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ARC 110 History of Architecture I

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Title: ARC 110 History of Architecture I


1
ARC 110History of Architecture I
  • Module 5
  • Aegean Architecture

2
Module 5 Outline
  • Lecture 15
  • Historical Background
  • Location and period
  • Social characteristics and beliefs
  • Architecture of the Civilization
  • Cretan architecture
  • Lecture 16
  • Mycenaean architecture
  • Architectural Characteristics
  • Buildings and other architectural elements
  • Building materials, construction and technologies
  • Principles of Architectural Organization
  • Comparison with Previous civilizations

3
Learning Outcomes
  • We should expect to learn the following about the
    Aegean civilization
  • The influence of location on architecture
  • Architecture of Palaces, tombs and citadels
  • Stone construction and fortifications

4
Module 5 Lecture 15Aegean Architecture
5
Outline of Lecture
  • Lecture 15
  • Historical Background
  • Location and period
  • Social characteristics and beliefs
  • Architecture of the Civilization
  • Cretan architecture

6
Historical Background
7
Historical BackgroundLocation
  • The Aegean civilization was the first major
    civilization in Europe
  • The civilization also marks the beginning of
    western civilization
  • The civilization occurred around the areas of the
    Aegean sea

8
Historical BackgroundLocation
  • It was centered at two locations the island of
    Crete and the Greek mainland around Mycenae
  • The civilization was only discovered in the 18th
    century following archeological work

9
Historical Background Period
  • The Aegean civilization occurred during the
    period 2000 B.C. to 1100 B.C.
  • Two cultures flourished during the period Cretan
    and Mycenaean
  • The two cultures though related in detail, were
    not contemporary
  • The Cretan civilization, also known as Minoan
    civilization after its most famous king Minos of
    Knossos, occurred first, starting around 2000 B.
    C.
  • It flourished until the period 1400 B.C. to 1100
    B. C. when it was completed obliterated

10
Historical Background Period
  • It is believed that Cretan civilization was
    obliterated by some natural disaster, either
    earthquake or floods
  • The fall of Crete was paralleled by the rise of
    the Mycenaean civilization centered at Mycenae
    around 1400 B. C.
  • The Mycenaean civilization lasted until 1100 B.
    C.
  • The whole Aegean civilization died out after 1100
    B. C. following a period of invasions by
    outsiders

11
Historical Background Social Characteristics
Beliefs
  • Not much is known about Aegean culture and
    societies
  • The cultures is believed to be founded on trade
    around the Mediterranean sea
  • The Aegean people were a religious people with
    religion focused on nature worship
  • Divinities were conceived in human form and
    represented by small idols, rocks and stone
    pillars
  • They did not have the concept of a supreme
    powerful God
  • All sorts of trees and animals were respected and
    treated as sacred
  • The Aegean people were ruled by powerful kings
  • The kings built large and visible palaces
  • Location played an important role in the society,
    social life and architecture of the Aegean
    civilizations

12
Historical Background Social Characteristics
Beliefs
  • Crete
  • Crete was located on an island
  • It was protected from attack by the sea and its
    naval power
  • The Mediterranean yielded great wealth to the
    Cretan through trade with the cities by the river
  • Cretan culture was unique
  • Their way of life was peaceful, relaxed and
    luxurious
  • Their paintings depicted joyous hunts, and dances
    with sacred bulls and sea creatures
  • In architecture, they consciously rejected formal
    principles such as axiality, symmetry and
    abstracts
  • They rather adopted an organic and informal
    approach to space organization and building form

13
Historical Background Social Characteristics
Beliefs
  • Mycenaea
  • The character of Mycenae was quite different from
    that of Crete
  • Mycenae was neither sustained nor protected by
    the sea
  • Mainland Mycenae was open to attacks from the
    north
  • The society was more a society of warriors than
    of traders
  • Their architecture emphasized defense
  • They built fortified citadels as royal living
    areas rather than the pleasure palaces of the
    Cretans
  • The citadels were enclosed by high walls of large
    stone blocks with difficult and highly defensible
    entrance ways
  • A common general characteristics of Aegean
    architecture was the arrangement of rooms around
    courtyards
  • This was probably adopted from practices in the
    Ancient Near East

