Greek civilization

650b.C(preceded by Aegean circa 3000-1100).-30 B.C.

Chapter outline

▪ Geographical condition
▪ Geological condition
▪ Climatic condition
▪ Religious condition
▪ Societal condition
▪ Other activities

Orders
▪ Doric
▪ Ionic
▪ Corinthian

▪ Temple- Parthenon
▪ Theatre, stadiums, hippodrome, palestra
▪ Public building – stoa, agora
Greek civilization occurred in the area around the Greek mainland,
on a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea

It started in cities
on the Greek
mainland and on
islands in the
Aegean Sea

Towards the later

or Hellenistic
period, Greek
civilization spread
to other far away
places including
Asia Minor and
Northern Africa
Geographical conditions

Most of the Greek mainland was

rocky and barren and therefore
bad for agriculture
•Most Greeks therefore lived
along the coastline or on islands
where the soil was good for
farming
•The Aegean and
Mediterranean Seas provided a
means of communication and
trade with other places
Geological conditions
Greece and her islands had plenty of
building material. But amongst them,
the building stone of great i.e.
marble was in wide range near
Athens.

Sun-dried bricks with marble stucco-

a powdered marble bust to receive a
color decoration. This stucco marble
was used in Athens temples in
temples .

Climatic conditions
Climate is moderate neither too hot not too cold. This favoured the Greek outdoor life.
They therefore constructed building for outdoor life like agora, stoa, amphitheatre, etc

Religious Conditions
The ancient Greeks were polytheistic, believing in many different gods and goddesses
Social Characteristics & Beliefs

▪Greek civilization is the first major civilization in Europe

▪Greek civilization along with the Roman civilization are said to be at the root
of current western civilization
▪They two are referred to as “classical”cultures because of their recognition
as the root of western civilization
▪Greek and Roman architecture are also referred to as classical architecture
▪The two developed a sedentary agricultural and commercial society that
ultimately gave birth to the concept of the city state
Societal Organization

The city state–The ancient Greeks lived in self governing city-

states called "polis.“
The city-states were small, independent communities which
were male-dominated and bound together by race.
The ancient Greek world was made up of hundreds of these
independent city states
The polis started as a defensible area to which farmers of an area
could retreat in the event of an attack as in the Mycenaean
citadels–Over time, towns grew around these defensible areas.
▪It was a major center for learning and the arts.
▪When city-states were first formed, they were ruled by a few
wealthy men.
▪ However, they gradually moved towards democracy.
▪ Athens developed an early form of democracy
▪ How did they make laws? Only men who were born in Athens were
allowed to vote.
▪ They did this at public assemblies where upper class citizens
discussed and adopted laws that might benefit Athens.
Social Organization And Responsibility

The scale of the polis was small.

The philosophers Aristotle and Plato believed that the polis should be of a
small size, so that members know each other personally
The ideal size of a city state was fixed at 5040 males by Plato
Citizens in any polis were related by blood and so family ties were very strong.
Membership of the polis was hereditary and could not be passed to persons
outside the family
Other Activities and Achievements

•Greek society contributed to the earliest development of science and scientific

inquiry
•Greeks attempted to explain the world through the laws of nature.
• Greeks found out that the earth was round and A Greek person is credited as
being the first to measure the circumference of the Earth
•The Greeks also made significant contributions to the arts, particularly in sculpture
and painting

•They wrote many stories and plays that continue to be performed today.
•The ancient Greeks were huge sports fans and sports was considered a part of
religion. Every four years, the Greeks held the Olympic Games in the stadium at
Olympia.
Orders Doric
Ionic
Corinthian
orders
Doric Ionic Corinthian

The Doric style is The Ionic style is The Corinthian

rather sturdy and thinner and more style is seldom
its top (the elegant. Its capital used in the Greek
capital), is plain. is decorated with a world, but often
This style was used scroll-like design (a seen on Roman
in mainland Greece volute). This style temples. Its capital
and the colonies in was found in is very elaborate
southern Italy and eastern Greece and and decorated with
Sicily. the islands. acanthus leaves.
Three orders

