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Pre-Greek & Greek Architecture Flashcards

1
Q

What does the term prehistory refer to?

A

The term prehistory references the period before history was written down, prior to any kind of written explanation of culture and civilisation.

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2
Q

When and where was Stonehenge created?

A

Wiltshire, England

2500 BC during the Late New Stone Age

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3
Q

Why is Stonehenge perhaps the world’s most famous prehistoric monument?

A
  • It uses thepost-and-lintel system: themost commonstructural system today.
  • World Heritage Site
  • One of the first structures erected by man
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4
Q

Where and when was Göbeklitepe created?

A

Göbeklitepe is found in the Sout Eastern Anatolian part of Turkey - near Sanlıurfa, 9000BC

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5
Q

What is Göbeklitepe?

A

Circles of massive T-shaped stone pillars were erected – the world’s oldest megaliths.- 10th to 8th BC

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6
Q

What is a megalith?

A

A megalith is a large stone that forms a pre-historic monument (e.g a standing stone)

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7
Q

Where and when was The Giza Pyramids created?

A

Outskirts of Cairo, Egypt

2500 BC

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8
Q

What was the purposes of the 3 Great Pyramids?

A

Egypt’s pharaohs expected to become gods in the afterlife. To prepare for the next world they erected temples to the gods and massive pyramid tombs for themselves - filled with all the things each ruler would need to guide and sustain himself in the next world.

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9
Q

What does the Giza pyramid complex include?

A

It includes the 3 Great Pyramids (Khufu/Cheops, Khafre/Chephren and Menkaure), the Great Sphinx, several cemeteries, a workers’ village and an industrial complex.

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10
Q

What are the disadvantages of the post and lintel system?

A
  • Can only withstand a limited weight
  • There must be small distances between the posts
    (ancient Roman architecture’s development of the arch allowed for much larger structures to be constructed)
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11
Q

What was the main ethos behind the classical Greek order?

A

no structural role, designed to impress

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12
Q

Where and when was The Temple-City of Karnak created?

A

Egypt, 2000BC

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13
Q

What was the purpose of he Temple-City of Karnak?

A
  • It comprises of a vast mix of decayedtemples, chapels, and other buildings inEgypt
  • It was built for Egyptian Gods; It is the largest religious building ever made
  • Place for pilgrimage
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14
Q

What age was the Minoan civilisation a part of?

A

Aegean Bronze Age, 2600-1600BC

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15
Q

What was the Minoan civilisation?

A

An AegeanBronze Agecivilisation on the island ofCreteand otherAegean Islandswhich flourished from about 2600 to 1600 BC - refers to mythicalKing Minos. Due to trade between Crete, Aegean and Mediterranean settlements: the Minoan cultural influence reached beyond Crete

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16
Q

What did Minoan architecture consist of?

A

Minoan architecture consists of several structures which acted as centres for commercial, religious, and administrative life.

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17
Q

What did the typical Minoan city look like?

A

The typical Minoan city was concentrated around a centre formed by the palace and a kind of agora - an open space for festive and political gatherings –most important is Knossos.

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18
Q

What did Minoan palaces act as (for example the Palace of Knossos)?

A

Minoans began building palaces to act as cultural, religious, administrative, and commercial centres for their increasingly expanding society. The Minoan palaces provided a forum for gathering and celebrations, while at the same time they offered storage for the crops, and workshops for the artists - so complex that they resembled labyrinths to outside visitors.

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19
Q

When did Minoans begin building palaces?

A

Around 1900BC

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20
Q

In what what way were the Minoans technologically advanced?

A

They had expanded drainage systems, irrigation, aqueducts, and deep wells that provided fresh water to the inhabitants.

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21
Q

Why did none of the Minoan palaces have defensive walls?

A

A testament to the Minoan supremacy at sea - there were dominant.

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22
Q

Where and when was the Minoan Palace of Knossos created?

A

Crete, 1700-1400BC

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23
Q

What is frescoes?

