Located in southeastern Europe, Greece is defined by a series of mountains and

surrounded on all sides except the north by water.

 Geography
Sea: Heavy influence of physical environment of
Greece(Aegeon Sea, Ionian sea)

Mountains of Hymerrus(with narrow valleys): Cover

more than ¾ of Greece’s surface area and islands. More
than 2000 islands.(Crete being the largest & Paros,
Naxos)

Rivers: There are no major rivers on the mainland of

Greece but the soil is very fertile.
PLAN SHOWING ISLAND OF CRETE & GREECE:
 Influences
• Geographical:
The rugged nature of the Greek peninsula &
its islands, with mountainous hinterlands which
made internal communication difficult, made the
sea transport inevitable.
• Geological:
Greece & her domains had ample supplies
of Marble & was found in mountains of Hymerrus &
Pentelicus near Athens.
• Climatic:
climate was intermediate between rigerous
cold & relaxing heat.
 Time-Period
• The ARCHAIC PERIOD (c. 750 – c. 500 BC) follows, in which
artists made larger free-standing sculptures in stiff, hieratic
poses with the dreamlike ‘Archic Smile'. The Archaic period is
often taken to end with the overthrow of the last tyrant of
Athens in 510 BC.

• The Hellenic or CLASSICAL PERIOD(c. 500 – 323 BC) is

characterized by a style which was considered by later observers
to be exemplary (i.e. 'classical')—for instance the Parthenon.
Politically, the Classical Period was dominated by Athens and
the Delian league during the 5th century, displaced by Spartan
Hegemony during the early 4th century BC, before power
shifted to Thebes and the Boeotian League and finally to the
League of Cornith led by Macedon.
• The HELLENISTIC PERIOD(323–146 BC) is when Greek
culture and power expanded into the Near and Middle East.
This period begins with the death of Alexander and ends
with the Roman conquest.

• ROMAN GREECE, the period between Roman victory over

the Corinithians at the Battle of Corinith in 146 BC and the
establishment of Byzantium by Constantine as the capital of
the Roman Empire in 330 AD.

• The final phase of ANTIQUITY is the period of

Christinization during the later 4th to early 6th centuries,
taken to be complete with the closure of the Neoplatonic
Academy by Justanian 1 in 529 AD.
Political Aspects
Government Economy
 Government
Four major TYPES OF GOVERONMENT evolved in Ancient Greece:

• MONARCHY(Rule of King) limited by an aristocratic council

and a popular assembly.

• OLIGARCHY(Rule of few) arising when the aristocratic council

outset the King and abolished the assembly.

• TYRANNY(Rule of one who ruled without legacy authority)

riding to power on the discontent of lower class.

• DEMOCRACY(Rule of people) the outstanding political

achievement of Greece.
 Government of ATHENS

• During the GOLDEN AGE of Greece (461-429 B.C.), the great statesman
PERICLES guided Athenian policy.
• Advancements in culture, thinking, literature, philosophy, wealth,
expansion of trade
• Reliance on slaves and women opened up free time for men to discuss
philosophy and participate in politics.
• Provided a new start for the lower classes by CANCELING DEBTS.
• Sought FULL EMPLOYMENT by stimulating trade and industry and
requiring fathers to teach their sons a trade
• Granted common people POLITICAL RIGHTS but not equality.
 Government of SPARTA

• Every Spartan was first of all a solider.

• Sickly infants were left to die on lonely mountaintops.
• Boys were taken from their families at age 7 to live under rigorous military
discipline.
• Girls were trained to be the mothers of warrior sons.
• Spartan government was considered one of the most stable in all of Ancient
Greece = led to a warrior and military state (state above individual)
• Ares - God of war was a patron god of the city, of wars, battles, and warriors,
and also of fearlessness in battle.
 Economy
• At its economic height, in the 5th and 4th centuries BC,
Ancient Greece was the most advanced economy in the
world.
• According to some economic historians, it was one of the
most advanced preindustrial economies.
• Trade was done by barter system.
• Items of trade were olive oil, wine, silver, white marble,
pottery, furniture, jewelry, textiles for grain, glass, ivory,
timber.
• Coins were also used for trading.
 Sociology
•Originality, self expression, reasoning, critical enquiry etc. was
spirit of Greek expression.
•There was great love of beauty, respect for truth & emphasis on
naturalism & humanism.
•Cult of “sound mind in sound body” was much evident.
•Unified personality was phenomenon.(stonecutter could also be
philosopher).
Art
• The most important architectural form was the temple
dedicated to a god or goddess.
• The greatest example is the Parthenon, built between 447 and
432 B.C. and dedicated to the patron goddess of Athens.
• It showed Athens pride in itself and exemplified the principles of
classical Architecture: calm, clarity and freedom from
unnecessary detail.
 Architecture
• Greek life was dominated by religion and so it is not
surprising that the temples of ancient Greece were the
biggest and most beautiful.

• The Greeks developed three architectural systems,

called order each with their own distinctive properties
and detailing.