14
Architecture of the Civilization
15
Architecture of the Civilization
  • Sequence of Treatment
  • Cretan Architecture 2000 1400 BC
  • Mycenaean Architecture 1400 1100 BC

16
Cretan Architecture Introduction
  • Cretan civilization was the first to flourish
    among the Aegean civilizations
  • It flourished between 2000 and 1400 B.C.

17
Cretan Architecture Introduction
  • The Cretan people were traders and seafarers.
  • The society can be thought of as being made up of
    near divine kings presiding over an
    administration largely concerned with commerce
  • The Cretans were a very rich and prosperous
    society
  • The wealth of the society was reflected in the
    building of palaces as the residences of the
    powerful rulers who controlled the town in which
    they were built
  • Cretan cities did not have city walls, which
    suggest that they were a relaxed, peaceful and
    easy going society

18
Cretan Architecture Introduction- Palaces
  • Introduction- Palaces
  • The palaces are the best known of Cretan
    buildings
  • Palaces were more than just residence
  • They also function as religious focal point,
    administrative center, and place of manufacture
    and storage
  • The palaces were recently discovered following
    archeological work by Sir Evans in the early part
    of the 20th century
  • The palace of Knossos was the first to be
    discovered and thereafter other palaces including
    Phaistas, Mallia and Zakro
  • Archeological work suggests that all palaces date
    from around 1900 B.C.
  • Their history appears to be uniform.
  • They were built at the same time, but were
    destroyed around 1625 B. C. by a series of
    natural disasters, probably earthquakes.
  • They were then rebuilt in a more sumptuous manner
    but were all destroyed in the mid 1500 BC.
  • Only the palace of Knossos has survived
  • The palace of Knossos is also the best known
    example of a Cretan palace

19
Cretan Architecture Introduction- Palaces
  • Introduction- Palaces
  • Archeological excavations essentially discovered
    how the buildings were arranged in plan at the
    ground level
  • There is no concrete knowledge of how the upper
    floors of the buildings are organized
  • In design the palaces resemble each other.
  • They were multi-storey buildings
  • Function rather than form appears to predominate
    in their organization
  • The most striking feature of the palace is the
    extraordinary number of rooms they contain.
  • There were rooms of different types, sizes and
    functions organized around a central courtyard
  • The courtyards were aligned north-south, the
    reason for which is not clear
  • All the palaces have multiple entrances, most of
    which led to the courtyard
  • The palaces do not also suggest the application
    of any formal principles of planning or design
  • Their organization is more or less organic in
    nature, suggesting gradually growth

20
Cretan Architecture Introduction- Other Buildings
  • Apart from palaces, Cretans also built many small
    country houses scattered over the country side
    and several towns of which the one attached to
    the palace of Knossos achieved considerable size.

21
Cretan Architecture Palace of Knossos-
Introduction
  • It was the palace of the legendary king Minos
  • It was the largest and most elaborate of the
    Cretan palaces
  • It was the first palace to be discovered and
    excavated by the British archeologist Sir Arthur
    Evans
  • Only the ground floor of a large palace of
    several stories has partially survived

22
Cretan Architecture Palace of Knossos-
Introduction
  • The site is complicated and there are
    controversies about its functions as the upper
    floors have remained impossible to reconstruct
    with certainty.
  • It was a residence, a religious and an
    administrative center The King was Cretes high
    priest
  • The plan suggests it evolved organically around
    the central courtyard.

