Greek architecture originated from wood construction techniques but eventually transitioned to stone. Early Greek temples employed wood columns and beams but reflected their wooden origins even after being constructed of stone. By the 6th century BC, stone had replaced wood as the primary building material. Greek temples followed set patterns and used classical orders of columns including Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian styles. The most famous Greek buildings topped the Athenian Acropolis, including the Propylaea, Temple of Athena Nike, the Parthenon, and the Erechtheum. Greek architectural elements and orders had a lasting influence on architecture around the world.
2. Origins
• Our word “architecture”
comes from the Greek
architecton, which
means “master
carpenter.”
• Early Greek architecture
therefore employed
wood, not stone.
• These early structures,
as well as those of mud-
brick, have not
survived.
3. Wood Features in Stone
• By the 6th
Century BC,
stone replaced wood
in the construction of
important temples.
• Designs still reflected
their origins in wood,
however.
5. Origins
• In moving from wood to stone,
builders had to adapt to the
differing properties of their
building materials.
• Stone has greater compressive
(resistance to crushing) strength
than wood, but lacks tensile
strength (resistance to bending or
twisting). Therefore, while
columns/posts might be relatively
thin, the entablature/beams, must
be quite thick.
6. Origins
• Greek temples, like
Egyptian temples,
used basic post-and-
beam construction.
• This is sometimes
referred to as
trabeated.
7. Origins
• Early temples had
massive pillars as
architects worried
about their ability to
support the weight
above.
• Later temples appear
more elegant.
Temple of Hera, Paestum
Hephaistion, Athens
8. Origins
• Some experts feel that
the entasis, the outward
bulging in the middle of
Greek columns, may
originally have been an
imitation of the effect of
great compression in
wooden posts.
• It also serves as a kind of
correction to an optical
illusion, however.
9. Entasis
• Entasis counteracts the tendency of
the eye to reach upward, forcing it
to travel up and down the shaft.
• Columns that are straight appear
thinner in the middle when seen
against light, making the supports
appear flimsy.
• The middle bulge counteracts this.
• The upper 2/3 of the shafts to the
right are tapered.
10. Temples - Purpose
• Unlike modern churches or
mosques, Greek temples
were not meant to be
meeting places for
congregations.
• They were homes for the
community’s god or
goddess and a place to keep
offerings
• A cult image was centrally
located within a naos, or
chapel.
11. Temples - Purpose
• In the mild climate of Greece, ceremonies
generally took place outdoors.
• Even the alter, upon which sacrifices were made,
were outside the temple structure.
12. Temple Forms
• Greek temples, like
Egyptian ones, tended
to follow set patterns,
which were regarded
as ideal forms.
• Variations are few in
any given period,
tending to reflect the
choice of a particular
classical order, rather
than new and novel
design.
14. The Doric Order
• Doric columns are the
heaviest in appearance
• The capital is plain.
• The shaft is thick –
though it loses some
of its mass over time.
• There is no base.
15. The Ionic Order
• These have greater
elegance.
• The capital has
distinctive volutes.
• The shaft is thinner
than its Doric
equivalent.
• A base is apparent.
16. The Corinthian Order
• This is also a tall,
elegant form.
• The capital has
distinctive acanthus
leaf decoration.
• A base is also
employed.
17. Parts of a Greek Temple
• There are four
distinct parts to a
greek temple.
– The bottom,
horizontal part is the
steps. Most Greek
temples had three of
them.
– This part is called the
stylobate.
18. Parts of a Greek Temple
• The next section is
vertical and is the
column.
– Most columns had a
base (though not the
Doric), at the bottom, a
shaft in the middle, and
a capital at the top.
– The shaft may be
smooth or fluted.
19. Parts of a Greek Temple
• Above the column is
the entablature. If
the column is the leg,
think of this as the
tabletop.
– It has 3 parts: the
architrave, a kind of
base.
– The frieze, a
decorated part
– The cornice the top.
20. Parts of a Greek Temple
• The top section is angled
and is called the pediment.
– The sloping top part is
called the sloping cornice.
– The triangular part below
is called the tympanum.
This is often carved and
decorated.
– Sometimes there are caved
features sticking up from
the room. These are
called antifixae or
acroterions.
21. Plans of Greek Temples
• The grandeur and
evident expense of a
temple can be seen in
the number of columns
employed.
• Simple tempes have
blank walls around a
naos, or chapel. With
an open area or porch in
front, called a pronaos,
with two or four
supporting columns.
23. Designs of Greek Temples
• Grander temples, like
the Parthenon, had
both a front and back
porch, as well as a
colonnade surrounding
the entire structure.
• This is called a
peripteral temple.
Reconstruction of the Parthenon
in Nashville.
25. Designs of Greek Temples
• Grander still, and
generally from
the Hellenistic
age, are dipteral
temples.
• They have a
double colonnade
surrounding
them.
Artist’s reconstruction of the Temple
of Artemis, Ephesus, Turkey
27. Important Structures – The
Acropolis
• The most
famous Greek
buildings
topped the
Athenian
Acropolis.
• These include:
the Propylaea,
the Temple of
Athena Nike,
the Parthenon,
and the
Erectheum.
29. Temple of Athena Nike
• This is a small temple
dedicated to the
victorious Athena.
• The ratio of height to
diameter of the
columns is 7:1 and not
the 9:1 or 10:1
generally found in
Ionic temples.
30. The Parthenon
• This is the most
important and
perfectly formed
temple on the
acropolis.
• Dedicated to Athena,
it housed an enormous
cult image.
31. Parthenon
• This building is the
culmination of
Classical Greek
architecture.
• Optical refinements
are many, and the
result is a building
reflecting the Greek
concept of arete,
perfection.
Click here to see a NOVA video clip on the Parthenon’s optical refinements.
32. The Parthenon
• One of the Parthenon’s
most impressive features
was not seen by most
worshippers – the great
frieze showing the
Panathenaic Procession.
• The colour of this
reconstruction is indicative
of what much of the
structure would have looked
like before being bleached
by centuries of
Mediterranean sun.
33. The Erechtheum
• This is a complex
building of up to four
distinct spaces.
• It is also built on a
slope, so its walls are
of differing heights.
• It is dedicated to
Athena Polias and
Poseidon Erechtheus.
34. The Erechtheum
• The most distinctive element of this building is the
Porch of the Maidens.
35. Important Structures – The Great
Altar of Pergamum
• This Hellenistic
building broke
completely with
traditional style.
• The frieze was brought
down to the level of
outside observers.
• The colonnade was
raised above it.
36. The Greek Heritage
• Greek architecture
had a lasting
impact on the
world.
• The Romans
adopted it as an
ideal, but modified
it to meet their
practical needs.
37. The Greek Heritage
• Today, elements of
Greek architecture
surround us
everywhere, from the
Doric columns gracing
local homes to the
great Ionic capitals of
the Vancouver Art
Gallery.
38. The Greek Heritage
• Greek forms
have become an
integral part of
the vocabulary
of world
architecture
The Supreme Court of the United States
