GREEK ARCHITECTURE 



took, it* origin from the rock cut tomlm of M- m 

 ,11 (q.v.) in Kgypt, of which fig. 1 is an existing 

 ,p|e. Tin- pilliirs of tliis toinli api>ear at lii-t 



-i^'lit to he Doric; it is only on close inspection 



that we liml that the ecliimiB (see M<n MUM:) is 

 .tig miller tli.- rupital. Tlie echinus was, how- 

 used I iy the Egyptians, We here hnd our- 



-cl\ex in the cradle oi Greek art; here we must 

 fur the primitive elements of the style, not 



in Greece, where the earliest example is already 



Miiplote in all its parts. There, the earlier the 



i ile, the more massive is the form. This com- 

 v disproves the theory that the pillars were 

 opies of stems of trees used as ]x>sts. In Assyrian 

 and Hindu architecture evi<lence is preserved in the 

 forms of the bracket capitals of the wooden origin 

 of the pillars ami heams, hut in Greek architecture 

 i here are no such indications. It seems more likely 

 that the first pillars in Egypt were square piers of 

 rubble or brickwork, with a flat stone or tile laid 

 on the top to form a good bed for the beams to rest 

 on. The lintels or architraves are short and mas- 

 sixe, and the pillars are placed close together, as 

 would naturally be the arrangement in stone con- 

 st met ion. It has been supposed that the triglyphs 

 represent the ends of wooden cross-beams resting 

 on the architrave. But when the principles of 

 Greek construction are analysed it becomes apparent 

 that the triglyphs have been employed as stone 

 .supports set upon the architraves for the purpose 

 of carrying the cornice, the nmtules or spaces be- 

 tween the triglyphs being sometimes left open, 

 although generally filled with sculptured slabs. It 

 is also to l>e observed that the triglyphs are used on 

 the ends as well as the sides of the temple, where 

 they could not represent the ends of cross-beams. 

 The rafter* were certainly of wood, and gave their 

 sloping form to the pediment. It seems also likely 

 that the ends of the rafters and projecting roof- 

 tiles at the eaves may have suggested the detailed 

 features of the. cornice with its modillious. It will, 

 however, be observed that although the mode in 

 which stone is employed in Greek architecture is 

 quite appropriate for that material when the space 

 to l)e spanned is small, still the principle involved 

 i> the trabeate one, or that of beam construction, 

 which is more applicable to wooden framing than 

 to stonework, for which the arch is the proper 

 medium lioth of construction and expression. The 

 square form of the pier may have been afterwards 

 i nodi lied by cutting off the corners, and again 

 cutting off the remaining corners, until the polygon 

 suggested the fluted shaft. The same process was 

 afterwards gone through by the medieval architects 

 in developing the piers of Gothic architecture. Be 

 this as it may, the circular and fluted form of the 

 col 11 inn had been developed before it was adopted 

 in Greece. 



After the temple at Corinth, the next remaining 

 example is the temple at /Egina (q.v.), built about 

 a century later, or 550 B.C. There may have been 

 many temples of the same date, but none now 



\is| ; they were probably destroyed during the 

 I'eiM.in war, or removed to make way for finer 

 edifices during the great building epoch of Greece 

 which succeeded that war, and when she was at 

 the /enith of her power. Of this epoch we have 

 many remains. The temple of Theseus and the 

 Parthenon at Athens (438 B.C.), those of Zeus at 

 Olympia (440 B.C.), Apollo Kpicurins at I',a>s;e. 

 Minerva at Suniurn, and all the best examples of 

 the Doric style of Greece are of the age of Pericles. 

 Besides the Peloponnesus, there are the countries 

 colonised by the Greeks to which we can look for 

 remains of Greek architecture. The Dorian colon- 

 ists of Sicily and Magna Griecia carried with them 

 the architecture of their native country, and fur- 

 nish us with many fine examples. In Selinus there 



are MX temples, the oldest being about the Hame 

 age as that at Corinth. At Agrigentum there 

 are three I)oric tempi.--, one of them founded by 

 Theron (480 B.C.); this in the largest Grecian 

 temple of the period, lieing 300 feet long by IT.'l 

 feet broad. At Syracuse, /Kgesta, and Pa-stum 

 there still remain valuable examples. 



As the Doric art progressed, the early massive 

 forms gave place to more elegant and slender pro- 

 portions. In the temple at Corinth the column is 

 only 4*47 diameters in height ; in the Parthenon 

 (fig. 2), which is universally recognised as the finest 



Fig. 2. 



example of the style, the column is 6 '025 in height; 

 and in later examples it becomes still taller and 

 thinner, until it runs into the opposite extreme 

 from which it started, and becomes so meagre and 

 attenuated as to lose entirely the boldness and 

 vigour of design which are the chief characteristics 

 of the style. 



One thing to be particularly admired in the 

 Doric style is the beauty of the sculpture with 

 which it is adorned, and the appropriate manner 

 in which the sculpture is placed in the building, 

 and the building suited for the sculpture. Mi- 

 Pen rose has endeavoured to prove by elaborate 

 measurements and drawings that every line was 

 the subject of the deepest study on the part of 

 the architect, for the purpose of correcting and 

 allowing for all optical aberrations. The result is 

 that there is hardly a single straight line in the 

 building ; all the lines which ajmearto be perfectly 

 straight are drawn with accurately calculated curves, 



so as to produce the smoothest and most pleasing 

 effect to the eye. Every harsh angle is softened, 

 and every disagreeable combination of lines avoided. 

 For example, the columns instead of straight 

 sides have an entasis or slight swelling formed tnr 

 a hyperbolic curve ; the architrave of the front is 

 curved upwards, so as to correct the optical ilhuiop 

 caused by the sloping lines of the pediment, and 

 the columns are sloped slightly inwards so as to 

 give greater appearance of solidity. It must, how- 

 ever, be stated that in the part of Dunn's Hundbuch 

 der Architect- ( 1881 ) which treats of Greek archi- 

 tecture, this extraordinary refinement of details is 

 to a great extent denied. The Parthenon is built 

 entirely of white marble, and the whole of the 

 masonry in this, as in other Doric works of import- 

 ance, is put together with the most perfect work 

 nianship. There seems to be no doubt that this and 

 other Greek temples were adorned externally with 

 colour. To what extent this decoration was carried 

 is not clearly ascertained ; but it is proliable that 

 the exterior walls were covered with historical 

 pictures, which were sheltered frori the etlects of 

 the weather by the portico surrounding the temple. 

 This colouring also served as a background against 

 which the white-fluted pillars woi.ld stand well 

 out. The sculpture was probably also relieved by 

 a flat colour on the background, and the moulding* 

 decorated with painted or gilded ornaments. 



/OM '<. This style took its rise alxmt 500 B.C., 

 and a we have seen that the earlier Doric was 



