21ARC 1.

4 HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE – I
AR. MITALI VAVRE
MYCENAEAN CIVILIZATION
BASIC TIMELINE OF ANCIENT GREECE
WHAT DEVELOPED MYCENAEN CIVILIZATION?
MYCENAEAN CIVILIZATION
Mycenaean Architecture- Pre-classical Greek

Introduction
• Mycenae was a city in ancient Greece, located 10km north of Argos in the southern
peninsula.
• The Mycenaean civilization flourished during the period roughly between 1600 BC-1100BC,
• It perished with the collapse of Bronze Age civilization in the eastern Mediterranean.
• The major Mycenaean cities were Mycenae and Tiryns in Argolis, Pylos in Messenia, Athens in
Attica and Thebes in Boeotia.
• The Mycenaean entered Greece from the north or northeast c.2000 B.C., displacing,
seemingly without violence, the older Neolithic culture, which can be dated as early as 4000
B.C. These Indo-European Greek-speaking invaders brought with them advanced
techniques in pottery, metallurgy, and architecture.
• Mercantile contact with Crete advanced and strongly influenced their culture, and by 1600
B.C., Mycenae had become a major center of the ancient world.
• The great Mycenaean cities—Mycenae, Tiryns, Pylos, Thebes, Orchomenos— were noted for
their heavy, complex fortifications and the massive, cyclopean quality of their masonry, while
other cities were totally unfortified.
• Mycenaean palaces were built around great halls called Megarons rather than around an
open space as in Crete.
 ARCHITECTURE propylaea
• The style of architecture used by the
Mycenaeans in their cities developed
during the Early Mycenaean period.
• The plan and layout of the Bronze Age
cities on the mainland resemble the
"palaces" of Crete in many ways, however,
the Mycenaeans did develop their own
style over the following centuries.
• Architecture of the heroic age in southern
Greece from the 17th to 13th century B.C.
Exemplified in the earliest phase by shaft
graves cut into the sloping rock, with
sidewalls of stone masonry and a timber
roof.

• In the middle period by monumental beehive tombs constructed of superimposed layers

of enormous stone blocks progressively projecting to create a parabolic corbeled vault,
with a stone-faced, inclined access passage leading to the entrance. composed of
upward-slanting jambs and a heavy stone lintel supporting a characteristic Mycenaean
relief triangle
• In the late period by fortified palaces having Cyclopean walls, underground passages with
corbeled vaults, postern gates, and cisterns, laid out on an irregular ground plan, with
distinctive propylaea, one or more unconnected columnar halls with porches facing
individual courts, and long corridors linking auxiliary and storage rooms.
FORTIFICATIONS
• The principal Mycenaean towns were well fortified.
• Mycenaean walls were often made in a fashion called cyclopean, which means that they were
constructed of large, unworked boulders up to eight meters (26 ft) thick, loosely fitted without the
clay mortar of the day.
• Different types of entrances or exits can be seen: monumental gates, access ramps, hidden
doors, and vaulted galleries for escaping in case of a siege.

Cyclopean
THOLOS TOMB
Corbel Vaulting
• Many of the Mycenaean constructions utilized stone blocks of an enormous size.
• Corbel Vaulting is used to span arched corridors and circular domes in buildings
and is often used to lighten the weight above doorways.
• The corbel vault is created by arranging courses of stones with each successive
course projecting slightly more into the space, until a single stone can be placed
over the top of the triangular arch.

The tunnel leading to the “secret spring” and the tholos tombs of the Mycenaeans

BEEHIVE TOMB
• The palace includes entrance gates, paved courts, large
halls, vestibules, smaller rooms, and a bath.
• It was apparently built by stages; the complex of buildings
representing both earlier and later palaces.
• The citadel of Tiryns is about 28 meters high, 280 meters
long, and it was built in three stages.
• In the 12th century B.C. it was destroyed by earthquake
and fire but remained an important center until the
7thcentury B.C.
The Great Gate
• The Propylaea is the monumental Gateway
• The entrance to the Acropolis of Tiryns consists
of a large gateway-built at the same time as
the Lion Gate at Mycenae.
• Unfortunately much of the stonework has not
survived. From the marks in the stone, it has
been calculated that the wooden door which
hung in the gateway was about 15cms (6
inches) thick.
• The ramparts of Tiryns are very impressive. They
are 7 - 10m wide (23 - 33 feet) and in some
places are 7.5m (25 feet) high.

The Palace area

• The door to the palace area had a large stone threshold.
• There are holes for the door hinges, and marks where the
socket for the wooden bar which would have held the
door closed.
• In the area known as the East Casemates there is a
narrow gallery, about 30m (99 feet) long. It has a vaulted
roof, and was built within the width of the ramparts.
Leading off the gallery are six rooms (casemates) which
are thought to have been used as stores or barrack
rooms.
• The Propylaea leads into the great court of the palace
Megaron
The Megaron
• The Megaron at Tiryns is the best preserved of
all the palaces. It's portico had two columns
and the walls were decorated with seven slabs
of alabaster(lime stone). These were decorated
with reliefs of rosettes and lapis lazuli.
• The Megaron itself was the most important
room in the palace. As at Mycenae, there was
a central hearth with four pillars to support the
roof. The floor was plastered, and decorated
with painted squares which imitated carpets.
• The walls were covered with paintings of
hunting, ladies on a wagon drawn by horses,
courtly ladies dressed in rich clothes, and wild
animals.
THE ETRUSCANS CIVILIZATION
The Etruscan civilization flourished in Italy in ancient times. It is famous for the huge influence
that it exercised on the early history and civilization of Rome.

