
was a lot simpler than the King Burial at Saqqara in Lower Egypt.
mortuary temple: Mortuary temples (or funerary temples) were temples that were erected adjacent to,
or in the vicinity of, royal tombs in Ancient Egypt. The temples were designed to commemorate the reign
of the Pharaoh under whom they were constructed, as well as for use by the king's cult after death.
serdab: A serdab, literally meaning "cold water", which became a loanword in Arabic for 'cellar' is an
ancient Egyptian tomb structure that served as a chamber for the Ka statue of a deceased individual. The
soul of the King was Ka and the Ba could come and go between Earth and heaven. Serdab was a chamber
that has the statue of the king (King Djoser) and the chapel is right next to the Serdab.
sphinx: A man-headed lion 187 feet long and 66 feet high, carved in situ out of a natural rock ledge. The
face of a sphinx statue was that of a pharaoh or a god. The Egyptians built sphinx statues to guard
important areas such as tombs and temples.
stela: A stela is an upright monument containing information in the form of texts, images or a
combination of the two. Stelae have been used to commemorate people or events, to delineate physical
spaces or as objects through which to access the dead or divine.
step pyramid: A step pyramid or stepped pyramid is an architectural structure that uses flat platforms, or
steps, receding from the ground up, to achieve a completed shape similar to a geometric pyramid. Step
pyramids are structures which characterized several cultures throughout history, in several locations
throughout the world.
tomb: A tomb is a place in which you are buried when you die. The ancient Egyptians believed that life
did not stop when you died. What you did when you died was move away to another place, a place they
called the afterlife. After the time of the Old Kingdom, pyramids fell out of style.
valley temple: The valley temple, built on the edge of the desert escarpment, was the place of reception
for the royal body. The most striking valley temple is that of Khafre, a structure of massive granite
blocks with huge alabaster flooring slabs, starkly simple but immensely impressive.

Buildings and Sites:

Djoser Complex, Saqqara, Egypt, ca. 2630 BCE: King Djoser built the Djoser Complex in Saqqara,
Egypt, which is in lower Egypt. The architect Imhotep introduced two innovations that influenced the rest
of Egyptian architecture history. Substituted limestone for the mud brick in royal buildings and he
invented the pyramid with six stages of Mastaba. Put six different layers of Mastaba and that creaded this
step pyramid of Djoser. The Djoser Complex is also known as the Pyramid of Djoser or Step Pyramid.
Djoser is known for its innovative tomb, which dominates the Sawwara landscape. Two stones in the plan
that marked the course of this ritual race in the Heb-Sed Festival. A secondary tomb to bury the innards of
the King (the heart, liver, etc. in separate jars) the body is buried underneath the pyramid in the middle of
the complex.
Step Pyramid, Meidum, Egypt, ca. 2610 BCE: Moving to the South in Meidum. Built during the reign
of King Snefru. This was Egypt’s first true, or straight-sided, pyramid. Some believed pyramid collapsed
during construction process and others believe that the monument was completed as a true pyramid and
the casing stone collapsed and used by Egyptians in other buildings causing outer structures to collapse.
Built in accretion layers (like skin of onions). Burial chamber has mastaba elements appearing in this
pyramid. Corbelled ceilings appear in this building, which is different from the Djoser complex. Mall
chapel at base of the pyramid.
Bent Pyramid, Dahshur, Egypt, ca. 2600 BCE: Double slopping pyramid. Lower courses have 60
degree angle and upper courses have 44 degree angle. Some believed that the bent pyramid was enlarged
and that the pyramid was not structurally sound and had to be adjusted. An important stepping stone in
the development of pyramid construction. Built by Sneferu and contained statues of kings and gods of the
wall in the mortuary and valley temples. They engaged in the opening of the mouth in which the king
could speak once more to his people and then received the offerings. There are two chambers at the Bent
Pyramid (one was for inner burial and one for body?) (wanted to bury underground to prevent grave
robbery)
Pyramid Complex, Giza, Egypt, 2550 – 2460 BCE: United the sun god Ra with his son the Pharaoh.
From left to right, the three largest are: the Pyramid of Menkaure, the Pyramid of Khafre and the Great
Pyramid of Khufu. The three smaller pyramids in the foreground are subsidiary structures associated
with Menkaure's pyramid. No design records for the pyramid complex at Giza.
Khufu Pyramid, Giza, Egypt: Khufu pyramid is the largest of all pyramids in Egypt that is 60 feet tall
and is more than 2,000,000 limestone blocks and each block is more than 2 tons. They made a secret
entrance on the North face to prevent the pyramid from grave robbers. Grand gallery in the pyramid of
Khufu. Also a queen chamber. Narrow ascending ramps that reach the grand gallery and it lands in the
King’s Chamber. Slanting slants in the building above. There are air shafts that are actually not real air
shafts. Point to some stars in the sky perhaps.
Khafre Pyramid, Giza, Egypt: The Pyramid of Khafre or of Chephren is the second-tallest and second-
largest of the Ancient Egyptian Pyramids of Giza and the tomb of the Fourth-Dynasty pharaoh Khafre,
who ruled from c. 2558 to 2532 BC. Has it’s own sphinx and the valley temple is a t-shaped hall that has
almost no orientation or hieroglyphs. The temple is built with smooth pink granite stones. Placed 23
sculptures of Khafre, each with a different defecation of his original organs of his body. Only priests
could enter this temple and causeway. The Sphinx of Khafre is made with Pink Granite and is carved out
of rock and covered with limestone. Head made separately and put on top of lion’s body.

Egypt: Architecture of the New Kingdom

This lecture continues with ancient Egypt during the New Kingdom and explores the architectural
language of tombs and temples. Around 1500 BEC, we see a shift from the compact geometry and solid
masses of the pyramids of the Old Kingdom to the openness and linear compositions of the tomb-temples
of the New Kingdom. This shift indicates a transition from the dominant power of the pharaohs to the
now powerful priesthood that was growing in Karnak.
This lecture looks at the funerary monuments and temples in Deir el-Bahri and the underground tomb
structures in the Valley of the Kings, the temple complexes in Karnak and Luxor, the capital city of
Amarna, and finally the rock-cut temple of Ramses II in Abu Simbel.