• The Greek orders are: Doric ,Ionic and Corinthian.

Comparitive study of 3 orders
 Comparitive study of 3 orders

The Doric style is rather
sturdy and its top(the
capital), is plain. This style
was used in mainland
greece and the colonies in
southern Italy and Sicily.
The Ionic style is thinner and
more elegant. Its capital is
decorated with a scroll like
design(a volute).This style
was found in eastem Greece
and the islads.
The Corinthian style is
seldom used in the Greek
world, but often seen on
Roman temples. Its capital is
very elaborate and
decorated with acanthus
leaves.
Parts of Greek temple
Cornice – horizontal corona
– all round
Primary function - clear line
along the upper perimeter
of building.

Architrave – principal beam

Caryatids –
statues of
draped
Women
–instead of
columns
Priestesses
from Caryae
Temples
rectangular temples described
- no. of columns
- entrance or exterior columns.

In antis – columns in line with wall Henostyle – one column

Prostyle – front only Distyle – 2 tetrastyle - 4
Amphi prostyle – front/back Tristyle -3 Pentastyle -5
Peripteral - allround Hexastyle -6 Heptastyle -7
 Parthenon,Athens
443 -432B.C.

10 columns
» Octastyle peripteral -
U shaped -5

4 Ionic

9’ wide

Octastyle, Perpiteral
•Smooth contact
between two blocks
centre
•rough- fitted iron,
bronze clamps.
•Column drums – metal
dowels
•Metopes -92 almost
square.
•14 on each front
•32 on each side
•Each depict 2 figures in
combat
•High relief.
 Town Planning – Hippodomas
• The POLIS(city-state) consisted of a city and its
surrounding plains and valleys.
• The nucleus of the Polis was elevated, fortified site
called ACROPOLIS, where people could take refuge
from attack.
• With the revival of commerce, a TRADING CENTRE
developed below the Acropolis.

Divided city – 3 zones

1. Public buildings
2. Sacred use – citadel -acropolis – temple
3. Private homes – outside the fortified walls

Public Buildings of 2 types

1 Portico or Stoa – one side open hall by colonnades
2. Covered room or Hypostyle - internal columns
 Acropolis of ATHENS
Erechtheion Erechtheum King’s Theater of
Pinakotheke Parthenon Shrine Dionysius

Odeum of Herodes Stoa of

Eumenes Sanctuary of
Atticus (Roman)
Asclepiusc
 Stoa
Bouleuterion

Temple Agora
Civic Architecture
Prytaneum – inner council – Banqueting hall
Bouleuterion – Advisory committee
Assembly Hall – general use

Agora
town square, political, business, social life,
open air public space
Odeion – Musicals
Stadium – foot race- Olympia – 50,000
spectators
Hippodrome – Horse, chariot racing
Telesterion – hall of mysteries, magic

Stoa
roofed promenade, monumental appearance
150M length
• The stoa
a long colonnaded building
used around public places & as
shelters at religious shrines.

• The prytaneion
served as senate house for
the chief dignitaries of the city.
it had official banqueting hall ,
also a symbolic communal
hearth on which a fire burnt .
• The bouleterion(council
house)
was meeting place for
democratically elected
councils. they were
generally rectangular with
banked seats facing inwards
on 3 sides.

• Assembly halls
for citizens in general,
were similar to the council
halls but needed to be larger,
very generally covered.
•Odeion :
a kinder type of theatre where
musicians performed their works for the
approval of the public & competed for
the prizes

•The stadium:
was the foot race-course in cities
where games were celebrated seats
were made on convenient natural
ground. Oldest stadium in greece is in
olympia.
• Sports – Physical training- Gyms,
• Olympic Games – Zeus temple at Olympia
• Prize – olive wreath – gifts of gold, food.
• Runners, wrestlers, boxers.
• Marathon
Theatre at Epidaraus
• Designed by Polycleitos
• Geometrical exactitude of
layout was done by
variations & adjustments
considering the human
requirements.
• Constructed in 350 B.C
Had five essential features

• Theatron – seats for spectators

• Logeion – stage for actors
• Orchestra – dancing floor for chorus
• Thymele – altar in the centre of the orchestra
• Parados – gangway to altar and orchestra
• The Audience

. The Greeks found that you

could hear every word of a
play when you were sitting on
a slope looking down on the
orchestra and the skene..
Then they made the seats in
rows, and divided up the
block of seats with passages
going from the top row to the
bottom, and passages going
from one side to the other. A
passage was called a
'diazoma.'

• At Epidaurus there are 55

semi-circular rows, providing
an estimated seating capacity
of 12,000-14,000 people.
View from audience:
• The acoustics in this theater are magnificent, and
words spoken very softly in the orchestra can be
heard in the top rows.
• Acoustic efficiency developed from understanding
that “sound was intensified near the source by
reflection from hard paving & skene.”
• As theatre without enclosing walls & roofs, no
reverberation.
• Quality of speech, excellent hearing conditions & a
still atmosphere ensured phenomenal success of
large open-air theatre.