23
Cretan Architecture Palace of Knossos- layout
  • The palace covered and area of 122 square meters
  • The building of the palace was at least two
    stories high
  • The various functions of the palace were not
    distributed in distinct areas
  • Functions were gathered in chambers and
    apartments spread around the central courtyard

24
Cretan Architecture Palace of Knossos- layout
  • The palace had two prominent entrances, one on
    the north face and another on the west side.
  • The north entrance appears to be the main
    entrance and is defended by a guard house
  • The western entrance was indirect and dog-leg in
    form

25
Cretan Architecture Palace of Knossos- East Wing
  • The bulk of the northern part of the East wing
    was used for industrial activity
  • Industrial activities included jewelry and
    pottery making and other light industries
  • Towards the southern part of the East wing is
    found the Queens suit

26
Cretan Architecture Palace of Knossos- East Wing
  • The queens suit boasted a bathroom room with a
    sophisticated drainage system of earthenware pots
    fitted together
  • A staircase and a ramp lead from the ground floor
    of the east wing to the upper floors
  • Archeological evidence suggest that the main
    living apartments were on the upper levels of the
    east wing

27
Cretan Architecture Palace of Knossos- West Wing
  • Most of the western wing was devoted to storage

28
Cretan Architecture Palace of Knossos- West Wing
  • The storages were in long and narrow magazines
    found against the western wall
  • The storages were for oil jars and probably
    granaries

29
Cretan Architecture Palace of Knossos- West Wing
  • The most important room in the western wing at
    the ground level was the throne room
  • This was entered from an ante room at a level
    lower than the court.

30
Cretan Architecture Palace of Knossos- West Wing
  • The throne room was dark and mysterious the
    stone throne was against the north wall, flanked
    by benches
  • The walls were decorated with paintings of sea
    animals
  • The decorations appear to have a religious
    purpose rather than royal one

31
Cretan Architecture Palace of Knossos- West Wing
  • A magnificent staircase in the west wing led to
    staterooms on the upper floors.
  • Rooms were generally approached through rows of
    double doors so that they could be opened, or
    totally or partially shut off

32
Cretan Architecture Palace of Knossos- West Wing
  • Everything was designed to permit the circulation
    of cool air, to counteract the intense heat of
    the Cretan summer.
  • Staircases also designed to have light wells
    These were opening in the roof that admits light
    into the staircase

33
Cretan Architecture Palace of Knossos
  • Construction and Design Ideas
  • The palace did not embody any idea of
    monumentality or conceptual order
  • Rather it was picturesque, colorful with an
    atmosphere of comfort and informality
  • The building materials of the palace were rich
    Wood and gypsum were extensively used to achieve
    fine bright surfaces

34
Cretan Architecture Palace of Knossos
  • Construction and Design Ideas
  • Wood was used to erect widely space columns to
    support light weight wooden roof
  • The columns taper upward and had round capitals
  • The perishable nature of the materials have made
    materials not to survive to the present
  • None of their columns have survived. All the
    information on it is derived from paintings on
    walls

35
Cretan Architecture Palace of Knossos
  • Construction and Design Ideas
  • Cretans loved color.
  • They painted their walls and adorned them with
    relief, mostly of sea animals suggesting that
    they probably worship nature.
  • The stairways light wells, colonnades of
    downward tapering wood columns were typically
    Minoan,
  • So also were the elaborate and developed
    sanitation and drainage, example of which is
    found in the Queens suit

36
End of Module 5 Lecture 15
37
Module 5 Lecture 16Aegean Architecture
38
Outline of Lecture
  • Lecture 16
  • Mycenaean architecture
  • Architectural Characteristics
  • Buildings and other architectural elements
  • Building materials, construction and technologies
  • Principles of Architectural Organization

39
Mycenaean Architecture
40
Mycenaean Architecture Introduction
  • Mycenae rose around 1400 following the decline of
    Crete
  • The Mycenaean people were Greek by race.
  • The Mycenaean kingdom was small and lacked
    protection and buffer zones to protect the
    capital
  • The people of Mycenae were also more of a society
    of warriors than traders, which the Cretans were.
  • Their architecture focused on defense on a grand
    scale