Terms:
Altar: A structure upon which offerings such as sacrifices are made for religious purposes.
Axis: An imaginary line that runs throught the center of a single building or complex of
buildings around which the major rooms or wings are organized. Ancient Egypt was a
civilization dominated by axially organized buildings, each of which may be seen as echoing to
some degree the axis of the Nile that is flanked for much of its length by agricultural plains and
in some areas by space-defining palisades. The architectural axis in Egyptian architecture is
expressive of the commemorative procession that occurred within its temples, that is the ritual
passage of priests that often continued beyond the pylon gates to a destination outside the
building, even as far away as temples on the other side of the Nile.
Axonometric plan: A plan and a two-dimensional drawing of the complex. Saw one for temple
of Mentuhotep II, Deir-el-Bahri.
Battered wall: A batter is a receding slope of a wall, structure, or earthwork. The term is used
for buildings to identify a wall that is intentionally built with an inward slope.
Burial chamber: A chamber, often below ground level, used to bury the remains of the dead.
Where the pharaoh was buried in his sarcophagus and was surrounded by paintings.
Causeway: Connecting the mortuary temple to the valley temple.
Cenotaph: An empty tomb or a monument erected in honor of a person or group of people
whose remains are elsewhere. It can also be the initial tomb for a person who has since been
reinterred elsewhere.
Clerestory: A high section of wall that contains windows above eye level. The purpose is to
admit light, fresh air, or both. A clerestory is a raised section of roof with windows to bring in
light to hypostyle hall below. It is present in the temple of Amun. Columns that hold up
clerestory is higher than the rest of the other columns. Symbolizes idea of organic growth.
Colonnade: A row of columns supporting a roof, an entablature, or arcade. The temple of
Hatshepsut is famous for its numerous colonnades.
Colossi: Windows placed high in a wall, generally above lower roof elements.
Funerary monument: A physical structure that commemorates a deceased person or group.
Hypostyle hall: A large hall composed of many columns placed close together to support the
roof. Interior space whose roof rests on pillars or columns. Allows for construction of large
spaces without need for arches. In the temple of Mentuhotep II, a Hypostyle hall holds a statue of
the king. Hypalpostyle hall in Temple of Amun has hieroglyphs engraved into the columns.
Linear composition: The thoughtful arrangement of edges and the proportions of the areas
enclosed by them. There is a lot of linear composition in Ancient Egyptian architecture as many
of the parts of Egyptian temples were arranged in axis and lines.
Necropolis: A large, designed cemetery with elaborate tomb monuments. Valley of the Kings is
a necropolis. Implies a separate burial site at a distance from a city, as opposed to tombs within
cities. The Giza Necropolis is an example.
Obelisk: An obelisk is a tall square shaft of granite with a pyramid-like shape at the top of the
shaft. that is a symbol of the sun god. These obelisks give some visual effects and covered with
hieroglyphs which tell stories of the patrons.
Peristyle court: A peristyle is an open court with arcades around the inner walls. These peristyle
courts are in many Egyptian temples and are different because they won’t have roofs unlike the
hypostyle halls.
Proto-Doric column: Columns used in Ancient Egypt.
Rock-cut temple: The creation of structures, buildings, and sculptures by excavating solid rock
where it naturally occurs. The Great Temple of Ramesses II, also known as Abu Simbel, is an
example of a large-scale rock-cut structures.
Sanctuary: The sanctuary was the most special and important part of the temple. It was a very
dark and mysterious place. ... In the middle of the sanctuary stood the shrine where the statue of
the god or goddess was kept. The ancient Egyptians believed that sometimes during rituals the
god or goddess would enter the statue. The sanctuary had lots of religious symbolism on the
walls with paintings and hieroglyphs. Sanctuary is for storing the boat of transportation of statue
to other temples and had other valuable objects.
Sarcophagus: A stone coffin, typically adorned with a sculpture or inscription and associated
with the ancient civilizations of Egypt. The sarcophagus would protect the body from
deterioration and mutilation. The sarcophagus is what houses the dead pharaoh.

Buildings and Sites:

Temple-tomb of Mentuhotep II, Deir el-Bahri, Egypt, ca. 2010 BCE: Shows us the transition
from the royal tomb and funerary buildings of pyramids to temple structures in the new kingdom.
The body of the king is buried here. Mentuhotep was instrumental in the ending of the civil war
and reuniting the country during the Middle kingdom. The pyramid is shrunk way down. The
mortuary temple is enlarged and becomes the focal point of the site. No causeway lined with
statues of past kings. Complex is made up of a large forecourt, a terrace out of rock, and a
narrow unit in the back, valley temple. 11th dynasty terraced tomb of Mentuhotep II, the ruler
who united Egypt at the end of the First Intermediate Period. Causeway was open, unlike most of
its counterparts in the Old Kingdom. Main second level was accessed by a broad ramp of
limestone blocks. The first temple in western Thebes to house a cult to the goddess Hathor, and
foreshadowed a new theological concept of the “Temples of Millions of Years” that would gain
popularity during the New Kingdom.
Temple of Hatshepsut, Deir-el-Bahri, Egypt, ca. 1458 BCE: No burial here. Funerary
monument. Forms an axial connection with the city of Karnak and the temple complexes on the
other side of the river. Designed for Queen Hatshepsut. Situated right next to temple of
Mentuhotep II. Monument of new kingdom. Complex has a horizonal axial design. Straight axis.
Temple is larger than Mentuhotep’s tomb but it shows similarities to the tomb. Enclosure, valley
temple, causeway, avenue of sphinxes, hypostyle halls, terraces. Hatshepsut reigned for a long
time and built a series of monuments and temples which show her power. She is not buried in
this building but buried in the Valley of the Kings. Second female pharaoh. Chapel called Anubis
Chapel with series of columns called protodoric columns. Peristyle Court (open court in the
middle with columns around it.) Sanctuaries cut deep into the cliff in the back and they house
four statues of the queen used in the renewal ceremony ever 20 years. Shifting towards
complimentary presents of priests. The dominant architectural elements of Queen
Hatshepsut’s temple are colonnades.
Valley of the Kings, Egypt, ca. 1539-1075 BCE: Used as city of the death. Also called
acropolis. Hatsheput’s buried in the Valley of the Kings with her father. Also known as the
Valley of the Gates of the Kings where for a period of 500 years from 16th to 11th century BC,
rock out tombs were excavated for pharaohs and powerful nobles of the New Kingdom. Royal
cemetery. Helps us understand the funerary practices of the pharaohs during the New Kingdom.
The tomb was an interface between the living and afterlife. Burial places of the dead reflected
hierarchy of Earthly societies. These tombs were decorated with carvings and paintings and had
other valuable items stored in them. Hatshepsut and Thutmose I and there is a lot of space
between temple tomb and burial place. Body is hidden underground. Storage rooms for valuable
objects, jars of body parts of King/Queen, rectangular room is oriented to Deir-el-Bahri.
Underground tomb of Tutankhamen. Antechamber (with annex room to contain King’s riches.
Also has food, wine, oil), Burial chamber (walls painted with religious scenes, pharaohs
sarcophagus inside coffin) , and treasury (filled with valuable objects and jars that contains
King’s organs).
Temple of Amun, Karnak, Egypt, ca. 1550-370 BCE: Series of pylons. Adding multiple
pylons and courts shows a historical path. The temple of Amun honors the sun god Amun.
Pharaohs would add to temples during their reign. Have a courtyard with an obelisk in it that has
hypostyle halls at both the entrances and exits with a sanctuary in the back. Guardian sphinxes
and colonnade passages. Pylons after pylons and hypostyle halls after hypostyle halls to create
controlled architectural experience. There are six pylons built during different pharaohs in this
axis. First pylon in Temple of Amun is lined with ram-headed sphynxes. The hypostyle hall has
carved messages of hieroglyphs. Columns in the middle of hypostyle hall are taller than the
surrounding columns to support clerestory, which is a raised section with windows that brings in
light. Obelisks are present in the Temple of Amun with engravings.
Temple of Amun, Mut and Khonsu, Luxor, Egypt, ca. 1400 BCE: This temple is dedicated to
the three gods of Amun, his wife Mut, and his son Khonsu. Royal family of the Gods in Egypt.
Comprised of an inner sanctuary, a hypostyle hall with a full court, a peristyle court, a
processional colonnade with two parallel rows of huge columns (14), another peristyle
court and a Thutmose III shrine at the end. The processional colonnade serves as a walkway
between the two peristyle courts.
Amarna, Great Palace, Great Temple, Egypt, ca. 1350 BCE: Amarna period where the
capital was moved to Amarna by the pharaoh Akhenaton and the religion of 1000 gods was
replaced by a single god, Aten. Akhenaton closed the temples and imposed a monotheistic on
people and crippled the Egyptian economy which relied heavily on temples. Resulted in Egypt’s
loss of territories. These people worshipped the sun itself so there was no need for inner
sanctuaries. The Great Palace was extended to the waterfront and a ceremonial entrance through
a giant pylon in the city. The throne room was where the sanctuary was and built the palace like
a temple to himself.
Temple of Ramesses II, Abu Simbel, ca. 1244 BCE: Temple today is accurate reconstruction
of it. Ramesses gained all the territories lost during Akhenaton’s reign. Has four large Ramesses
sculptures in the Pylon (monumental gateway of an Egyptian temple). Temple is very similar to
the burials of the Valley of the Kings. Two colonnaded halls. Hypostyle halls are flanked by
large structures of Ramses instead of columns. Incorporated himself among other god figures in
the sanctuary. The rising sun illuminated the sanctuary at dawn. (connection between Gods, the
sun, and religious practices)