A

painting/murals on a plaster wall (Roman technique)

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24
Q

What was the purpose of the Minoan Palace of Knossos?

A

The palace of Knossos was the centre of administration of the entire island during Minoan times, and its position as such allowed for unprecedented growth and prosperity as witnessed by wall paintings (frescoes) visible behind the characteristic Minoan columns.

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25
*LEARN THE LAYOUT OF THE MEGARON*
*LEARN THE LAYOUT OF THE MEGARON*
26
What was the general layout of the megaron?
Porch of 2 columns (pronaos), a vestibule and rectangular hall with a central hearth and and oculus in roof with 4 columns (cella/central naos). There were often many rooms around the central megaron, such as archive rooms, offices, oil-press rooms and workshops.
27
How did the megaron become the prototype for Greek Temple typology?
The structure of the megaron foreshadowed an image for the eventual layout of Greek temples. This includes a columned entrance, a pronaos and a central naos or cella. The Megaron is considered to be the predecessor of all orders in architectural theory.
28
What was the significance of The Lion Gate of 1250BC?
It was the only monument of Bronze Age Greece to bear an iconographic motif that survived without being buried underground
29
What was the significance of The Lion Gate of 1250BC?
It was the only monument of Bronze Age Greece to bear an iconographic motif that survived without being buried underground.
30
What was The Treasury of Atreus or Tomb of Agamemnon and when was it constructed?
It is a large tomb in Mycenae, constructed during the Bronze Age in 1300BC.
31
What does the Treasury of Atreus look like?
Corbelled arch covering that is ogival (pointed arch) in section.
32
What was the span of the corbelled arch that made up Treasury of Atreus?
13.5m (which was the largest span in masonry for 1400 years)
33
What is a corbelled arch?
An arch-shaped construction technique to span a space or a void.
34
What was the positives and negatives of the structure of the Treasury of Atreus?
It had food load bearing efficiency but it required thickened walls.
35
In what century did the Mycenaean power decline and how did this lead to the start of Classical Greece?
During the 13th century BC. Other conqurers came down from north-central Greece making a sudden end of a long civilisation and beginning a Dark Age- 3 centuries of chaos, after which classical Greece began to emerge.
36
How long was the period of Classical Greece? From when to when?
Classical Greece was a period of around 200 years (5th and 4th centuries BC) in Greek culture.
37
What was the influence of Classical Greece?
Classical Greece had a powerful influence on the Roman Empire and on the foundations of western civilisation. Much of modern Western politics, artistic thought (architecture, sculpture), scientific thought,  theatre,  literature, and philosophy derives from this period of Greek history. 
38
What was the style of buildings during the Classics Green period?
- usually a cube/rectangle | - made from limestone cut into large blocks
39
Why was marble used during the Classical Greece period?
- it was readily available | - used mainly for sculptural decoration (only used as structural in the very grandest buildings of the Classical period)
40
What is architectural order?
An order in architecture is a certain assemblage of parts subject to uniform established proportions, regulated by the office that each part has to perform (or in other words the parts of the architecture and how they are related).
41
What type of building best highlights and exemplifies the aims and methods of Greek Architecture?
The Greek Temple
42
What are the 3 orders of columns?
Doric, Ionic and Corinthian
43
What does a column consist of?
A column consists of a shaft together with its base and its capital (see diagram).
44
What was the doric order in terms of triglyphs?
- one triglyph over each column and one in between. | - the outermost triglyph was always situated in the corner
45
When and where was the Temple of Hera created?
Olympia, Greece | 590BC
46
What order was The Temple of Hera?
Doric order, long and narrow columns, had no base (usually seen as the masculine order, ionic order usually represented the feminine)
47
Who was Hera?
the queen of the gods
48
When and where was the Temple of Aphaia created?
The Temple of Aphaia  is located within a sanctuary complex dedicated to the goddess Aphaia on the Greek island of Aigina, 500BC.
49
What was Paestum?