41
Mycenaean Architecture Introduction
  • The Mycenaean people built fortified kingly
    palaces located within Citadels instead of the
    pleasure palaces of the Cretans
  • The citadels were usually built along the edge of
    sharp change in elevation, on hilltops to make
    them difficult for would-be-attackers
  • The citadels were organized royal living areas
    enclosed by huge cyclopean walls or rough hewn
    immense stone blocks

42
Mycenaean ArchitectureIntroduction
  • Citadel walls were constructed of huge unworked
    limestone boulders roughly fitted together
  • Small chunks of limestones are used to fill the
    gaps between the boulders
  • The exterior face of the boulders may be roughly
    dressed but the stones are never carefully cut
  • They ensure difficulty of access and were highly
    defensible
  • The palaces located within the citadels acted as
    centers of administration

43
Mycenaean ArchitectureIntroduction
  • The highest degree of sophistication in citadel
    construction was achieved at Mycenae and Tiryns
  • Of the two sites, Tiryns is better preserved.
  • The two palaces were essentially similar and
    might have been constructed by the same workmen
  • We will examine the citadel at Tiryns to learn
    about the organization of the Mycenaean citadels

44
Mycenaean ArchitectureCitadel at Tiryns
  • The royal residence at Tiryns is one of the best
    preserved Mycenaean fortifications
  • Tiryns was located on the coast and was in effect
    a castle, guarding the beachhead that served as
    the port of Mycenae
  • The citadel at Tiryns is located on a low rocky
    citadel hill.
  • It was guarded by an immensely thick wall 36feet
    thick

45
Mycenaean ArchitectureCitadel at Tiryns
  • Casemates, or covered galleries, protected and
    concealed troops within the wall
  • There were also tunnels within the walls that
    provided access to water sources beneath the hill
  • The tunnels were cunningly camouflaged where they
    extended beyond the area enclosed within the
    fortification walls

46
Mycenaean ArchitectureCitadel at Tiryns
  • Tiryns citadel also had large galleries to the
    south and east that is used for storing a large
    quantity of agricultural produce
  • All the water and food arrangements ensured that
    the city can withstand attacks by its enemies for
    a long time without running out of supplies

47
Mycenaean ArchitectureCitadel at Tiryns
  • The fortification walls were constructed in the
    irregular style of masonry construction termed
    cyclopean
  • The citadel had a long narrow approach on the
    east side with two gates which could be barred.
  • The palace of Tyrins is located within the
    citadel to the south
  • Additional vacant land is enclosed on the north
    side

48
Mycenaean ArchitectureCitadel at Tiryns
  • Although one royalty resided in the citadel, in
    times of war the vacant land served as a refuge
    for the community living in the city below
  • The living quarter and lifestyle of the ruler is
    not much different from that of the other feudal
    barons.
  • All the principal apartments were located on a
    single floor
  • They were made up of a simple rectangular box
    with a single door called megaron

49
Mycenaean ArchitectureCitadel at Tiryns
  • The Rectangular house of the ruler is called the
    chief megaron
  • The chief megaron consists of a veranda, entrance
    hall and throne room
  • The throne room is entered from the entrance
    hall, through a door placed axially
  • In the center of the throne room is a large
    circular fire place
  • Four columns are arranged in a square around the
    fire place

50
Mycenaean ArchitectureCitadel at Tiryns
  • A throne is located against the middle of the
    right-hand wall in the throne room
  • The floors and walls are all painted and
    decorated
  • A large court lies directly in front of the chief
    megaron.
  • The Megaron courtyard is entered from the citadel
    gate through a series of corridors, entrance
    portals and other courtyards.