Extra Notes
- Stability in Egyptian society following a century of conflict. Emphasis shifted from royal tombs
and glorifications of pharaohs to priests and mortuary temples.
- Valley of Kings Deir-el-Bahri.
- City of the living is Karnak, formerly called Thebes, and is capital of the New Kingdom.
- Old Kingdom 3200-2158 BCE
- Middle Kingdom 2050-1710 BCE
- New Kingdom 1570-1085 BCE: Age of victorious wars that brought wealth and power to Egypt.
Invested in vast amount of architectural and archeological projects.
- Body of deceased city was carried from temple of the living to Necropolis. Burial ceremony from
temple at Karnak to the valley temple.
- Every 20 years there is a renewal ceremony that celebrates the health of the king in the afterlife.
Carried across river towards Temple of Karnak. Renewal ceremony reverses the burial journey.
- Movement of temple at Karnak, temple of Luxor, and Valley of the Kings and mortuary temple
of Queen Hatshepsut.
- Temple of Khons, Karnak (pylon, peristyle court (court with collonades around it), hypostyle hall
(many columns), sanctuary.
- Pylon is the Greek term for a monumental gateway of an Egyptian temple.
- The monumental entrance gates or pylons in the architecture of the New Kingdom lined
processional routes to represent the eastern Mountains of Egypt through which the divine early-
morning sunlight emanated.
Greek architecture: Aegean and Archaic
This lecture begins with the two interrelated Aegean civilization of Minoans (ca.1600-1400 BCE) and
Mycenaean (ca.1600-1200 BCE) that established architectural forms and techniques important for
subsequent developments in ancient Greece. The second part of this lecture explores the Archaic (pre-
classical) Greek architecture with a focus on the two sanctuary sites of Delphi and Olympia. As we will
see, the Minoan and Mycenaean did not built temples, but their palaces held altars and small shrines.
With the disappearance of mighty kings during the archaic period, divinities returned to Greece, and we
see a shift from the architecture of palaces to temples.

Terms:
Acropolis: Literally “high city.” In Greek city-states, the acropolis was the location of the most
important temples and religious shrines. Famous example: The Athenian Acropolis.
Corinthian: One of the three orders of ancient Greek and later Roman architecture. Corinthian is
regarded as the slenderest of all, had a highly decorated capital to suggest the form and
proportions of a young maiden. It was the last developed of the three principal classical orders
and was the most decorative. It featured columns that were fluted, or decorated by vertical lines
cut into the surface, and capitals that were decorated with a design of unfurled acanthus leafs,
based on a plan found throughout the Mediterranean.
Cyclopean: A type of stonework found in Mycenaean architecture, built with massive limestone
boulders, roughly fitted together with minimal clearance between adjacent stones and with clay
mortar. The masonry was so impressively scaled that it was believed to be the work of giants, the
Cyclopes, hence the adjective cyclopean to describe its construction.
Doric: One of the three orders of ancient Greek and later Roman architecture. Doric was
regarded as the sturdies and was based on the proportions of a man. Characterized by a plain,
unadorned column capital and a column that rests directly on the stylobate of a temple without a
base. Believed to have originated on the mainland of Greece.
Dromos: A walkway to a temple or tomb in Ancient Greece. The entranceway. Seen used with
the Treasury of Atreus at Mycenae.
Fresco: A painting done rapidly in watercolor on wet plaster on a wall or ceiling so that the
colors penetrate the plaster and become fixed as it dries. Frescoes were found depicting
priestesses and celebrants at the palace of Knossos, leading archaeologists to believed it may
have been a sacred center.
Ionic: One of the three orders of ancient Greek and later Roman architecture. Ionic was seen as
the lighter in character to reflect the proportions of a woman. The Ionic order has the narrowest
of columns and the volute is shaped like scrolls or spirals. Believed to have developed on the
islands of the Aegean.
Labyrinth: The Labyrinth was an elaborate, confusing structure built for King Minos of Crete at
Knossos. The labyrinth was believed to hold the Minotaur, a half bull half human beast.
light well: An unroofed external space provided within the volume of a large building to allow
light and air to reach what would otherwise be a dark or unventilated area. Lightwells may be
lined with glazed bricks to increase the reflection of sunlight within the space. Used at the Palace
of Knossos. Open spaces that were ideal with the Mediterranean weather.
Megaron: The great hall in ancient Greek palace complexes. Architecturally, it was a
rectangular hall that was surrounded by four columns, fronted by an open, two-columned portico,
and had a central, open hearth that vented through an oculus in the roof. Sir Arthur Evans,
excavator of Knossos, found a room he dubbed the Queen’s Megaron. It was a pleasant space
decorated with frescoes that include rosettes and flying dolphins. The room had a toilet
connected to the palace’s drain system. (extremely advanced using terracotta water pipes)
Minoan: Based on the island of Crete. Named after Minos the ruler of their people. The
naturalistic portrayal of young men and women in frescoes creates the impression that the
Minoans were energetic and cheerful people who took delight in their own beauty and that of the
natural world. The frescoes and carvings seem relaxed and open, emphasizing movement and
women held positions of high status, an unprecedented situation among contemporary
civilizations.
Mycenaean: The Mycenaean civilization takes its name from Mycenae, the largest citadel in a
trading society apparently led by warrior-kings. Settlements on the mainland of Greece dating
back to 1600 BCE. Heinrich Schliemann, 19th century excavator of Mycenae, found golden
masks, drinking vessels, and other treasures that convinced him he found material related to the
Trojan War. This culture represents the first advanced and distinctively Greek civilization in
mainland Greece with its palatial states, urban organization, works of art, and writing system.
The citadel at Mycenae was built with a strong concern for defense. Later Greeks thought it was
so impressive that they believed it to be the work of giant, the Cyclopes, hence the adjective
cyclopean to describe its construction.
oblique view:
Propylon: a propylaea is any monumental gateway in ancient Greek architecture. The propylaea
that serves as the entrance to the Acropolis in Athens.
relieving arch: An arch built over a lintel to relieve or distribute the weight of the wall above.
The relieving arch is famously used in the Lion gate.
Sanctuary: An ancient Greek sanctuary is a sacred space reserved for the worship of a diety by
his or her followers. Sometimes a sanctuary was a small place featuring only a simple altar or
shrine.
Style: The word style in Greek means column. When Greeks developed a calculated system of
proportion based on the column. Style is developed from type of column being used. (Doric.
Ionic, Corinthian)
Tholos: The Beehive tomb at Mycenae is a burial structure characterized by its false dome and
resembles a beehive. It is commonly called the Treasury of Atreus.
Treasury: Treasury was a votive building in the form of a reduced scale temple, designed to
hold the multitude of Athenian offerings to the Delphi oracle.

