Erechtheion, Athens, Greece, 406BC - 421BC

Erechtheion, Athens, Greece

Recreation of Erechtheion

The Erechtheion is one of Greece’s most famous landmarks and architectural wonders. The temple was built above the city of Athens near the Parthenon, Propylaea, and the Temple of Hephaistos. on the acropolis in Athens during what is known as the Golden Age (somewhere between approximately 421 and 406 BCE). It was built to house a statue of Athena, one of the Greeks’ most revered gods. It was named after the Athenian king god, Erechtheus.
It was built following an attack on Greece by the Persians in 480 BCE. It had many delays during its construction- namely when they were problems between Athens and Sparta.
According to Cartwright (2016), “The building also had other functions, though, notably as the shrine centre for other more ancient cults: to Erechtheus, his brother Boutes - the Ploughman, Pandrosos, the mythical first Athenian king Kekrops (or Cecrops) - half-man, half-snake, and the gods Hephaistos and Poseidon.”

The Erechtheion was constructed with Pentelic marble (a marble that is pure white in appearance) that came from Mt. Pentelicus, which was relatively nearby. In addition to the Pentelic marble, iron was also used during construction. Over the centuries that followed, the iron oxidized and made the marble more golden, or “honey-colored” in color. This color is what makes it famous today for being photographed during sunrise and sunset.

The Porch of the Caryatids

 The temple is also famous because it was not constructed in a symmetrical fashion like the nearby Parthenon was. This is due in part because the building is built on an uneven foundation. The temple is divided into four chambers. The statue of Athena is in the largest chamber- the eastern chamber. The western chamber was meant to contain a snake, oikouros ophis, the sacred serpent that myth has it that is a reincarnation of Erechtheus. Throughout the building in other chambers are a wooden statue of Hermes, a chair said to be made by the great architect Daedalus - he of the Labyrinth of Minos fame - and various relics from the Persian wars” (Cartwright, 2016). On the outside of the temple, six Ionic columns flank the entrances on the eastern façade and a porch built to honor Poseidon Erechtheus (a local version of the god) was build on the north side. “At the south porch, which was the most well-known, the roof was supported by six statues of maidens known as the Caryatids, instead of the typical columns. Below it stood the grave of Kekrops, another legendary King of Athens. A building inscription of the Erechtheion refers to the Caryatids simply as Korai (maidens), while the name Caryatids was assigned at a later time” (“Erechtheion,” 2016). On the altar, there is an aperture on the ceiling. This was built to demonstrate how Zeus struck down Erechtheus with a thunderbolt.

Work Cited:
Cartwright, M. (2016). Erechtheion. Ancient History Encyclopedia. Retrieved from: http://www.ancient.eu/Erechtheion/

Erechtheion . (2016). Acropolis Museum. Retrieved from: http://www.theacropolismuseum.gr/en/content/erechtheion

Theater of Dionysus, Athens, Greece, 530 BC

The Theater of Dionysus is largely known as the beginning for European theaters. Its name is derived from the central seat of the first row that has an inscription that says “the seat for the priest of Dionysos Eleutherios”. The theater was built during the time that acting and theatre had began to grow. The theater has seats constructed with wood and clay set around an orchestra. It was first used for theatrical performances written by tragic poets. The theater was used to honor the god Dionysus, and the plays were performed as celebrations.

Over the centuries, the site has had many renovations. So far, nine different building phases have been identified. In 330 BC, stone seats had been installed, and 14 rows have been added and what is left is part of the ruins today. This used to seat over 17,000 people, the first row (67 marble seats) served for dignitaries.

In the Roman Era, during Emperor Nero’s reign, a mosaic tile floor was added. At this time, the theater was mainly used to hold gladiator duels and fights with wild animals. Because of these events, a balustrade was built to protect the violence from the audience. In the 5th century, a podium was added.

Temple of Olympian Zeus- Athens, Greece, Sixth Century BC- Second Century AD

       The temple was built on the site of an ancient outdoor sanctuary dedicated to Zeus. The tyrant Pisistratus built a temple for the god around 550 BC. Around 520 BC, the current temple began to be constructed and was completed under the reign of the Roman emperor Hadrian in second century AD, about 640 years after the start. Pisistratus’s sons began the construction. The temple was intended to be built of local limestone in the Corinthian style. It was supposed to be a 134.5 foot by 353 foot platform. On the front side, there would be a double colonnade of eight columns, and on the sides, twenty one.  The project was abandoned approximately ten years after it began, when only the platform and some elements were completed. For 336 years, the site remained in this state. In 174 BC, the Seleucid king, Antiochus IV, resumed the construction of the Greek temple and put Decimus Cossutius, a Roman architect, in charge of the project. Under Cossutius, the design changed. The double colonnade in the front changed to a triple, and the twenty one columns on the sides changed to twenty totaling in 104 columns. Each column was to be seventeen meters high and two in diameter. The building material changed to Pentelic marble and the style changed to Doric; this was the first time the exterior of a major temple would be in the Doric style. Antiochus’s death in 164 BC halted the construction of the project at its midpoint. For the most part, in the following years it was damaged and neglected until Hadrian rose to power and resumed the construction. It was completed in second century AD.

