Classical Civilizations: Greece and Rome Flashcards
Lecture 2 (2/2)
Minoan and Mycenaean Cultures timeline
(2200 BCE-1100 BCE)
Minoan and Mycenaean location
Developed on small islands in the Aegean (Cycladic Islands), Crete and mainland of Greece (Peloponnesus)
Minoan and Mycenaean population
Population of 80,000 was supported by agriculture and fishing
Knossos
Palace of King Minos, 1450-1370 BCE
Palace of King Minos Discovery?
following excavations which started in 1900 by Sir Arthur Evans
Palace of King Minos plan?
loose agglomeration around a large central open space
Palace of King Minos design?
Lower level of narrow chambers on one side
Larger chambers; thought to be ceremonial rooms on the upper level
Spacing between the columns in larger spaces suggest a wooden beam structure
Palace of King Minos furniture use
Rulers had tall stone thrones with back others had shorter benches with no back
Palace at Mycenae city type
Naturally defensible city
Megaron
a rectangular hall with a portico in the front and a centrally located hearth
Mycenaean Palace design
Vibrant colors and plant motifs
Lion Gate location and date
Mycenae: 1300 BCE - 1250 BCE
Lion Gate type
Post and lintel structure
Cyclopean masonry
How is the Lions Gate so tall
Corbelling was used to construct the wall very high
Lions Gate Relieving space?
the triangular space between the corbelling
is the Lions Gate the first relief / monumental structure on mainland Greece
Yes
A column is represented in the middle of the Lions gate
wider at the top a feature very similar to columns used in Minoan architecture
Mycenaean culture and architecture was influenced by
Minoans
Mycenae timeline
1550 BCE - 1500 BCE
mainland Greece in the Bronze Age was dominated by
Mycenaean culture
Mycenae city type
fortified city (culture of war?) (offensive vs. defensive?)
Mycenaean people traded as far as
Italy and North Africa
Treasury of Atreus timeline
Mycenae c. 1300 BCE - 1250 BCE
Treasury of Atreus shape
Beehive tomb
Beehive Tomb use
Ruling elite was buried in this type of tomb
beehive tomb construction
Utilizes corbelling technique
Treasury of Atreus size
Largest domical space until Pantheon (Rome)
The Greek Temple plan precedent
plan derived from the Aegean Megaron
Greek temple function
Ceremonial and symbolic
Cella
the enclosed space of the temple (one or two rooms)
Polychromy
use of various colors
Greek temple observation
Permanence
Symmetry
Grounded, Static, permanent
Parthenon Athens timeline
447 BC - 436 BC
Greek orders
Doric, Ionic, Corinthian
Stoa of Attalos
Athens 150 BCE
agora
civic center or market place
Stoa
sheltered space for commerce
ancient Greek house aspects
grouping of rooms around a courtyard
blank exteriors
Sun baked brick or rough stone
surface plastered or stuccoed and whitewashed
rarely symmetrical
larger homes occasionally had a second floor
andron
a vestibule parlor used by men
oecus
all purpose living primarily used by women and children
Did Ancient Greek furniture survive
no
Klismos chair
the stele of Hegisto 410 BCE
Roman Empire
750 BCE? - 476/1453
Domus Italica aspects
atrium space in center
rooms surrounding
Pompeii
powerful city state involved in trade
Pompeii trade items
experts in metal working, ceramic, and fresco
how was Pompeii different than other cities
Etruscan women had more power than their Greek counterparts and were afforded a remarkably equal status with men. Women were a part of public life.
What is special about the Roman insula and the renaissance Palazzo
urban type first century architecture adapted for 15th-17th c architecture
How are the Roman insula and the renaissance Palazzo similar
interacts with street
lower level public shopping
upper level private homes
The Mycenaean Bridge
Kazarma 1,300 BCE
The Mycenaean Bridge construction
oldest arch, built with limestone without mortar / shape of stones balance it
who first used groin vaults
Romans
arch construction
wooden form to build upon
custom cut bricks
keystone at top keeps everything together
Lintel
type of beam that spans openings such as portals, doors, windows and fireplaces.
corbel arch
arch-like construction method that uses the architectural technique of corbeling to span a space or void
Roman Bath engineering
2 layers of walls
engineering starting to come into architecture
hot water in between to keep space warm
column type at the baths of Caracalla
Composite columns
why is Maison Carree significant
located in a province belongs to a period in which Roman transitioned from a republic to an empire
Maison Carree use
Roman temple dedicated to the imperial court
Pantheon use
temple to all gods
pantheon aspects
Corinthian order
coffered dome
Oculus is the source of internal lighting
Concrete dome
Concrete and brick walls with stone facing
Rotunda interior
Coffered dome purpose
used for structure not looks
concrete is heavy - coffering makes it lighter
what is the Basilica of Maxentius used for
public assembly hall
Roman Basilica Pompeii aspects
a major secular building type
used as a court room
masonry walls
wooden roof
Nave and aisles with focal apse
When were basilicas were converted into churches
Under empire constantine (1st c CE)
Pompeii and Herculaneum
eruption of Mount Vesuvius 79 CE
resort towns
Roman Houses Aspects
houses were typically one or two stories
fronting the street with a blank wall, or shops
Open courtyard
Open atrium and a pool in the center
Axis with the entrance was the formal parlor adjacent dining room furnished with three couches
Impluvium
Roman pool
Tablinum
Roman formal parlor
Triclinium
Roman dining room
Furniture from Pompeii
useful and decorative
made structural elements decorative
Roman Dining
romans ate their dinners reclining in their triclinia
convivium
a communal meal and an event for sexual pleasures and overindulgence
Baths of Caracalla
211-17 CE ??
Madison Carree
Nimes, France 1st c BCE
Pantheon
Rome (118-28 BCE)
Basilica of Maxentius
Rome 307-312
Roman Basilica - Pompeii
2nd c BCE
The markets at Trajan
Rome 100-112