The Etruscan civilization lasted from the

8th century BCE to the 3rd and 2nd
centuries BCE. In the 6th century the
Etruscans expanded their influence
over a wide area of Italy.
They founded city-states in northern
Italy, and to the south, their influence
expanded down into Latium and
beyond. Early Rome was deeply
influenced by Etruscan culture (the
word ―Rome‖ is Etruscan). The
Etruscans also gained control of
Corsica.
• The surviving Etruscan art which has come
down to us is figurative sculpture in
terracotta (especially life-size tomb statues
in temples) and cast bronze, wall-painting
and metalworking (especially engraved
bronze mirrors).

• As with all ancient peoples, Etruscan art was

strongly connected to religion; the afterlife
was of major importance in Etruscan art.

• The Etruscan musical instruments seen in

frescoes and bas-reliefs are different types
of pipes, such as Pan pipes and double
pipes, percussion instruments, and stringed
instruments like the lyre. The only written
records of Etruscan origin that remain are
inscriptions, mainly funerary. Otherwise,
Etruscan literature is evidenced only in
references by later Roman authors.

• The Architecture of the ancient Etruscans

was derived from that of the Greeks, and
went on to influence that of early Rome.
• Romans fix the date of the founding Rome
at 753 B. C.
• Prior to this date, the Etruscans established
an urban culture in the Italian peninsula,
which reached the height of its
development around 600 B.C.
• They had conquered and established their
authority over a loose federation of cities
• Rome was ruled by Etruscan Kings aided by
a popular assembly.
• Towards the end of the 6th century B.C.,
Etruscan power began to decline.
• In 509 B.C. Rome revolted against their king
and established an independent city state.
• Further decline in the power of the Etruscans
was accompanied by the rising influence
and increasing significance of Rome.
• The Earliest civilization in the region around
Rome was the Etruscans.
• The Etruscan civilization existed in the
northern part of what is now Italy, prior to the
formation of the Roman Republic.

5th century BCE fresco of dancers and

musicians, tomb of the leopards
• During the 700s BC, the Etruscans developed into a series of autonomous city-states: Rome was
a part of these city states.
• Knowledge about the Etruscans is fragmentary, and usually filtered through Roman eyes; They
brought sophisticated Eastern and Greek culture to the region. Not much has survived of
Etruscan buildings to the present.
• The temple shown in the image is a reconstruction of a typical Etruscan temple.
• The Etruscans introduced another order of architecture. This order, known as the Tuscan order
became popular with the Romans
• The Tuscan order had a simple base and the shaft was without flutes
• The capital and entablature were also without decoration
Temple of Juno Sospita
• The Temple of Juno Sospita, Lanuvium is conjecturally restored from the description by
Vitruvius.
• The plan has three cells for three deities, and a front portico with two rows of four columns
widely spaced and approached by walled-in steps—a type of temple plan afterwards
adopted by the Romans, and in contrast to the Greek type.
• The restored elevation shows the steps between flanking walls and the portico columns
supporting pendant slabs and pediment.
• The roof carpentry of an Etruscan temple is included in this reconstruction and the terra-
cotta roof covering of this Temple has been set up.
PERSIAN CIVILIZATION
The Achaemenid Empire, also called the First Persian Empire, was an ancient Iranian empire
that was based in Western Asia and founded by Cyrus the Great in 550 BC.
Introduction
• The Persian empire started in about 560 BC when Cyrus the great from the province of Fars
swept over the region with his powerful cavalry
• By the end of the century, Cyrus and his successors, Darius 1 and Xerxes had conquered the
entire civilized world from Indus to Danube River with the exception of Greece
• It was the wish of the Persians to construct great buildings. They were to achieve greatness
with their architectural solutions
• The architectural solutions were a synthesis of ideas gathered from almost all parts of their
empire and from the Greeks an Egyptians
• Their materials of construction was also from different locations
• Material included mud-brick from Babylon, wooden roof beams from Lebanon, precious
materials from India and Egypt, Stone columns quarried and carved by Ionic Greeks
• Despite sourcing materials and ideas from different areas, their architecture was original and
distinctive in style
Palace at Persepolis
• Persian architecture achieved its greatest monumentality at Persepolis
• It was constructed as a new capital for the Persian Empire
• The city was started 510 BC and finished in 460 BC
• It is set along the face of a mountain leveled to create a large platform 1800 feet by 900 feet
• It was surrounded by a fortification wall
• The site was more than half covered by buildings
• It contained 36 slender columns widely spaced
& 67 feet high
• The columns had a lower diameter of 5 feet
• The centers of the columns were spaced at 20
feet or 4 times diameters apart
• The column was the greatest invention of the
Persians
• The columns were fluted and stand on bell
shaped bases
• Their capital combine Greek motifs with
Egyptian palm leaf
• Another famous aspect of the Palace at
Persepolis was the Throne room
• This was also known as hall of a 100 columns
• The columns in the room were 37 feet high, with
a diameter of 3 feet
• They were spaced 20 feet apart or 7 times
diameters from axis to axis
• The slim nature of the column created room
and spacious feeling in the room when
compared to the audience hall
• The monumental entrance to
Persepolis is also one of the unique
aspects of the Palace
• The monumental gateway ensure
a dramatic entry to the Palace
• It was heavily adorned with relief
sculpture ornamenting its stairway
• The relief structure addresses
different themes relating to the role
of Persepolis as the capital of the
Persian Empire
• In some places, the sculpture
shows delegates from the different
parts of the Persian bringing gifts
and rare animals to the king during
celebrations
• In some places, royal guards and
nobles of the imperial court are
shown
• Elsewhere, the king is seen in
conflict with animals or seated
beneath a ceremonial umbrella