The Erechtheion and the Porch of the Caryatids

Drew McDermott 14 December 2012

Introduction
The Erechtheion was an important place for religion on the acropolis. It was also an example of how despite the structured qualities of Greek art an architect could make a unique and interesting structure and solution to a problem.

Construction
The porch of the Caryatids is a porch extending off of the Erechtheion temple which is located on the Acropolis in Athens. In 420 BCE construction started on the Erechtheion, its architect is believed to be Mnesikles who was the architect for the Propylaea. In 421 BCE the Athenian state signed the Peace of Nicias, ending the first part of the Peloponnesian War between Athens and Sparta. This event allowed for the funding of the construction of the Erectheion. By 418 BCE relations between Athens and Sparta had diminished and the second phase of the Peloponnesian war had begun. After this time the construction had slowed on the Erectheion until 406 BCE when it was left unfinished. The marble for the Porch of the Caryatids was quarried from Penteliko Mountain, 11 miles North West of Athens. It is the same quarry that is used for other buildings on the acropolis, including the Parthenon, completed in 438 BCE; and the Propylaea, left unfinished in 432 BCE due to the start of the Peloponnesian War. The marble is white with a slight consistent yellow tint. Today the quarry and marble of Penteliko Mountain is protected by the Athenian government and is exclusively used for reconstruction efforts on the Acropolis.

Marble was commonly used in Greece for sculpture and architecture because it was in abundant supply with many quarries throughout Greece. It is a very workable material but also durable. Another favorite material for sculpture was bronze. Marble was used for architectural elements because, unlike bronze, it was able to support structure above it. Marble also had the characteristic of being slightly translucent making it appear like human skin. Marble was both a very practical and aesthetic choice for the Greeks to use. It is easy to sculpt, can be structural and support weight, and was abundant on the Greek peninsula. Aesthetically it has qualities similar to human skin. The Porch of the Caryatids utilizes all of these attributes. The Caryatids are complex and have a high amount of detail that may have not been possible or as feasible to carve if other stones were used. They also act as columns, supporting the roof of the porch. Marbles characteristic of having a skin like nature is beneficial for the Caryatids because they are female figures.

Form and Style

Greek temples use very formal set patterns. One of the best examples of Greek architecture in terms of using Greek forms is the Parthenon immediately next to the Erechtheion. The Parthenons plan is a large rectangle with columns around the perimeter, known as a Peristyle, similar to most Greek temples at this time. In contrast, the Erechtheion has a rectangular plan without a Peristyle for the main structure and two rectangular porches extending off the North and South, or the Porch of the Caryatids, as well as an entry porch to the East. Although the entry porch was common among some Greek temples, however the

North and South porches are not. Additionally, due to the location the sections of the Erechtheion are at different levels where most temples had a single solid base for the whole area of the temple at the same elevation. The Porch of the Caryatids utilizes preexisting forms however they are of a rare variety. An egg and dart pattern wraps around the base of the Porch of the Caryatids. This pattern was not common on porches but was usually found on the top of Ionic columns. The porchs columns are female figures in robes, known as Caryatids. On the porch of the Caryatids there are six: four in the front, one behind the right-most column, and one behind the left-most column. From a distance they all look very similar however up close some details differ. The most notable is the three on the left have their right knee bent while the three on the right have their left knee bent. They Caryatids also have different facial expressions and their dresses fall in different patterns. Vitruvius was the first to call these sculptures Caryatids in his work De Architectura, providing a story about the women of Karyes who were supposedly enslaved to support Greek structures due to their support of Persia in the Greco-Persian Wars. This story is unlikely because the use of caryatids pre-dates the Greco-Persian wars. Caryatids were used in architectural forms previous to the Porch of the Caryatids as well as in pottery. An early example could be found at the treasury of Delphi in the 6th Century BCE. However, they were rarely used and Greek temples usually favored one of the

standard orders of Doric, Ionic or Corinthian as their columns. These apply not only to the columns but also to the entablature and the pediment, the triangular area above the entablature where the gable of the roof is located. Because the Caryatids are not necessarily part of an order the entablature and pediment are not of a fixed style. It appears to be similar to the Ionic order primarily due to the three tiers on the architrave. Interestingly there are circular moldings on the entablature which do not appear as a part in any of the three orders. These circular moldings are repeated in more recent times along with Caryatids, some examples are the Austrian Parliament Building and the St. Pancras New Church in London.

