Greek Architecture:
Living and Working Spaces
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Cities, Towns, Villages, Homes
Urban development and living spaces varied widely in form and character. This is a collection of select ancient Greece living places, varying from large cities to simple homes, and from Stone Age to Roman times. The following is a list of notable places of habitation:
Akrotiri • Dimini • Itanos • Limnaia • Palekastro • Rhamnous • Thera Tripitos -
Defensive Works
Just about every ancient Greek community of every era relied on some defensive works for their long-term survival. These works might include elaborate city walls, natural features, and strategies (like the development of a navy or buffer states). The following are select ancient places with notable defensive works:
Mycenae • Tiryns • Sounion -
Mines and Quarries
Mines and quarries provided the natural resources that fueled the economic success of ancient communities, just like they do today. They provided valuable resources such as metals and marble.
The following is a collection of some famous mines and quarries:Lavrion Silver Mines
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Palaces
Best known to us are the palaces of Minoan Crete, the Mycenaean palaces of Peloponnese, and the Macedonian Palaces of northern Greece. In Classical times and for the city-states that adopted a democratic government there was no need to build palaces for the leaders, but other Greek communities like the Macedonians who had a king, palaces remained in use until the Roman era.
This is a collection of the most famous palaces from different eras:
Knossos • Malia • Mycenae • Phaistos • Tiryns • Zakros
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Sanctuaries
The Greek landscape and much of the Mediterranean coast is sprinkled with a plethora of sanctuaries. They were places devoted to one or more deities that provided a concentrated space for worship and festivals. In addition to worship of a deity, many sanctuaries offered specialized services like healing, and oracular advice.
Delphi • Dodona • Elefsina • Thermos • Olympia
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Stadiums
Athletic events provided the opportunity for all the city-states of Greece to gather and to strengthen their common bonds through competition. Athletic events were a great spectacle in antiquity and for many a peasant the only form of grand entertainment. The Olympic games were born in these stadiums, while wars and disputes among countries were put aside while the games were on.
Delphi Stadium • Epidauros Stadium • Olympia
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Stoa
Stoas were usually large elongated buildings with a shaded portico where merchants can set up a market, and citizens could assemble.
Agora: Stoa of Attalos • Brauron Stoa
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Temples
The refinement of form and the stylistic bravado bestowed upon the Greek temple establishes it as the architectural eye-candy of its time. Its endurance and proportional harmony rendered it a de facto architectural influence for the last two thousand years of western building tradition.Acropolis: Temple of Athena Nike • Erechtheion • Old Temple • Parthenon
Delphi: Temple of Apollo
Thermos: Temple of Apollo
Sounion: Temple of Poseidon • Temple of Athena -
Theatres
The Greek Theatre was a central place of formal gatherings in ancient Greece. Not only did the structure serve as the stage for Tragedies and Comedies, but it also provided a forum for poetry and musical events.Delphi Theater • Dodona Theater • Epidauros Theater
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Tholos
A tholos is a circular building of varying stylistic appearance (some were very ornate while others were austere look), function (some were dedicate to deities and other had a civic function), and style (some had a peristyle, while others did not)
Delphi Tholos • Epidauros Tholos • Olympia