51
Mycenaean ArchitectureLion Gate
  • Mycenaean citadels usually had massive trabeated
    portals that served as gates
  • The gates were designed to complement the
    defensive nature of the citadels
  • In approaching the gate, attackers would normally
    present the side on which he would carry his
    weapons
  • The famous and best surviving example of the
    gates is the lion gate at Mycenae

52
Mycenaean ArchitectureLion Gate
  • Mycenae, inaccessible, easily defended, stands
    midway between Cornth and Argos on the eastern
    shoulder of the Peloponnese.
  • The gate consists of great upright stones 3.1
    meter high supporting an immense lintel 4.9
    meters long and 1.6 meters high
  • The lintel defined a gate 2.4 meters deep with an
    opening of 3m wide.

53
Mycenaean ArchitectureLion Gate
  • Above the lintel is a triangular shaped corbelled
    opening filed with a stone panel bearing a carved
    relief depicting two rampant lions facing a
    central column of the downward tapering type
  • The column was the sacred symbol of the earth
    that the lions supposedly protected.
  • The triangular relief carving over the front is
    to herald the temple front of the Greek
    civilization

54
Mycenaean ArchitectureMycenean Tomb-Tholos
  • The monumentality of the Mycenaean citadels was
    rivaled by that of their tombs.
  • The most important of the tombs was the beehive
    or tholos tombs.
  • This consists of circular chambers cut into the
    hill side approached by an open passage called
    dromos which is lined with masonry
  • Between the chamber and the dromos a thick portal
    façade structure was built.
  • The portal was topped by a lintel

55
Mycenaean ArchitectureMycenean Tomb-Tholos
  • The chambers were corbelled vaulted structures
    shaped like beehives.
  • Their upper part emerged above ground and was
    covered with a mound of earth.
  • The dead person was placed in pits below the
    ground or in adjoining rectangular chambers.
  • After burial, the tomb was permanently sealed and
    the dromos blocked by a massive wall.
  • The tholos was thus not used as a funerary chapel
    but remained curiously empty- a pure invisible
    monument to the deceased.

56
Mycenaean ArchitectureMycenean Tomb-Tholos
  • In the tholos, the Mycenaean people recognize
    that the key to monumentality was geometry and
    proportions.
  • The clear geometry of the tholos was stressed by
    proportions in which the diameter equals the
    height.
  • It structure was also gradually perfected by
    making the upper levels of corbelling into
    uninterrupted rings of stone.

57
Mycenaean Architecture Tholos Treasury of
Atreus
  • The most splendid of the tholos in Mycenae is the
    so called Treasury of Atreus or Tomb of Agamemnon
  • It was built around between 1350 and 1250 BC.
  • The dromos is about 6meters wide and 36m long.
  • Its side walls rise to 13.7m high.

58
Mycenaean Architecture Tholos Treasury of
Atreus
  • The chamber is 14.5m in diameter and 13.2m high
  • It is made up of 34 circular courses of masonry
  • A lateral chamber 8.2m square by 5.8m high was
    the actual place of burial
  • The treasury of Atreus exhibited the best masonry
    and most careful and ambitious construction to be
    found at Mycenae

59
Architectural Characteristics
60
Buildings Other Arch Elements
61
Buildings Other Arch. Elements Building Types
  • Three significant elements dominated our
    examination of Aegean architecture palaces,
    citadels and tombs
  • In both Crete and Mycenae, palaces were important
    architectural elements
  • The organization and form of the palaces however
    differs between the two locations

62
Buildings Other Arch. Elements Building Types
  • In Crete, palaces were complex multifunctional,
    multi-story buildings
  • They were designed to be colorful, relaxed and
    joyous in nature, reflecting the peaceful
    lifestyle of the people
  • In Mycenae, palaces were single story, organized
    around a simple rectangular kingly residence, the
    megaron that is accessed through a series of
    courtyards
  • The palaces were located within fortified
    citadels, pointing to the defensive orientation
    of the people

63
Buildings Other Arch. Elements Building Types
  • Citadels and Tholos were restricted to the
    Mycenaean civilization
  • Citadels were built on hilltops to fortify and
    protect kingly residences
  • They also provided a refuge for the common people
    during periods of attack
  • The citadels incorporated systems of defense and
    access to water in case of siege