Buildings and Sites:

Knossos, (Crete), Greece, Palace, ca. 1700-1400 BCE: Knossos is an archaeological site on
Crete that is called Europe’s oldest city. At Knossos there is the palace of Knossos and the
labyrinth at Knossos, where the fearsome Minotaur lived. Knossos is the largest site and best
known on Crete and housing four thousand years of culture. Tablets inscribed with Linear A
were found and Linear B tablets as well. No defensive wall for the palace. Minoan structure
wanted to celebrate the shape of the landscape without being disrupted by defensive structures.
The palace is connected by causeway. Large open space to the left side of the palace. Large
storage areas in palace for food, wine, etc. All about about building large-scale dwelling areas in
palace. Built around central court. Temple or sanctuary associated with courtyard. No right
angles or continuous lines in the palace. Design of palace was its own defense mechanism and it
was designed to be similar to the labyrinth. Palace shrine and stepped portico. The palace throne
room and the lightwell with the frescoes. Palace magazines (storage area for food and wine)
Palace grand staircase leads to double axis. Queen megaron is the most beautiful place in the
complex. Gradual transition from outdoor light to light well. Hall of double axis is main living
room of Knossos
Mycenae, Greece City plan, Lion Gate and Treasury of Atreus, ca.1600-1250 BCE:
Mycenae is an archeological site that is the largest and most important center of the Mycenaean
civilization. The city has a principal entrance called the Lion gate, which was built to pass along
an increasingly narrow passageway allowing defenders to attack hostile forces. The gate has
lions’ heads that were carved into the gate but are not there anymore. The gate verifies contact by
its creators with the Minoan world, for the column of the tree cult is unmistakably the same as
the columns used at Knossos. The Treasury of Atreus is a large tholos or beehive tomb believed
to be the tomb of Agamemnon. The Treasury of Atreus is a corbeled stone chamber rising forty-
feet in thirty-three horizonal courses from a circular plan forty-eight feet in diameter, with a
small chamber to the right of the entrance. The lion gate consists of two megaliths and massive
lintel with a relieving arch. Relieving arch is used to relieve some weight from the lintel. The
arch itself is filled with two lionesses. (same as on the Island of Crete at Knossos). The Treasury
of Atrius was full of gold and was actually a passage grave. Composed of passage called dromos
and an enclosed space called the Tholos. The Mycenaean megaron includes a central entrance on
one side.
The imposing gate of the citadel with the representation of the lionesses or lions was an
emblem of the Mycenaean kings and a symbol of their power to both subjects and foreigners. It
also has been argued that the lionesses (assuming they are not male lions) are a symbol of the
goddess Hera.

Tiryns, Greece City plan, ca. 1300 BCE Sanctuary of Apollo, Delphi, 7th Cent. BCE: A
megaron layout on a grand scale is found in the palace at Tiryns, where a citadel sits atop a
limestone ridge protected by a massive wall of cyclopean masonry. The citadel at Tiryns had
several postern gates through which people inside could slip out unobtrusively. The approach to
Tiryns has a more strongly defensive design than the entrance to Mycenae. Beyond the second
gate was a court bounded by porticoed chambers corbeled into the mass of the wall. Opens into a
palace court that connects to a colonnaded court and then to the palace megaron of porch,
antechamber, and domos. (Eastern Greek mainland) Famous for cyclopean walls without mortar.
Entrance was a very long ramp with a series of gates. Propylon gates is the main gate of the
whole complex where we enter the central court. Also a feature of Minoan and Mycenaean
culture. Mycenaean megaron has a vestibule and a throne room and the location of a megaron is
different than the Queen’s megaron at Knossos. Here the megaron is located in a privileged
place.
The Sanctuary of Apollo in Delphi. Delphi was seen as the home of the oracle. Apollo was the
god and profit who was consulted about where to start a colony. (Colony would provide
mainland Greece with food since the land in these cities was not good for farming.) Sanctuary of
Apollo. Stadium, Theatre, Temple of Apollo, Treasury. Sanctuary of Apollo. Sanctuary of
Apollo is visible and there is an undulating passage. Greek architects give each individual
building a character to distinguish it from other buildings. Temple of Apollo sat on top of a large
terrace. Altar on east end of the temple. Had treasuries that were filed with trophies and prizes of
athletes. Treasury of Siphnia was built like a small temple. Treasury of Athens uses doric style of
architecture. Stoa (open porch used as school or open courts) Temple of Apollo and there is a
theatre to host contests.
Sanctuary of Zeus, Olympia, 8th Cent. BCE: (Western Greece mainland) Zeus was honored as
the father of the Goods. Located at foot of sacred hills. Olympia was where the Olympics were
held. In the middle was the large temple of Zeus and a smaller temple to his wife Hera and a few
treasuries. Made sacrifices to gods at beginning and ending of games. Temple of Hera was built
originally as a wooden temple and was transformed into a stone temple. Archaic Greek style and
later columns were built in Greek doric order. (Archaic column is must thicker and column with
the top of column being more compressed. The Temple of Zeus was in a classical style in 5th
century BCE. Largest sacred building in Peloponnese. There was a statue of Zeus inside the
temple and sculpture and ornaments on the front and back of temple were created to serve as
positive models of heroism to inspire Olympic athletes. Naos is rectangular area with projecting
walls. Antae describes the posts or pillars on either side of a doorway of a Greek temple.