Paestum was a major ancient Greek city on the coast of southern Italy now.
50
What are the ruins of Paestum famous for?
The ruins of Paestum are famous for their 3 ancient Greek temples in the Doric order, dating from about 600 to 450 BC, which are in a very good state of preservation. 
51
What is entasis?
- making the columns cigar shaped, curving in at the top and leaning in slightly at the bottom - very common in earliest classical Greek temples - important optical illusion/perspective trick as the Greeks believed it made the columns appear vertical - later on they realised this optical illusion didn't exist
52
What is entasis a mark of?
a mark of early date (early classical Greek architecture)
53
What was the main room of a classical Greek temple called?
cella
54
When and where was the Sagesta temple created?
Sagesta, Sicily | 420BC by an Athenian architect
55
What order was the Sagesta temple?
Doric order
56
What does the Sagesta temple highlight?
The integration of architecture and nature - the temple is located in a very scenic location on Mount Barbaro 400m high. Completely isolated from the urban world, it's white columns stand out among the green of the landscape.
57
What are flutes/flutings?
carvings/indents on columns
58
What does hexa-style mean?
six columns on each main facade
59
What was Selinunte?
An ancient Greek city on the south-western coast of Sicily in Italy.
60
What was the importance of Selinunte?
The archaeological site contains five temples centred on an acropolis (high-city). Of the 5 temples, only the Temple of Hera, also known as "Temple E", has been re-erected.
61
What does peristyle mean? (think Temple of Hera)
A continuous porch formed by a row of columns surrounding the perimeter of building or a courtyard.
62
When and where was The Temple of Zeus created?
Olympia, Greece | 460BC
63
What was the Temple of Zeus? What order?
The Temple of Zeus at Olympia was an ancient Greek temple in Olympia, Greece, dedicated to the god Zeus. The temple was the very model of the fully developed classical Greek temple of the Doric order.
64
What does acropolis translate to?
acro = high polis = city (elevated city/city on high ground)
65
What was the acropolis?
A massive, mesa-like structure that rose abruptly from the plain on which the city was built and towered over it centre, the agora below.
66
When and who introduced the massive building project mainly included the Athenian acropolis?
In 447 Pericles (influential Greek statesman) instigated a building project in Athens whose scale, cost, and magnificence provoked comment and controversy in its own time and has contributed enormously in later ages to the reputation of the Golden Age of Greece.
67
What was the name of the road that wound up the slope from the agora to the acropolis?
"Sacred Way"
68
What is an agora?
a public open space used for assemblies and markets
69
What was the Parthenon?
A huge marble temple of Athena (also called the Parthenon).
70
What was the purpose of the Parthenon?
The purpose of the Parthenon was to house a costly new image of the goddess.
71
When and where was the Temple of Athena Nike?
Athens | 427BC
72
What style is the Temple of Athena Nike? What order?
- earliest Ionic temple - tetrastyle (four columns on main facade) - colonnaded portico at both front and rear facades
73
What is the Erechtheion and when was it created?
The Erechtheion is an ancient Greek temple on the north side of the Acropolis which was dedicated to both Athena and Poseidon (post and lintel technique).
74
When and where was the Porch of the Caryatids created?
Acropolis | 412 BC
75
What is a caryatid?
A sculpted female figure serving as an architectural support taking the place of a column or a pillar supporting an entablature (upper part above the columns of a classical building) on her head.
76
What is the post and lintel technique?
A building system where strong horizontal elements are held up by strong vertical elements with large spaces between them.
77
Who was the Parthenon dedicated to?
the goddess Athena, whom people of Athens considered their patron.
78
Why is the Parthenon so important?
It is the most important surviving building of Classical Greece, generally considered the zenith of the Doric order (symbol of Ancient Greece).
79
When was the Parthenon created?
447BC
80
What style was the Parthenon?
octastyle
81
What two main features/elements meant that the Parthenon is regarded as the finest example of Greek architecture?
Legendary architectural refinements such as the entasis of columns and the curvature of stylobate (platform).
82