Image: studyblue.com

     After he completed the construction, the temple was formally dedicated to Hadrian. The temple itself and the surrounding precinct were decorated with statues depicting Hadrian, the gods and personification of roman provinces.

     The temples era of glory was short lived- after the Herulian sack and invasion of Athens in 3^rd century AD, it fell to disuse. It is unclear if it was used in its damaged state but if it was used, it would have been formally closed in 425 AD by the Christian emperor Theodosius III when he prohibited worship of old Roman and Greek gods.

     Over the following centuries, the temple was used as a quarry for building materials needed for other projects.  By the end of the Byzantine period, it was almost totally destroyed.  Today, nothing remains of the cella and only fifteen of the original 104 columns stand with one more on the ground after being toppled in a storm in 1852. The site was excavated by Francis Penrose (British) in 1889-1896, by Gabriel Welter (German) in 1922 and by a team of Greek archaeologists in the 1960s.

     Over the years, different peoples called it by different names. During the Ottoman’s times, the locals called it the Palace of Hadrian. During Turkish rule, it was called the Palace of Belkis, due to a legend that it was a palace constructed for one of King Solomon’s wives.

Sources: 
1-  Watkin, David. A History of Western Architecture: Sixth ed. New York: Thames and Hudson, 1986. Print.
2- Martin, Roland. Greek Architecture: Electa Architecture, 2003. Print

Arch of Hadrian, Athens, Greece, 131 AD

Constructed in 131 AD, the Arch of Hadrian is a monumental gateway built by the roman emperor, Hadrian as a part of a wall separating the old and new Athens. The arch spanned an ancient road from the center of Athens to the complex on the eastern side of the city that included the Temple of Olympian Zeus. British architects, Stuart and Revett did the earliest and only complete architectural study of the arch in 1751-53. They were perplexed by the fact that the arch is not aligned with the Temple of Olympian Zeus, despite the fact that it is only 20m from the boundary wall of that complex. It has been suggested that the arch was built to celebrate the arrival of the emperor to the city and to honor him at the time of the dedication of the temple. It is unclear who commissioned the arch but is likely that a group of Greek citizens designed and constructed it.

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The entire arch is made of Pentelic marble, from Mt Pendelikon. The design is fully symmetrical from front to back and side to side. It stands eighteen meters (fifty nine feet) high, thirteen and a half meters (forty four feet) wide and two point three meters (seven and a half feet) in depth and the single arched passageway of the lower level is six and a half meters (twenty one feet) wide. The lower arch is supported by pilasters crowned with Corinthian capitals. Similar but taller pilasters are on the outer corners. The space between the outer pilasters and the arched opening were filled in with squared stones with cut edges. The top of the lower level has an Ionic architrave with dentils and a geison.  On the lower level, the side of the arch facing the Acropolis has the inscription “ΑΙΔ' ΕIΣΙΝ ΑΘΗΝΑΙ ΘΗΣΕΩΣ Η ΠΡΙΝ ΠΟΛΙΣ” - “This is Athens, the former city of Theseus” while the other side reads, “ΑΙΔE ΑΔΡΙΑΝΟΥ ΚΟΥΧI ΘΗΣΕΩΣ ΠΟΛΙΣ” -“This is the city of Hadrian and not of Theseus.” The upper level of the arch has Corinthian columns and pilasters dividing the top into three openings. The outer openings, like the lower level, had an Ionic architrave with dentils and a geison. The central opening is different, it has antae with engaged Corinthian half-columns that support a triangular pediment that rested on the dentils, geison and sima that joined the center to the two sides. The central opening was originally covered with a thin screen of stone. Today, only the slots for its mounting exist. It has been suggested that there were statues in the side arches of the upper level. Some historians believe, based on the inscriptions, the statues were of Hadrian and Theseus, the two founders of Athens.

Stuart and Revett, Elevation

In the mid-eighteenth century, Stuart and Revett did architectural records of the arch. At that time, the base of the arch was buried only three feet into the ground. It has survived the centuries in remarkable condition, just missing the columns of the lower level. Today, it stands at its full height and towers over modern Amalias Avenue. As of late, the atmospheric pollution has discolored and degraded the original stone of the monument. 

Sources: 
1-  Watkin, David. A History of Western Architecture: Sixth ed. New York: Thames and Hudson, 1986. Print.
2- Martin, Roland. Greek Architecture: Electa Architecture, 2003. Print
3- https://www2.bc.edu/~scannedc/honors2.html

The Greek Agora

The Greek Agora

Image by Ancient-Greece.org

            The structure Agora dates back to its well-grounded origins in Greek architecture. The word Agora defines to the meaning of “assembly” in termsof signifying the importance behind “marketplace”.  The Agora stands tall and well rounded, as its current habitat is located in the northwest slope of the Acropolis. In the modern understanding the Agora was originally defined as “marketplace” Which lead to many other understandings regarding the space function and environmental effect. The Agora of Athens is presently seen and identified as the heart of the city. The Agora’s past function specialized in lifestyle services from residential areas to commercial options. The Agora was a dominant trade market place in use for more than 5,000 years. The current landmark has suffered countless buildings disasters as well has various constructional damage. If the current day archaeological site is noted there are still two basic land structures that still stand till this day. The social energy of the place was always very dominant. People from all spectrums of nature and tradition would come together to share university and even discuss political and religious culture. This creates physical opportunity widening the lenses of many drifted workers and landowners.