Extra Notes
- Plato expressed a commonly held view in ancient Greece that inward conditions could be
expressed through outward appearances and so that moral and ethical matters were intrinsically
related to art. Attempted to communicate this unified view of the world through proportional
relationships
- Beauty mattered to the ancient Greeks and their culture reached a consensus about it: witness, of
instance, the “family resemblance” of so much Greek sculpture
- Outward beauty of a Greek building was largely derived from the dimensions of its parts and
their relationship to one another.
- Third we can appreciate that when proportional beauty was achieved, it yielded in the Greek mind
a kind of microscopic view into the inner workings of their society
- If proper proportioning applied to outer physical beauty, this meant that the proper behavior of a
Greek citizen demanded proper proportioning in the actions of his life. The good citizen was not
certainly one of those specialists but was to participate fully and proportionally in the life of the
polis.
- The people who inhabited the Aegean Sea area learned to exploit natural resources like timber,
stone metallic ores, clay, and would exchange goods with Egypt and settlements along the
Eastern Mediterranean. Were strongly influenced by Mesopotamia as reflected by the deities they
worshipped and the animals they associated with (snakes, lions)
- There were two civilizations in the Aegean during the second millennium: that of the Minoans,
based on Crete, and that of the Mycenaeans, established at several sites on the mainland of
Greece. Both relied heavily on trade in Egypt, Mesopotamia, Asia Minor, and Cyprus. Both
produced luxury goods that were traded extensively around the eastern Mediterranean.
- Lion gate was the principal entrance at Mycenae which was of considerable artistic interest.
- Between 1200 and 1100 BCE Mycenaean settlements declined, perhaps in the face of invasions
by nomadic peoples from the east, the Dorians and the Ionians, pushing down in the peninsula of
Greece. The defeat of the Myceneans brought on a “dark age” where invading tribes settled
down, mastered the art of writing, and assimilated certain aspects of Mycenaean culture and
mythology as their own.
- The major contribution to architectural history made by Greek architects during the Archaic
period (700-500 BCE) was the temple, which originated as the home for the gods and based on
the design of the Mycenaean megaron. Its plan consists of a rear room, or opisthodomos, then a
naos or cella, then a front porch, or pronaos.
- In the sixteenth century CE these assemblies were termed the orders of architecture, the term by
which we know them today, and became the basis for the classical language of architecture.
Vitruvius, the Roman architect during the 1st century BCE, named three such orders: the Doric,
the sturdiest, was based on the proportions of a man; the Ionic was lighter in character to reflect
the proportions of a woman; and the Corinthian, slenderest of all, had a highly decorated capital
to suggest the form and proportions of a young maiden. The Doric originated on the mainland of
Greece, while the Ionic developed on the islands of the Aegean and the coast of Asia minor. The
Corinthian order only appeared later.
- Mycenaeans and Minoans shared the lack of any religious buildings and most of the building
structures in town were in living structures and religious traditions were performed in these
structures.
- Coming from Crete to city of Mycenae Minoans are fluidity and fragmentation and Mycenae is
more about compact living spaces and heavily fortified gates to prevent against surprise attacks.
Mycenae was on top of an acropolis and was extremely fortified.
- Dorians introduced the sky gods and replaced the gods of the Mycenaean and Minoan culture
(Greek gods that ruled from Mt. Olympus)
- Pan-Hellenic Centers in Greece and the religious architecture become the focus of culture. No
king or pharaoh or authoritative figure may be the reason. Pan-Hellenic centers were the
gathering places of the Gods. Temple did not belong to any powerful class.
- Disappearance of powerful kings, divinity returns to the mainland.
- All of these people spoke Greek and worshipped the same gods. The three Pan-Hellenic centers.
Lecture 9 Greek Architecture: Classic & Hellenistic
This lecture continues with ancient Greek during the Classical and Hellenistic era and explores
the architectural language of temples that evolved from the Mycenaean megarons. It introduces
different forms of a Greek temple and the architectural vocabularies of Doric and Ionic orders.
This lecture looks at three temples from the Greek colony in Paestum, Italy, three temples and a
gateway on the Acropolis of Athens, and public institutions such as a stoa, a council hall, and a
theatre.