Which order was the last to be developed out of the three principal classical orders and which is the most ornate?
Corinthian, named after the Greek city-state of Corinth
83
Where did the ionic order come from?
Originated in the mid-6th century BC in Ionia, the southwestern coastland and islands of Asia Minor settled by Ionic Greeks.
84
What multiple functions did the Parthenon have?
- treasury - church - mosque - museum
85
What was the Tholos of Delphi and when was it created?
The Tholos of Delphi is among the ancient structures of the Sanctuary of Athena in Delphi. The tholos is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site (not a clear purpose, perhaps a sanctuary dedicated to a god or treasury that kept statues) 380BC.
86
Who invented the typical layout of a theatre?
The ancient Greeks invented a new typology: the theatre.
87
What were theatres called in those times?
Theatron
88
What were the Theatrons?
Theatre buildings were called a theatron. The theaters were large, open-air structures constructed on the slopes of hills.
89
What were the three main features of the theatron?
- orchestra: a large circular or rectangular area at the centre part of the theatre, where the play, dance, religious rites, acting used to take place. - skene: a large rectangular building situated behind the orchestra, used as a backstage. Actors could change their costumes and masks. Earlier the skene was a tent or hut, later it became a permanent stone structure. - audience: rising from the circle of the orchestra was the audience.
90
What was special about the design of the theatron?
the mathematics behind the design meant the acoustics were incredible - the same sound heard everywhere
91
What was The Ancient Theatre of Taormina?
Taormina is an ancient town in the Metropolitan City of Messina, on the east coast of the island of Sicily, Italy home to The Ancient Theatre of Taormina. It is still frequently used for operatic and theatrical performances and for concerts.
92
What order was The Ancient Theatre of Taormina?
Corinthian
93
What is the main building material of the The Ancient Theatre of Taormina?
mainly brick
94
Why is it believed the present structure of the The Ancient Theatre of Taormina is thought to be a new structure rebuilt on the foundations of an older theatre?
The bricks identify that the structure is of Roman date however the plan and arrangement is in accordance with those of Greeks.
95
What were the three major structural & tech innovations by Greek architecture?
- post & lintel system - corbelled vault - pentelic marble
96
What was pentelic marble?
- fine grained calcitic marble - has a golden tinge - used for the major monuments of Classical Athens (e.g Parthenon) - costly & laborious - architects were involved in every aspect of the construction (even down to choosing the stone)
97
Why wasn't mortar needed when using marble?
- the tight fit of the stones was enough to hold them in place without the use of mortar - metal clamps embedded in the stone reinforced the structure against earthquakes
98
What were the three main Greek contributions to Urban History?
1. Colonising movement (urban growth of Greek "city-states" by founding new cities in other parts of the Mediterranean. 2. Evolution of twin foci of Greek cities - the acropolis & agora 3. Use of gridiron as the basis of a systematic approach to organisation of cities (systematic city planning)
99
What is a city state?
described as a type of small independent country, that usually consists of a single city and its dependent territories
100
What were the two main factors that affected the layout of city-states?
- TOPOGRAPHY: determined Greek territorial organisation on the basis of clearly defined, separate city-states, rather than through a single unified nation. - CLIMATE: influence on everyday life in Greece. Open air, communally oriented attitude to life, which in turn assisted the development of Greek democracy, leisure to enjoy theatrical ceremonies
101
What were the names of the two most important planned Greek cities?
- Miletus | - Priene
102
Who was Hippodamus?
Milasean architect who was considered the 'father of town planning and inventor of gridiron' but wasn't actually the inventor of gridiron (Harappan cities, 7th century BC)
103
What was the general rule of Greek urbanism?
There wasn't one - no academic urban planning rules/no recognised body of theory. Greek urban form was the result of applying uncomplicated planning principles to site, essentially applying a practical approach.

Architectural History & Theory (8 decks)

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