Design and Function

The Erechtheion was designed and built as a place of worship. The history of the site was fundamental in how the structure was designed. The Erechtheion was built to replace several smaller temples which were dedicated to various gods, people and myths. The existing shrines were all to be incorporated into the temple. For this reason several aspects of the design may have been determined due to the need to include existing features. These features included altars to Poseidon-Erechtheus, Boutes, and Hephaistos; A well, known as the Erechtheion Sea; A mythical mark from where Poseidon hit the acropolis with a trident; an olive tree which, according to Greek mythology, was planted by Athena; and finally a statue to Athena Polis. As mentioned previously, the Erechtheion was built on different levels due to the geography of the locations; specifically the Northern porch is 3 meters lower than the rest of the structure however the roof has the same height. On this side there is a crypt with the

tombs of historical figures, such as Kekrops. Likely if the Erechtheion was to not incorporate some of the shrines and the tombs it would have been on flat terrain and not require a lower base for the northern porch. There is a common belief that the Erechtheion was supposed to have another wing to the west making the structure symmetrical along the North - South axis. The theory is there would be a sort of courtyard which would be used to house the sacred olive tree. Contributing to this theory is the relatively plain and unadorned Western wall of the Erechtheion as well as the presence of a large column on the Western side of the building which would have been in the center of the building according to the theoretical plan. It likely was not carried through due to the rekindling of the Peloponnesian war and subsequent reallocation of resources to help the war effort. Interestingly enough, unlike the Propylaea whose construction halted at the onset of the first Peloponnesian war, construction continues sporadically throughout the war until 406 BCE. Internally the temple was believed to have large wall frescoes likely depicting some event. Unfortunately, however these were removed when it was converted to a Christian church in the 7th century CE. Despite the frescoes no longer existing, it is likely that they would

have depicted scenes from the mythological events the shrines were dedicated to or other mythological stories. The buildings primary function was to house a wooden statue of Athena Polis. Athena, being the patron of Athens, was included in many religious building; the Erechtheion is not an exception. Athena is a Greek goddess with very un-characteristic traits for a female. She is a war goddess with traits of courage, justice and intelligence. Despite this she is also considered a woman of incredible beauty also possessing knowledge of the arts. For these reasons she is considered an androgynous goddess.

The Erechtheion in the Modern Day

From shortly after the Erechtheion was constructed its safety was endangered. Shortly after the Peloponnesian War, Athens would fell to King Phillip II of Macedonia in 338 BCE. This was followed by a Roman conquest of Greece in 146 BCE. From this point forward the Acropolis was controlled by several other groups which were no longer Greek and did not respect the temples located on the Acropolis. Once Christianity had spread to Athens the Erechtheion was converted into a church. This processes, of converting the structure into a Christian church, destroyed and removed items from the Erechtheion such as the frescoes mentioned previously. Later the Ottoman Empire controlled Greece including the Acropolis. During this time period damage to structures on the acropolis were due to the area being used as a stronghold which was sieged several times. Under Ottoman control in 1801 Thomas Bruce, the Lord of Elgin, obtained permits from the Ottoman Empire to remove pieces from the Acropolis, including a Caryatid from the

Erechtheion. During this process one Caryatid was successfully removed and another was broken in the process of removal. Today pieces of the Erechtheion are on display in several different places. The Caryatids, which were being damaged from acid rain, were move to a purpose built museum at the base of the Acropolis called the New Acropolis Museum and were replaced with replicas along with the missing Caryatid. The British museum has the final Caryatid on display in London along with other artifacts from the Acropolis from the Lord of Elgins collection. There is also a plaster cast of the Porch of the Caryatids at the Carnegie Museum of Art in the Hall of Architecture.

Conclusion
The Erechtheion was an important religious building to the Greeks. It was composed of several religious sites and altars. I believe that because the Erechtheion was still being constructed during a war which had halted the construction of other buildings shows the importance of the structure. It may be that it was still being constructed due to religious beliefs. Considering the primary deity was a war goddess perhaps the Athenians believed Athena would aid their cause due to its construction. However, there is not much evidence to conclude either way.

Annotated Bibliography
Stevens , Gorham P. Hesperia: The Journal of the American School of Classical Studies at Athens , Vol. 15, No. 2, The Twenty-Eighth Report of the American Excavations in the Athenian Agora (Apr. - Jun., 1946), pp. 73-106. <http://www.jstor.org/stable/146883>. o Architectural information about the Erectheion Vitruvius. Ten Books on Architecture. Cambridge University Press. New York, NY. 1999. I.1.5. o Caryatid information Weller, Charles Heald. American Journal of Archaeology , Vol. 25, No. 2 (Apr. - Jun., 1921), pp. 130-141. < http://www.jstor.org/stable/497700>. o Information on the proposed symmetrical plan of the Erectheion. Athens, Erechtheion (Building). Tufts University. <http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/artifact?name=Athens%2C+Erechtheion&ob ject=Building>. Accessed: 12-14-12. o Description of the building Greece Timeline. Ancient Greece. < http://www.ancientgreece.org/resources/timeline.html>. Accessed: 12-14-12. o Timeline for events, used primarily for dates for political events such as wars. Erechtheion. Ancient Greece. <http://www.ancientgreece.org/architecture/erechtheion.html>. Accessed: 12-14-12. o Information on the Erectheion, specifically historical and mythological. Scenes From an Ancient Quarry. PBS. <http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/ancient/parthenon-quarry.html>. Accessed 9-1712. o Information about the quarry used for Erectheion.