Terms:
Abacus: A flat slab forming the uppermost member or division of the capital of a column above
the bell. Its chief function is to provide a large supporting surface, tending to be wider than the
capital, as an abutment to receive the weight of the arch or the architrave above.
Agora: A public open space used for assemblies and markets.
Amphiprostyle: Denotes an ancient temple with a portico both at the front and the rear, where
the columns on the narrow sides are not between antae. The number of columns rarely exceeded
four in the front and four in the rear.
Amphitheater: An arena with raked seating arranged around a circular or oval floor. Used for
the presentation of dramatic or sporting events.
Archaic: Archaic Greece was the period in Greek history from the 8th century BC to the second
Persian invasion of Greece in 480 BC, following the Greek Dark Ages and succeeded by the
Classical period.
Architrave: In classical architecture, the bottom portion of an entablature. It is the lintel or beam
that rests on the capitals of columns, specifically the lower third entablature.
Arris: The intersection of two curved surfaces, most commonly applied to the line formed when
the flutes of a Doric column join. A sharp edge formed by the intersection of two surfaces such
as the corner of a masonry unit; the edge of a timber in timer framing the junction between two
plates of plaster or any intersection of divergent architectural details.
Capital: The termination of a column generally given decorative carving. The capital forms the
topmost member of a column. It mediates between the column and the load thrusting down upon
it broadening the area of the column’s supporting surface.
Caryatid: A pier carved in the form of a standing woman and used in place of a column or a
pillar supporting an entablature on her head. Ancient town of Peloponnese.
Cella: The shrine room in the center of a temple. The inner chamber of an ancient Greek or
Roman temple in classical antiquity. The inner area of an ancient temple, especially one housing
the hidden cult image in a Greek or Roman temple.
Classical: Classical architecture denotes architecture which is more or less consciously derived
from the principles of Greek and Roman architecture of classical antiquity, or sometimes even
more specifically, form the works of the Roman architect Vitruvius. The architectural grammar
based on the classical orders of ancient Greece and Rome.
Corbelled: A corbel is a structural piece of stone, wood, or metal jutting from a wall to carry a
superincumbent weight, a type of bracket. Corbelling is the process of building into walls to a
depth that allows the pressure on the embedded portion to counteract the load on the exposed
portion.
Corinthian: One of the three orders of ancient Greek and later Roman architecture. Corinthian is
regarded as the slenderest of all, had a highly decorated capital to suggest the form and
proportions of a young maiden. It was the last developed of the three principal classical orders
and was the most decorative. It featured columns that were fluted, or decorated by vertical lines
cut into the surface, and capitals that were decorated with a design of unfurled acanthus leafs,
based on a plan found throughout the Mediterranean.
Cornice: The uppermost element of an entablature, which projects beyond the plane of the
exterior wall; more generally the overhanging molding atop any building. Any horizontal
decorative molding that crowns a building or furniture element- the cornice over a door or
window, or the cornice around the top edge of a pedestal or along the top of an interior wall.
Dentil: A type of cornice molding composed of rectangular blocks set in a row like teeth; hence
the name. A dentil is a small block used as a repeating ornament in the bedmould of a cornice.
Used as a decoration under the soffit of a cornice.
Doric: One of the three orders of ancient Greek and later Roman architecture. Doric was
regarded as the sturdies and was based on the proportions of a man. Characterized by a plain,
unadorned column capital and a column that rests directly on the stylobate of a temple without a
base. Believed to have originated on the mainland of Greece.
Echinus: The curved cushionlike molding that, together with the abacus, forms the capital in the
Doric order. The echinus is between the abacus and the necking.
Entablature: In classical architecture, the horizontal elements supported by columns,
consisting (in ascending sequence) or the architrave, frieze, and cornice. (can apply to all
column orders, saw picture of ionic)
Entasis: The slight outward curve of a column, which then tapers toward the top of the shaft.
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 as their diameter is decreased from the
bottom upward. IT may also serve an engineering function regarding strength.
Fillet: The flat vertical face between the flutings of a column shaft. The characteristically
rectangular or square ribbonlike bands that separate moldings and ornaments.
Flute: Vertical grooves incised In the shaft of a classical column. Fluting in architecture consists
of shallow grooves running along a surface. Refers to the groves running vertically on a column
shaft or a pilaster but need not necessarily be restricted to those two applications.
Frieze: The horizontal element above the architrave and below the cornice in an entablature.
Wide central section part of an entablature and may be plain in the Ionic or Doric order, or
decorated with bas-reliefs. Paterae are also usually used to decorate friezes.
in antis: In antis columns are columns in the plane of a wall and often between antae. In antis
denotes a temple with the side walls extending to front of the porch and terminating with two
antae the pediment being supported by two pilasters or sometimes caryatids. (anta on outside and
between them are these two columns)
Ionic: One of the three orders of ancient Greek and later Roman architecture. Ionic was seen as
the lighter in character to reflect the proportions of a woman. The Ionic order has the narrowest
of columns and the volute is shaped like scrolls or spirals. Believed to have developed on the
islands of the Aegean.
Megaron: In Mycenaean architecture, a rectangular room having a central hearth and four
columns supporting a roof with an atrium opening. More generally, the term applies to a single
cell house In the Aegean region.
Metope: An element of the Doric frieze, set alternately with triglyphs. Metope panels contain
low-relief carvings. Metope is a rectangular architectural element that fills the space between two
triglyphs (a tablet in a Doric frieze with three vertical grooves) in a Doric frieze, which is a
decorative band of alternating triglyphs and metopes above the architrave of a building of the
Doric order.
Naos: The sanctuary of a Greek temple. The body of a temple in which the image of the deity is
housed. A simple room, usually rectangular, with the entrance at one end and with the side walls
often being extended to form a porch.
Opisthodomos: The enclosed room at the back of a Greek temple, often used as a treasury. The
rear room of an ancient Greek temple or to the inner shrine. The rear porch of a temple.
Pediment: The triangular upper part of the front of a building in classical style, typically
surmounting a portico of columns. The gable end of a temple, framed by cornices.
Peripteral: Peripteral columns are columns placed around all sides of a building. Having a
single row of columns on all sides in the style of the temples of ancient Greece. Think Parthenon.
Peristyle: Peristyle is a colonnaded court or garden. A continuous porch formed by a row of
columns surrounding the perimeter of a building or courtyard.
Pronaos: The vestibule (small foyer leading into a larger space) or antechamber to the shrine
room (naos) of a Greek temple.
Prostyle: A portico of columns on the front of a building. An architectural term designating
temples featuring a row of columns on the front.
Relief carving: Relief carving is a sculptural technique where the sculpted elements remain
attached to a solid background of the same material. To create a structure in relief is to give the
impression that the sculpted materials has been raised from the background plane.
Stoa: In Greek architecture, a linear building with one or more rows of columns. Stoas can be
used for shops, meetings or exhibitions. A covered walkway or portico, commonly for public
use. Early sotas were open at the entrance with columns, usually of the Doric order, lining the
side of the building; they created a safe, enveloping, protective atmosphere.
Stylobate: The base, usually having steps, on which a colonnaded temple sits. A stylobate is the
top step of the crepidoma, the stepped platform upon which colonnades of temple columns are
placed. The platform was built on a leveling course that flattened out the ground immediately
beneath the temple.
Triglyph: A channeled block set between metopes in a Doric frame. A tablet in a Doric frieze
with three vertical grooves. Alternates with metopes.
Volute: A decorative spiral found in Ionic, Corinthian and composite capitals. A spiral, scroll-
like ornament that forms the basis of the Ionic order, found in the capital of the Ionic column.
Later incorporated into Corinthian order and Composite column capitals.

Buildings and Sites:

