Transcript erechtheion - theGreekworld

THE ERECHTHEION
THE BASICS
DATE
it was built between 421 and 406BC.
MATERIAL
Philokles
Could also have been Mnesikles
Pentilic marble
LOCATION
north side of the Akropolis.
FUNCTION
built to house the wooden statue of
ARCHITECT
Athena Polias
THE BASICS
•
•
•
•
it was built between 421 and 406BC.
unusual and complex temple on the north side of the Acropolis.
made from Pentelic marble.
it is an irregular Ionic temple.
– Doric order not used because of political problems with the Dorians at
time of construction.
• the architect is probably designed by Philokles
– could also be Mnesicles.
• built to house the wooden statue
– Athena Polias.
• a lot of care and money was put into this elegant and
decorative temple.
THE HISTORY
• the Erechtheion was named either after...
– Erechthonios – a legendary, early
Athenian king who had the
form of a snake
– or after Erechthonios’
grandson Erechtheus.
• during Erechthonios’ reign a statue
of Athena Polias fell to earth and
this statue was placed in the Erechtheion.
PROBLEMS FACED, #1
• the architect faced many problems in creating the temple:
• the Erechtheion
was placed well
over to the north
side of the
Acropolis where
the ground sloped
away to both the
north and west.
So …
1
= the two main cellas had to be built on different levels.
2
PROBLEMS FACED, #2
• another problem the architect faced was:
• because the ground
was dotted with small
shrines and sacred
spots the architect
couldn’t demolish,
cover up, level, or
build terraces over
the site. So …
= the sites had to be
incorporated within,
around, and even
under the temple.
PROBLEMS FACED, #3
• another problem the architect faced was:
• as there was no room
for a balancing west
porch the temple
couldn’t run east-west
as most temples did.
So …
= the architect shifted
the west porch to the
northern side and
balanced this with a
decorative south porch.
PROBLEMS FACED
• because of the problems he faced, the architect
didn’t see temple as a single temple but as a series
of separate boxes.
WEST
SOUTH
NORTH
EAST
THE EXTERIOR DESIGN
• the temple is
designed so that
there are:
– four sets of
columnar
supports,
– three structural
units each with
its own roof,
– four different
levels.
1
3
4
3
1
32
2
2
1
4
THE INTERIOR DESIGN
• we don’t know how the
interior looked because it
has been virtually
destroyed.
– it could have looked like
this…..
– or this ……
• the main central building
is spilt into two parts, the
eastern and western cellas.
EAST
• entry to the cella was by a
wide doorway and two
windows gave access to the
cella.
• probably contained the cult
statue of Athene Polias.
• there are two altars in the
main room,
– one to Boutes,
– one to Hephaistos.
• the east porch is Ionic Hexastyle.
• another two rooms ran lengthwise down the cella.
WEST
• probably held the
cistern with the salt
sea of Poseidon.
– this appeared
when the god hit
the ground with his
spear during his
contest with
Athene.
1 234
• the lower level of
this wall has a
doorway leading to
the shrine of Kekrops.
• at the western end there were four
Ionic half-columns elevated in the wall because of the slope.
• bronze grilles are behind these 4 Ionic half-columns.
SOUTH
• this southern porch is best known
part of the Erechtheion,
– because the roof is held up by 6 korai
(maidens) that we now call the
Karyatids.
• the Karyatids support an architrave.
• the architrave is decorated with:
–
–
–
–
rosettes,
dentils,
a flat roof,
there was no frieze above their heads.
• no external access to the porch, it
could only be reached by stairs from the west cella.
• the shrine of the first King of Athens, King Kekrops (said to be halfman/half-snake), was set back from the porch.
NORTH
•
essentially the north is a balancing
porch.
•
OR awestern porch rotated to the
north side.
•
4 Ionic columns stand along the
north façade with two more on the
side.
•
the coffered roof had a hole in it to
allow light in because it was here
that a thunderbolt from Zeus was
said to have struck.
•
this porch gave access to the western
cella through a large doorway.
•
the porch juts out to the west:
– a door here which allows access to the shrine of Pandrosos where an olive tree stood, the gift of
Athene to Athens when she the competition against Poseidon.
DECORATION
• the Ionic columns were highly decorated with gilding and
glass beads and they had elaborate bases and capitals.
• the porches had coffered marble ceilings while the cellae
had wooden ones.
• a frieze of Pentelic marble was pegged against dark
entablature of Eleusinian limestone.
• the subject of these friezes were probably to do with
foundation myths of Athens.
• cellas had coffered wooden ceilings with each porch
having a coffered marble ceiling.
SIGHTS HOUSED IN THE TEMPLE
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statue of Athena Polias
tomb of Erechtheus
Kekrops’ tomb
sacred olive tree
Poseidon’s trident marks
and the salt spring
altar of Hephaistos
altar of Boutes
thrones of priests
Caryatid porch
sanctuary of Pandrosos.
THE ERECHTHEION