Week Three - Classical Civilizations

   Ancient Greece was inhabited by the Mycenaeans and Minoans. The Mycenaens occupied mainland Greece, and the Minoans were centered on the island of Crete. The Minoans inhabited mainly the plains on Crete. Their cities were not fortified because the island itself provided a means of protection from invaders. The Mycenaeans and Minoans both had Neolithic communities, but their most significant structures were their palaces. 

The Minoans

   The Palace of Knossos was the most important structure on the island of Crete. It does not contain large individual rooms, but hundreds of smaller rooms. It surrounds a central courtyard. The more important rooms in the palace were painted. Most of them were painted red, white, or black. These were the most abundant colors. Greens and blues were much more rare and expensive, so they were reserved for only the most important rooms. The palace was located in the center of the town. Buildings on the perimeter of the urban space were built with Minoan cornices and columns. Minoan columns were very distinguished in shape. They were much larger at the top and then gradually became smaller towards the bottom. This design was very smart structurally and is still used today. Frank Lloyd Wright especially enjoyed this column design and used it on multiple designs of his own.

                 Minoan Columns                       SC Johnson Headquarters (Frank Lloyd Wright)

   The Minoans are also known for their fired and glazed pottery. They also made items out of metal like utensils and jewelry. They produced textiles and furniture. The throne, for example, was made of alabaster and had no arms. The throne was against the wall, where the tall back of the throne was carved. The rest of the furniture in Crete was likely wood since most Greek furniture was made of wood at this time. The important rooms in the palace were decorated with elaborate wall paintings. They usually included nature, animals, and humans giving offerings. The Age of Minoan building came to an end around 1400 BCE.

The Mycenaens

   Mycenae was located in mainland Greece. The megaron was the foundation for Mycenaean architecture. It is a U-shaped structure with a porch held by two columns. It has two side walls that follow a specific decorative system. A hearth is located in the center of the megaron, open to the sky. 

Mycenaen Megaron

   Unlike the Minoans, the Mycenaens had fortified cities. They built these cities mainly on the tops of mountains. This was the first time that landscape was used in a direct way to respond to buildings. These cities were built of cyclopean masonry, which is big blocks or irregularly shaped stones. They were usually around 20 feet thick and very defensive. The palaces were larger and more elaborate versions of the megarons. The most stunning types of architecture outside of the city were the beehive tombs. The simple structure held corbelled domes. Corbelling is a construction method where each layer extends out further as you go down. The entrance to the tomb was known as a dromos, an elongated entrance with high retaining walls on either side. These tombs were usually located in hillsides. 

Mycenaean Beehive Tombs (outside and inside)

Klismos Chair

   The Klismos chair was a signature piece of Greek furniture. It’s featured in thousands of paintings, especially on vases. It is a very distinguished piece of art, known for how perfectly it is designed for the human body. Much of Greek architecture is referenced and sized based on the human body. The chair possesses splayed legs, a leather seat(sometimes with a cushion), and a curved back that conforms to the sitter’s back. The only flaw in this design is that the splayed legs are subject to failure. This is a good example of how nothing is truly perfect. Even structures that they thought at the time had no flaws. I think this is also a good representation of Christianity. Nothing on this Earth is perfect because there’s sin in our world. Only God is perfect. That is why Jesus had to come to Earth to live a perfect life for us. 

Current Renditions of Klismos Chair

  One Step Further:

Since I mentioned Frank Lloyd Wright earlier in this blog I decided to use him as my One Step Further. Frank Lloyd Wright is one of the most well-known American architects. He was born on June 8, 1867, in Richland Center, Wisconsin. He worked for around 70 years and designed more than 1,000 structures. He received multiple awards including the AIA Gold Medal in 1949 and the Royal Gold Medal in 1941. He was a very successful designer and most known for his unique idea of organic architecture. He designed his buildings to harmonize and flow with the environment they were built into. Frank Lloyd Wright died on April 9, 1959, in Phoenix, Arizona.