Image by archnet.com displays elevation and floor plan perspectives.

            The civic center located in the back entrance of the Agora was officially seen as one of the most important part of the ancient city. . The modest Temple of Hephaestus, which is the top, conserved ancient Greek shrines from the Orthodox era, and the impressive Stoa of Attalo. The building of the Hellenistic was rebuilt from the earth up based on its ancient exterior.

 The rich foundation of the Agora and its past function will forever serve as one of the most important areas. This is because the marketplace was a divine location in which thousands of people would come to trade not only goods but also commodities and tradition.  This divine sense of exchange soon took part in the bigger picture in terms of not only economic growth in Greek but also the actual expansion of man. Retail traders served, as a middleman between the people of Agora and the merchants. The market place became a production of social value. The processes of Agora resulted in the product of skilled artisans, merchants, politicians etc. The Agora of Athens is still defined as a prime example of democratic establishment.

Its excavations have been intensely studied and closely evaluated by the Greek Archaeological Society in the 19^th century. This research has answered in past design or structural concerns. The Romans constructed the most recognized building after their invasion to create civic buildings. The land of Agora at Athens ranges roughly over 6 acres.

The giant statues and huge lumps of marble create a difficult eye to not catch. Complementary with the harsh ruins in the middle of the archaeological site however, two impressive buildings stand witnesses to its past beauty. Philosophy in Agora gave great foreign social influence. The wise ideas and many ideal bringing are of different leaders and breadwinners soon would become its own idea of philosophy and trade. This architectural piece leads to many other physical inspirations from universities to philosophical debates. Agora would be considered one of the finest forms of prehistoric trade architecture. The usage of its space was always predominating when it came to economic growth for the entire nation.

Work Cited:

1.     http://ancient-greece.org/archaeology/agora.html

2.     http://www.ancient.eu/agora/

Choragic Monument of Lysicrates, Athens Greece, 334 BC

Choragic Monument of Lysicrates, Athens

The Theater of Dionysus is the birthplace of European theater as famous Greek tragedies and comedies were performed there as early as 534 BC. The theater of Dionysus contained seating constructed of wood and clay around the orchestra which was a rectangular area. Many Greek writers premiered their works at this theater during an annual theater festival known as Dionysia, named after the god Dionysus. In these competitions, plays were opposed against each other. The performances were sponsored by wealthy patrons of the arts who received a trophy as a reward for contributing to the theater performances. In 334 BC, Lysicrates received a trophy as his prize and as was customary, he built a monument for the trophy to be placed upon in 334 BC.  

Sketch of the Choragic Monument of Lysicrates

The monument has a 9.5 foot square foundation that is 13 feet high and is topped by a circular edifice that is 21 feet high. On top of the edifice can be found a tholos, circular structure supported by six Corinthian columns that is covered with a marble roof. All of this is made of Pentelic marble. Just below the marble roof can be seen a frieze. In careful detail, scenes from the play that must have won the competition are depicted. It shows Dionysus defeating Tyrrhenian pirates by turning them into dolphins. 3

Plan of the monument

Frieze on the column

The Choragic Monument of Lysicrates is one of the first Greek monuments built according to the Corinthian order which is why it might still hold so much importance today. Whereas it once held the bronze trophy, it now stands on its own in a small garden on Tripodon Street, located not far from the Theater of Dionysus. In 1669, the monument and surrounding area were perched by a French Capuchin monastery. However, the monastery was demolished during the Greek war of Independence of 1821. Later, in 1976-1887, architects Francois Boulanger and E. Loviot supervised a restoration under the auspices of the French Government. Even though it wass restored, the column capitals have been eroded greatly and the delicacy it had is not present anymore. 1

Merchant's Exchange in Philadelphia

This choragic monument has influenced other cultures so much that there are other versions of it which include the Dugald Stewart Monument on Calton Hill in the United Kingdom and another can be found in the Botanic Gardens of Sydney Australia. This choragic monument of Lysicrates became a popular symbol of ancient Greek culture in the west too as it has been used as a model in buildings such as the Merchant’s Exchange in Philadelphia. 2

Works Cited

1 Loth, Calder. "CLASSICAL COMMENTS: THE CORINTHIAN OF THE CHORAGIC MONUMENT OF LYSICRATES | Classicist Blog." Classicist Blog. N.p., 1 Apr. 2011. Web. 29 Oct. 2016.

2 "Lysicrates Monument in Athens - Greeka.com." Greeka. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Oct. 2016.

3 Herbert F. De Cou, "The Frieze of the Choragic Monument of Lysikrates at Athens", The American Journal of Archaeology and of the History of the Fine Arts, 8. 1 (January - March 1893):42-55) summarizes the history