Temples, Paestum, Italy: Archaic doric temples in Southern Italy. The Temple of Hera 1 stands
next to the Temple of Hera 2 and we are also looking at Doric temple in the distance. These three
temples show evolution of Greek architecture. Paestum is a planned city. Show evolution of
Doric style with elegant temple of Hera I to innovative temple of Athena with fusion of doric and
ionic styles. Culminates with solely doric temple with temple of Hera II.
Temple of Hera 1, ca. 550 BCE: Called the Basilica. An archaic temple dedicated to
Hera (Zeus’ wife). Has 9 columns along the front and back. Ionic has 8 columns and Doric has 6
so it is unique. The cella has a row of seven columns which is supporting the roof and dividing
the temple into two Naves. The top diameter is half of the low diameter. The entais of the
columns is very pronounced. The shape of the echinus the more curved it is.
Temple of Athena, ca. 500 BCE: Temple of Ceres. Shows the intermingling of Doric
and Ionic orders. Shows elements of the Doric style. Hexastyle temple six columns in the front.
6*13. Cella houses cult statue and there is no rear porch. The architects designed a really deep
porch with six freestanding Ionic structures. Porch looked really strange at the time and was the
first use of Ionic columns. There are triglyphs and metope. Unusual relationship between
pediment and column because of the ratio. Altar in front of temple where sacrifices were made.
Temple of Hera 2, ca. 450 BCE: Called the Temple of Poseidon or Neptune. Built at
beginning of classical period. Moving from archaic period  classical period. Lack of
ornamentation and decoration. Purely doric. Cella is divided by two double tiered colonnades
and exterior colonnades of a 6*14. (hexastyle) Interior columns were shorter than the outside
columns. Emergence of classical doric temple. End of archaic and Greek architecture and
beginning of classical period.
Acropolis, Athens: Acropolis means the city of the height. Highly defensible structure.
Athenian Acropolis used to be solely a religious temple. The Acropolis of Athens is an ancient
citadel located on a rocky outcrop above the city of Athens and contains the remains of several
ancient buildings of great architectural and historic significance, the most famous being the
Parthenon.
Temple of Athena Nike, ca. 425 BCE: Following the victory of Greeks at Marathon
built marble temple dedicated to Athena. It is the earliest Ionian temple on the Acropolis. Small
temple. Built to commemorate the Greek victory over the Persians. 4 columns on front and back.
False back porch. Victorious goddess.
Propylaea, 437 BCE: Monumental gateway. The main gateway to the Acropolis. You
see Ionic columns. Externally Doric and internally Ionic. Had to provide access for pedestrians
and animals for sacrifice. Steps for pedestrians. Used Ionic columns cause they are taller and
offer more space. East is higher than the west. Serves as the entrance to the Acropolis in Athens.
North wing has refreshment area. South chamber wing gave access to Nike temple. Tall bronze
statue of Athena.
Parthenon 432 BCE: The Doric temple (temple of Athena Polias). Athena polias is a
leader with civic side. Temple interior was restored by the Romans. Turks and Ottomans
converted it into a mosque. Two octastyle porches (8*17) two porticos in the front and in the
end. It has a cella and a square chamber in the back that housed treasuries and offerings within
space of the temple. U-shaped double tiered colonnade to help house statue inside. Entasis used
on the Parthenon which will give the building a much more stable look. Saw Entasis in basilica
in Hera I. The slight curvature of the columns and in the stylobate. Tilting of the columns
inward.
Erecthion, 407 BCE: Temple of Erectheion has an irregular form because it has several
levels and accommodate many sacred spots and had a steep grade on the side. Caryatid porch
has of the maidens with maidens being the columns.
Agora, Athens, 5th Cent. BCE: Center of public life in Athens. Public building of Athens.
Roughly triangular open space. Trade was carried on here and politics were discussed. Agora
definited mainly by Stoas, which sheltered artisans selling their products. Inner columns holding
up building and outer columns as well.
Stoa of Attalos, Athens, ca. 150 BCE: The Stoa of Attalos is on the East side of the Agora.
Smaller Doric columns on the outside and the taller Ionic columns supporting the roof inside.
Flute have been removed in the lower part of the Doric column. Ionic columns are unfluted.
They carried lots of object in the market and may have chipped flute. Second story above for
administrative purposes.
Theater of Dionysos, Athens, ca. 3rd Cent. BCE: Open-air building in Athens. Theater of
Dionysos was important part of civic life. Had drama production that began as religious rituals
for Dionysus and later became important means of elaborating virtues. Political education and
entertainment. Orchestra in the center area where the actors performed. Skene was the structure
at the back of a stage. There were cranes that would pick actors up to fly like gods

Extra Notes
- For Greeks perfection could be achieved in temples through careful calculations and being
proportional. (Spacing of columns and diameters in relationship to the friezes)
- Dorians (spartans, more war-like) ionians (trading society from Asia Minor to Greek islands)
- City-states would work to find colonies outside of mainland Greece (best preserved temples were
usually at these colonies)
- Development of a new world view that placed man at the center of the world and man became the
measure of all things. Gods seen in a human image. (personification of the Gods and goddesses)
- Greeks were more focused on public buildings, especially the Temples which contained the statue
of the God or goddess inside
- Cella was a central room
- Prostyle is when columns are not placed between antis but in front.
- Two porticos in front of the columns and the back.
- When cella is surrounding by collinade it is called the Peripteral temple.
- Doric Order:
- Terrace is the foundation of the structure. Makes the temple approachable of all times.
- Stereobate are the first two steps. Stylobate is the last step. The height of the steps is usually the
same as the diameter of the column. The Doric column itself is composed of a shaft and a capital.
The surface of the shaft is full of flute and the flutes are separated by arris. Doric capital helps
makes transition between shaft and upper part. Echinus is the lower part that connects the column
to the abacus. The abacus is the square block that connects to the architrave. The echinus is from
the Minoan capitals, the Doric capital put the square cap on top. Above the abacus (whole capital)
is composed of the entablature which is made of frieze and architrave. Architrave is a lintel that
runs from center one column to the next. Frieze is composed of vertical groove element called
triglyph and it is divided by metope. (the triglyph and metope alternate). We have the pediment is
the triangular piece on top that is decorated on the edges by cornice.
- Columns in the plane of a wall and often between ante are called (in antis columns)
- The slight outward curve of a column, which then tapers toward the top of the shaft, as seen in the
Doric columns in the temple of Hera is called (entasis)
- The acropolis was actually destroyed by the Persians and it took 30 years before the
reconstruction of the Acropolis.
- Panathenaic Way connects gateway of Athens to the Agora and then to the Acropolis. Ceremonial
way.
- Base of Ionic column ornamented with rope. (steps, column, entablature, pediment)
- Volute capital on top of the column. Entablature with frieze and architrave. Cornice and
pediment.
Architecture 150 - Appreciation of Architecture I 10. South
Asia: Buddhist & Hindu Architecture
This lecture begins with the Buddhist architecture of the South Asia and looks at the stupas, chaityas, and
viharas and their transformations in the Indian context. Both chaityas and viharas housed the travelling
Buddhist communities along trade routes and became institutions that helped the transmission of Buddhist
knowledge into South and East Asia. The two forms of Buddhism, Mahayana and Theravada, developed
two different styles of architecture in Indonesia and Cambodia. This lecture looks at the stupa mountain in
Borobudur in Indonesia and Shwezigon Pagoda in Myanmar. The second part of this lecture explores the
development of Hinduism in South Asia and the invention of the Hindu Temple. While Buddhism
concentrates on the single figure of Buddha, in Hinduism many different gods are served. Whereas in
Buddhist architecture, there was a focus on the massive object of the stupa, Hindu architecture is
developed as assembled, iterative pieces and mini-temples to show the composite nature of the Hindu
cosmology. In Hindu temples, the conceptual path to nirvana is represented in the stacking of multiple
roofs. As we will see, Buddhist architecture similar to Hindu temples used maps or mandalas as
visualization techniques to help devotees toward enlightenment.