Doric Ionic corinthian

Doric:
– Columns
• Without basis
• Sharp-edged shaft
• Simple capital, without decoration
– Entablature
• Frieze divided
– Metopes
– Triglyphs
– Cornice
– Triangular pediment
• Doric columns are the simplest.
• They have a capital (the top, or crown) made of a
circle topped by a square.
• The shaft (the tall part of the column) is plain and
has 20 sides.
• There is no base in the Doric order.
• The Doric order is very plain, but powerful-looking
in its design
• Doric, like most Greek styles, works well
horizontally on buildings, that's why it was so good
with the long rectangular buildings made by the
Greeks.
• There are many examples of ancient Doric
buildings. Perhaps the most famous one is the
Parthenon in Athens, which is probably the most
famous and most studied building on Earth.
Buildings built even now borrow some parts of the
Doric order.
Ionic:
– Columns:
• With basis
• Blunt-edged shaft
• Capital with volutes
– Entablature
• Three bands, without decoration
• Continues frieze (decorated)
– Cornice
– Triangular pediment
• Ionic shafts were taller than Doric ones.
• This makes the columns look slender.
• They also had flutes, which are lines carved into them
from top to bottom.
• The shafts also had a special characteristic: entasis, which
is a little bulge in the columns make the columns look
straight, even at a distance [because since you would see
the building from eye level, the shafts would appear to get
narrower as they rise, so this bulge makes up for that - so it
looks straight to your eye but it really isn't !] .
• The frieze is plain.
• The bases were large and looked like a set of stacked rings
• . Ionic capitals consist of a scrolls above the shaft. The
Ionic style is a little more decorative than the Doric.
Corinthian:
– Columns:
• With basis
• High blunt-edged shaft
• Capital decorated with acantus leaves and small volutes
– Entablature:
• Three bands without decoration
• Continuous frieze
– Cornice
– Triangular pediment
• The Corinthian order is the most
decorative and is usually the one
most modern people like best.
• Corinthian also uses entasis to
make the shafts look straight. The
Corinthian capitals have flowers
and leaves below a small scroll.
The shaft has flutes and the base
is like the Ionian. Unlike the Doric
and Ionian cornices, which are at a
slant, the Corinthian roofs are flat.
 Temple
Parthenon at Athens (447-432 B.C.)
The temple is built entirely in marble on the high ground of acropolis, south of temple
Athena and dedicated to Athena pantheons.
It is constructed by the architect Ictinus and callicrates.
The temple is constructed facing east so that the first rays of the rising sun should fall
and illuminate the statue of Athena.
 Temple
Parthenon at Athens
The temple is built on the rectangular plan 71m long and 32m wide
It stands on crepidoma, a platform of three steps with tread 70 cm and 50cm rise.
The temple is designed in octa- style i.e. eight column in the front and back.
There are 17 column on either side of the plan.
All the columns of the temple are Doric.
71m

32m
 Temple
Parthenon at Athens
 Theatre

These are the open air structure containing orchestra, auditorium and “skene” or
the scene- building

• Theatre:
It was used for meeting and dramatic
performances
It consisted of several parts:
• Skene: place for the performance,
it was circular
• Orchestra: first line of seats, for
the chorus
• Seats: divided in areas to made it
possible the movement
• Storage rooms (behind the skene)
There were built on a hill
They have perfect acoustic due to
their location
There were small theatres for
reading poetry, they were called
odeon.
Orchestra was in circular in plan and slightly raised . The auditorium contains flights spteps and
seating for spectator
Hippodromes
This was used for the horse and chariot racing. The chariot was driven by horses

Palaestra
This was a wrestling school and sports centre. The palaestra was often attached
to the gymnasium, where athletes conducted events such as running, jumping,
etc. it also contain dressing room, toilets, resting hall, open air swimming pool.

Bouleuterion
This was a council hall and used as a meeting place by elected councilors

Odeion
This was similar to the theatre where the musicians carried their performance.
Stoa
It was a long colonnaded building as shelter at religious shrines. One at Olympia is 100m
long and 10 m wide
Agora
It was a city square or open air market place. It was also for the festivals exhibitions and as
an open air meeting place, surrounded it were civic halls, council hall and stoas.