Greek Architecture :
History
lMost knowledge about the
architecture is of late archaic period
(550 – 500 BCE), the Periclean age
(450 – 430 BCE) and the early to
pure classical period (430 –
400BCE)
l
lRoman architecture heavily copies
Greek architecture
l
lThere is a strong bias or focus
towards Greek temples, the only
buildings which have survived in
large numbers.
Among materials used for Greek architecture were wood, used
for supports and roof beams; limestone and marble, used for
columns, walls, and upper portions of temples and public
buildings; terracotta, used for roof tiles and ornaments; and
metals, especially bronze, used for decorative details
These materials were used by archaic and classical Greek
architects to construct five simple types of buildings :
religious, civic, domestic, funerary, or recreational.
Despite the beauty of ancient Greek buildings, architects were
only treated as valuable master tradesmen and not amazing
artists. There was no distinction between an architect and a
building contractor. Both were the same.
These men such as Iktinos who designed the Parthenon did
not enjoy any of the lofty status accorded to modern
architects of public buildings. Even the names of architects
are not known before the 5th century.
Greek Public Architecture
The temple was the best known form of Greek
architecture. They usually served as storage
places for the treasury associated with the cult of
the god that temple represented and as a place
for devotees of the god to leave their offerings
such as weapons and statues.
Among other examples of Greek public architecture
is the palaestra or gymnasium, a social centre for
only male citizens, used for athletic purposes and
theatres, used for both public meetings and
performance arts like plays.
Also each Greek town had at least one bouleuterion
or council chamber, a large public building which
served as a court house and as a meeting place
for the town council.
Other architectural forms are the fountain
houses, buildings where women fill their
vases with water from a public fountain and
stoas which functioned to house rows of
shops in the agoras (commercial centers).
Orders of Greek
Architecture
the orders are also known as columns style
three styles (or "orders") of early Greek
architecture:
1.Doric
2.Ionic
3.Corinthian
These names were used by the Greeks people
Doric
the Doric was the earliest
style was used in mainland Greece and spread
to the Greek colonies in Italy
it all starts with some wood shafts, then was
replaced by stone
the Doric style was more formal
columns with plain and no base
Ionic
the Ionic style is thinner and more elegant
decorated with a scroll-like design (a volute)
their dimensions were eight to nine meters
high
this style was found in eastern Greece
Ionic columns normally stand on a base
Corinthian
Corinthian style was a later development of the
Ionic
it was seldom used in Greek architecture
A few examples of Corinthian columns in
Greece during the next century are all used
inside temples
the Corinthian order was fancier than the
others and had a lot more detail
scrolling out above the two ranks of leaves
information dealing with this order is very little
Doric Ionic
Corinthian