Terms:
Antarala: A small antechamber or foyer between the garbhagriha and the mandapa, more typical
of north Indian temples. Antarla are commonly seen in Chalukyan Style temples in which the
‘Vimana’ and the ‘Mandapa’ are connected through the ‘Antarla’:
Chaitya hall: Chaitya is in India, a traditional village memorial erected over the grave of
an honored person. A structure built to enclose such a memorial and permit circulation
around it is known as a chaitya hall.
Chhatri: Chhatri are elevated, dome-shaped pavilions used as an element in Indian architecture.
The word Chhatri means “canopy” or “umbrella”. In the context of architecture, the word is used
to refer to two different things.
Garbhagriha: The “womb chamber” or shrine room at the heart of a Hindu temple.
Harmika: The square railing at the top of a stupa. A fence like enclosure in the shape of a square
which indicates heaven on top of a stupa (a dome-shaped structure erected as a Buddhist shrine).
A yasti- a spire with three chakras, or circular disks arises from the center of the harmika.
Mandapa: Mandapa is a pillared hall or pavilion for public rituals. Mandapas are described as
“open” or “closed” depending on whether they have walls. In temples, one or more mandapas
very often lie between the sanctuary and the temple entrance on the same axis.
Mandala: The geometrical diagram biased on a subdivided square that is used to generate
proportions for Hindu temple designs. Mandalas are employed for focusing attention of
practitioners and adepts, as a spiritual guidance tool, for establishing a sacred space and as an aid
to meditation and trance induction.
Pagoda: A tapering tower with multiple roof levels, built by Buddhists particularly in China and
Japan. The word derives from the Sanskrit dagoba, meaning stupa. A tiered tower with multiple
eaves common to China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam, Nepal, Myanmar and other parts of Asia. Moist
pagodas were built to have a religious function, most often Buddhist but sometimes Taoist, and
were often located in or near viharas.
Rock-cut: The creation of structures, buildings, and sculptures by excavating solid rock where it
naturally occurs. Rock-cut architecture is designed and made by man from the start to finish. The
terms cave and cavern are often applied to this form of man-made architecture.
Shikhara: The tall curving roof, often with a parabolic profile, that rises like an artificial
mountain over the garbhagriha in the Hindu temple. The tower above the sanctuary and also
above the pillared mandapas; it is the most dominant characteristic feature of the Hindu temple
in the north.
Stupa: In Buddhist architecture, the mound of earth and stones erected over relics of the Buddha
or, by extension, over the remains of a holy person. Stupa is a dirt burial mound faced with stone.
Hemispherical structure containing relics that is used as a place of meditation. A chaitya is a
prayer hall containing a stupa.
Torana: An elaborate entrance gate into a Buddhist shrine. A free-standing ornamental or arched
gateway for ceremonial purposes seen in the Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain architecture of the Indian
subcontinent, Southeast Asia, and parts of East Asia.
Vedika: The railings were made around the stupa. The fence surrounding a stupa.
Vihara: A Buddhist monastery. A monastery for Buddhist renunciates. The concept is ancient
and in early Sanskrit and Pali texts, it meant any arrangement of space or facilities for pleasure
and entertainment. Contained resident halls and dormitories for the monks. Rock-cut vihara as
well.
Ashoka pillar: The pillars of Ashoka are a series of columns dispersed throughout the Indian
subcontinent, erected or at least inscribe with edicts (official orders or proclamation issued by a
person in authority) by the Mauryan Emperor Ashoka during his rain from 268-232 BC.

-Buildings and Sites:

Chaitya Hall, Lomas Rishi, ca. 250 BCE: Chaitya are mediation halls. Had miniature stupas
inside. There is no chaitya standing. Institutions that helped transitions of Buddhism into Asia.
Buddhist retreats were located directly on trade routes. Traders and monks would have mutual
relationship and help spread Buddhism. Rock-cut Chaitya Hall with an arched entrance and
ornamental entrance. Carved into a giant boulder. Chaitya follow tradition of using caves for
shelter like Buddha did. Circular space in the back.
Chaitya Hall, Bhaja, ca. 70 BCE: One of the largest rock-cut caves in India. Complete with
beams and lintel. Used those beams and lintel as ornamentation and homage to free-standing
Chaitya Hall. Inside are a series of column supporting arched roof of the interior. Columns inside
form a u-shaped space which goes around a stupa. Elongated stupa inside. Rectangular space
with round space at the end to hold a miniature stupa at the end.
Chaitya Hall, Karli, ca 100 CE: This Chaitya Hall is very famous Chaitya that had royal
patronage with details in the carving. It is beautifully proportioned. It is a more developed
version of Chaitya Hall in Bhaja. Less vertical. Wooden arches around the edges and supporting
columns with detailed carvings. Veticas as decorative reliefs. Axis that connects earth to the
heavens.
Cave Sanctuary, Ajanta, ca 5th Cent. CE: Rock-cut structures (28) viharas and chaitya halls
along trade route. Looking at viharas in this area. Square court and number of cells around. Has
an interesting ornamental motif. Tiny doorways which lead to bed chambers in the back.
Great Stupa, Sanchi, ca. 250 BCE: Stupas are hemispherical burial mounds. Stupa are burial
mound for the Buddha. Relics are objects associated with famous person. Ashoka collected all
the known relics of Buddha and built up funerary mounds to house these relics. Wooden mast
carried umbrellas as symbol of royalty. Chatri means umbrella but in Buddhist architecture it
stood for levels of heaven or levels towards obtaining Nirvana. Has a solid half-semicircle form.
Have massive stone fences called vedika. Main body of the stupa kahunda. Have this umbrella
called harmika. Umbrella on top or chhatri on top. Massive gateway called torana. Acceptance of
Buddhist pilgrim. Stupa has engravings
Stupa, Borobudur, ca. 830 CE: A temple built on a bed rock hill. Cosmic mountain of
Borobudur. Use of Mandala in the stupa. Borobudur has three layers which represent
enlightenment. Six square platforms topped by three circular platforms. Main dome at top of
platform to see final layer. Main dome is surrounded by more than 70 statues of Buddha.
Shwezigan Pagoda, Myanmar, ca. 1100 CE: Moving to Myanmar. Idea of Stupa transformed
into a Pagoda. Pagoda holding Buddha relics. A pagoda is surrounded by smaller Pagoda.
Consists of a circular gold leaf-gilded stupa surrounded by smaller temples of shrines. Three
level of Buddhism.
Lakshmana Temple, Khajuraho, ca. 950 CE: Original elements of Hindu temple. Have a high
staircase. Mandapa. Juncture walls. The temple is surrounded by secondary shrines. Forms
emanating outside of the temple. The interior is hollowed out to reduce weight.
Brihadeshvara Temple, Tanjore, ca. 11th Cent. CE: Brihadishvara Temple, also called
Rajarajesvaram or Peruvudaiyār Kōvil, is a Hindu temple dedicated to Shiva located in South
bank of Kaveri river in Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu, India. It is one of the largest South Indian
temples and an exemplary example of a fully realized Dravidian architecture. Largest of all
temples. Elaborate system of construction and ornetaiton. Carved and built with granite dragged
by elephants. Surrounded by wall and portico. Huge monumental double gate. Pass double gates
you encounter giant bull. Temple itself has ton of mandapa and main sanctuary has its shikhara
above.
Angkor Wat, Cambodia, ca. 1120 CE: Largest temple in the world and figured out a way to
trap floodwater surrounding the temple. Mixed religious identities. Temple modelled after Hindu
temples but are variations. Main axis and elevated grown. Shikara. Small part of a larger
complex and there is a royal palace to the north. Plan in middle of temple mountain. Land over
the moat and you must cross the moat and enter the gate which is part of the enclosure wall.
Bunch of enclosures that are only accessible to priests and emperors. Axial connection in path.
Cruxiform altar. Move up through different gallaries of mandapa and the final level contains
central shrine. Site covered in jungle.