ARCHITECTURE OF THE AEGEAN
PREPARED BY: Ar. AMOL S. HOLEY
B A C K G R O U N D
• Geography
• Geology
• Climate
• Politics
• Religion
• Socio-cultural
M I N O A N C I V I L I Z A T I O N
• Palace of King Minos at Knossos
M Y C E N E A N C I V I L I Z A T I O N
• Acropolis at Tiryns
• Palace at Mycenae
• Lion Gate
• Treasury of Atreus
A R T
• Minoan
• Mycenean
• Cycladic
BACKGROUND
POLITICAL
• Greek mythology- Iliad and odyssey
• Time period: what had happened in the world till then- Jericho, Stonehenge
Contemporary civilizations: Egypt, Mesopotamia, Indus Valley, China
• Aegean as precursor to Classical Greece
• GREECE:
I. Helladic period (3000 – 1050 BC)
II. Dark Age (1050 – 650 BC)
III. Hellenic period (650 – 323 BC)
IV. Hellenistic period (323 – 30 BC)
GEOGRAPHY
Proximity to Anatolia, Mesopotamia beyond, Egypt
Surrounded by sea- islands were secure. Navigation: Trade
flourished.
• Mainland Greece: MYCENEAN
• Island of Crete: MINOAN
• Cycladic islands
Land was divided into pockets by sea and mountains
Aegean islands- tops of mountains
Rivers not good for navigation
CLIMATE
CULTURE
Rituals cannot be properly reconstructed Mediterranean
Figurines of Godesses found Short winters, limited severe conditions
Rituals like bull leaping, processions Adequate rainfall
Summers- hot and dry, clear skies, intense
RESOURCES sunshine
Comparison with other civilizations:
•Geographical characteristics
•Socio-political
BUILDING TECHNOLOGY
Comparison with other civilizations:
•Geographical characteristics
•Socio-political
HOUSING TYPES (PREHISTORIC TIMES)
• MAINLAND GREECE: free standing hut, single room
• ASIA MINOR & CRETE: random and asymmetrical
agglomeration of rooms
PALACES
• 2000 BC- Crete- trade- increased wealth-
agglomerated buildings- palaces
• First palaces: 1900 BC. Obliterated about 1625 BC-
earthquakes. Rebuilt . Destroyed again in mid 15th
cent BC.
MINOAN CIVILZATION: island of Crete
PALACE OF KING MINOS AT KNOSSOS
LOCATION
ISLAND OF CRETE
PALACE OF KING MINOS AT KNOSSOS
The largest palace in Crete: not necessarily the capital
Palace, centre for trade and commerce, storage, manufacturing and administrative centre
Buildings at least 2 storied- around a central courtyard
PALACE OF KNOSSOS, CRETE
•LABYRINTH. Plan chaotic, a result
of organic growth
•COURTS: Central Court and West
court
•No fortification
•STORAGES ON GROUND FLOOR:
west wing- oil jars, north- granaries
•THRONE ROOM- anteroom- 4
pairs of folding doors
•Throne room- dark and mysterious
•DRAINAGE lines
Piano Nobile: Principal level Plan
Spacious rooms
Rooms arranged for functional reasons rather than symmetry
BASTION
MAGAZINE
LIGHT WELL, COLUMNS ANTEROOM TO THE THRONE ROOM
THRONE ROOM FRESCOES
MYCENEAN CIVILIZATION: Mainland Greece
PALACE AT TIRYNS
PALACE AT MYCENAE
TREASURY OF ATREUS
ACROPOLIS AT TIRYNS
LOCATION
MYCENAE
TIRYNS
ACROPOLIS AT TIRYNS
PRESENT CONDITION
•Double fortification •Forecourt
•Terraces to the north •Inner, outer court
•Propylon •Principal megaron, Lesser megaron
MEGARON AT TIRYNS
•Floor- plastered and painted
LOCATION
•Alabaster frieze at the base of walls
THRONE HEARTH
MAIN INNER ROOM ANTEROOM COLONNADED PORCH
Alabaster frieze at the base of walls
PALACE AT MYCENAE
LION GATE
• Upright stone jambs-3.1m high.
• Lintel-4.9m long X 1.06m high X 2.4 m deep,
• opening- 3m wide
• triangular shaped- corbelled opening.
• stone panel
•The fortifications - similar to that at Tiryns,
probably built at the same time and same
workmen.
•A flanking bastion at the entrance.
•‘Lion Gate’ is at the inner end.
•Circular enclosure of inner and outer rows
of continuous upright stones with horizontal
slabs on top.
•This surrounded the shaft graves of kings.
•houses and a shrine having fresco paintings
depicting a goddess and terracotta cult
figures.
•The palace proper was simpler than Tiryns.
•A plastered court led to the megaron
consisting of a porch, an antechamber, and
a main room 13m X 12m.
SHAFT GRAVES
TREASURY OF ATREUS, MYCENAE (TOMB OF AGEMEMNON)
•Built between 1350 – 1250 BC •Tholos-corbelled vaulted. The upper part emerged above
•Dromos-tholos-side chamber ground level, and was covered with a mound.
•After burial- dromos was filled
SCRIPTS: LINEAR A & B
ART
MINOAN
•‘BULL LEAPING’
•Fluidity, motion
•Movement, life
BULL: HARAPPA BULL: LASCAUX CAVES
ART
MINOAN
•OCTOPUS JAR
•Realism- not in shape,
but in motion
MINOAN SNAKE GODDESS HARAPPAN GODDESS
ART
MYCENEAN
LADY GODDESS
SCULPTURES
‘WARRIOR VASE’
ART
CYCLADIC
ART
EVOLUTION
THE MINOANS THE MYCENAEAN
• The Minoans lived on the island of • The Mycenaean's were the first to speak the
Crete located south of Greece in the Greek language and are considered by
Mediterranean Sea. historians to be the first Greeks.
• Although they lived in what is now • They were builders of fortresses all over the
Greece, they are not considered to be Greek mainland and often attacked other
Greek because they didn’t speak the kingdoms.
Greek language. • Historians believe the Mycenaean's attacked
• They were among the best shipbuilders the city of Troy, possibly starting the legendary
and traders in the Mediterranean. Trojan War.
– They traded pottery and olive oil – The Mycenaean civilization was defeated
for copper, gold, silver, and jewels. by invaders from Europe in c1200 BC.
– A volcano erupted in the c1600 BC – This period in Greek history is referred to as
ending the Minoan civilization. the Dark Age of Greece.
