ARCHITECTURE
MYCENAEAN ENGINEERING
also in Crete, and at the Minoan outpost of Ancient Akrotiri on the
south of Santorini.
,Several gigantic volcanic eruptions rocked the region in the mid-15 th
century BC, causing geological ripple-eff ects that at the very least caused
big chunks of palace to fall to the ground. The Minoans resolutely rebuilt
their crumbling palaces on an even grander scale, only to have more nat-
ural disasters wipe them out again. The latter eff ected an architectural
chasm that was fi lled by the emerging Mycenaean rivals on mainland
Greece.Mycenaean Engineering
TheMycenaeans had a fi erce reputation as builders of massive masonry.
These war-mongering people roamed southern mainland Greece, pick-
ing off the choice vantage points for their austere palaces, fenced within
formidable citadels. The citadels’ fortifi ed Cyclopean-stone walls were
on average an unbreachable 3m (10ft) to 7m (25ft) thick. The immense
royal beehive tomb of the Treasury of Atreus (aka Tomb of Agamemnon)
at Mycenae was constructed using tapered limestone blocks weighing
up to 120 tonnes. The palace at Tiryns has stupendous corbel-vaulted
galleries and is riddled with secret passageways; and the incredibly well-
preserved Nestor’s Palace, near modern Pylos, also illustrates the Myc-
enaeans’ structural expertise.Classic Compositions
Theclassical age (5th to 4th centuries BC) iswhen most Greek architec-
tural clichés converge. This is when temples became characterised by the
famous orders of columns, particularly the Doric, Ionic and Corinthian.KNOW YOUR DORIC FROM YOUR CORINTHIANDoric The most simple of the three styles. The shaft (the main part of the column) is
plain and has 20 sides, while the capital (the head) is formed in a simple circle. Also
there’s no base. An obvious example of this is the Parthenon.
Ionic Look out for the ridged fl utes carved into the column from top to bottom. The
capital is also distinctive for its scrolls, while the base looks like a stack of rings.
Corinthian The most decorative and popular of all three orders. The column is ridged,
however the distinctive feature is the capital’s fl owers and leaves, beneath a small scroll.
The base is like the Ionic.Doric style Ionic style Corinthian style