64
Buildings Other Arch. Elements Building Types
  • Tholos were the outstanding tombs of the
    Mycenaean people
  • The tholos were round beehive structures that
    were covered with a dome roof
  • They were accessed by a long causeway called a
    dromos
  • Once a person is buried, the tholos is sealed
  • They did not function as a funerary chapel in
    contrast with practices that we examined during
    the Egyptian periods
  • The Cretans also introduced a unique column form
  • The Cretan column tapered up rather than down

65
Materials, Const. Tech.
66
Materials, Construction Tech. Materials
  • Gypsum, cut stone and Timber were the principal
    building materials of the Aegean.
  • Gypsum was common in Crete, while limestone was
    common in Mycenaea
  • Timber was not very common in both locations
  • In Crete, gypsum was preferred for wall and
    frescoed decoration, while timber is used for
    columns and roofs
  • In Mycenae, cut stone was the most common
    material.
  • This was used with wooden frame for houses or in
    cyclopean construction for citadels.

67
Materials, Construction Tech. Construction
  • Construction systems differ between the two
    locations.
  • In Crete, Island location makes it impossible to
    use large stone construction
  • Buildings were made up of small stones with
    gypsum or other carbonate or sulphate material as
    bonding material

68
Materials, Construction Tech. Construction
  • Gypsum based alabaster was also used as a vaneer
    layer on walls, which is further painted for
    decoration to create the unique colorful looks of
    Cretean buildings
  • In Mycenae, cyclopean construction for walls, and
    stone on wooden frame for megarons was used
  • In cyclopean construction, the large stones are
    arranged one on the other without shaping and the
    gaps between them is filled with smaller stones

69
Materials, Construction Tech. Technology
  • Crete introduced technologies of toilet and
    drainage
  • Example of this was found in the Queens suit with
    its bathroom and intricate drainage system of
    earthen clay pots
  • The Cretans also introduced the concept of light
    wells in their palaces
  • They also introduced the idea of using double
    doors to create comfortable interiors and control
    humid summer environments

70
Principles of Arch. Organization
71
Principles of Arch. Organization Principles
  • A general observation of the Aegean architecture
    reveals the following character
  • A focus on palaces
  • In Crete palace design is informal and almost
    inorganic
  • In Mycenae, design is focused on defense, with
    large stone walls and intricate access paths

72
Principles of Arch. Organization Principles
  • Two forces appear to account for organization of
    architectural form
  • Geographical location
  • Social symbolism
  • Location played an important in the form of the
    palaces in the two civilizations

73
Principles of Arch. Organization Crete
  • In Crete, the location was secure, and so
    architecture evolved to be relaxed and joyous
  • The architecture of the Cretans did not display
    any formal princples
  • It appears that organization is practical,
    stemming from a desire to achieve efficiency in
    arrangement in the absence of any imminent threat

74
Principles of Arch. Organization Crete
  • Variety seems also to be a consideration in
    organization
  • Minoan palaces are centrifugal, meaning that they
    distribute people to different activities
  • They did not provide a building with unity by
    their uniformity, but rather attracted attention
    to distinct parts of a structure by their variety
    either alone or in particular combinations

75
Principles of Arch. Organization Mycenae
  • In Mycenae, the location was open to attack and
    architectural form responded by emphasizing
    defense
  • The emphasis on defense meant that movement in
    the citadels is directed through a maze to the
    megaron to ensure optimal protection

76
Principles of Arch. Organization Mycenae
  • The focus in both locations on palaces stems from
    the power and authority of the king in both
    civilizations, which is expressed in palace
    construction
  • In Mycenae there is also evidence of some
    conscious application of aesthetic principles in
    the design of the tholos
  • The geometrical relationships between the
    diameter and height of the tholos points to some
    conscious formal organization of form

77
End of Module 5
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