Module 4

The Persian empire started in about 560 BC when Cyrus the great from the province of Fars swept over the region with his powerful cavalryBy the end of the century, Cyrus and his successors, Darius 1 and Xerxes had conquered the entire civilized world from Indus to Danube River with the exception of GreeceIt was the wish of the Persians to construct great buildingsThey were to achieve greatness with their architectural solutionsThe architectural solutions were a synthesis of ideas gathered from almost all parts of their empire and from the Greeks an Egyptians

Their materials of construction was also from different locationsMaterial included mud-brick from Babylon, wooden roof beams from Lebanon, precious materials from India and Egypt, Stone columns quarried and carved by Ionic GreeksDespite sourcing materials and ideas from different areas, their architecture was original and distinctive in style

Persian architecture achieved its greatest monumentality at PersepolisIt was constructed as a new capital for the Persian EmpireThe city was started 510 BC and finished in 460 BCIt is set along the face of a mountain leveled to create a large platform 1800 feet by 900 feetIt was surrounded by a fortification wallThe site was more than half covered by buildings

The palace consisted of three parts:An approach of monumental staircases, gate ways and avenuesTwo great state halls towards the center of the platformThe palace of Xerxes, the harem, and other living quarters at the south end of the site

Structurally, the buildings relied on a hypostyle scheme throughoutThey used it to achieve spaces of varying scaleSome of the spaces were very big and generally square in planThe spaces were enclosed by mud brick wallsThe most impressive aspect of the palace was the royal audience hall

The Royal audience hall was a square 250 feet in lengthIt contained 36 slender columns widely spaced & 67 feet highThe columns had a lower diameter of 5 feetThe centers of the columns were spaced at 20 feet or 4 times diameters apartThe column was the greatest invention of the PersiansThe columns were fluted and stand on bell shaped basesTheir capital combine Greek motifs with Egyptian palm leaf

Another famous aspect of the Palace at Persepolis was the Throne roomThis was also known as hall of a 100 columnsThe columns in the room were 37 feet high, with a diameter of 3 feet They were spaced 20 feet apart or 7 times diameters from axis to axis The slim nature of the column created room and spacious feeling in the room when compared to the audience hall

The monumental entrance to Persepolis is also one of the unique aspects of the PalaceThe monumental gateway ensure a dramatic entry to the PalaceIt was heavily adorned with relief sculpture ornamenting its stairwayThe relief structure addresses different themes relating to the role of Persepolis as the capital of the Persian Empire

In some places, the sculpture shows delegates from the different parts of the Persian bringing gifts and rare animals to the king during celebrations In some places, royal guards and nobles of the imperial court are shownElsewhere, the king is seen in conflict with animals or seated beneath a ceremonial umbrella

Mycenae was a city in ancient Greece, located 10km north of Argos in the southern peninsulaThe Mycenaean civilization flourished during the period roughly between 1600 BC-1100BC,It perished with the collapse of bronze age civilizationin the eastern Mediterranean. The major Mycenaean cities wereMycenaeandTirynsin Argolis,Pylosin Messenia,Athensin Attica andThebesin Boeotia

The Mycenaeans entered Greece from the north or northeast c.2000 B.C., displacing, seemingly without violence, the older Neolithic culture, which can be dated as early as 4000 B.C.

These Indo-European Greek-speaking invaders brought with them advanced techniques in pottery, metallurgy, and architecture. Mercantile contact with Crete advanced and strongly influenced their culture, and by 1600 B.C., Mycenae had become a major center of the ancient world.

The great Mycenaean citiesMycenae, Tiryns, Pylos, Thebes, Orchomenoswere noted for their heavy, complex fortifications and the massive, cyclopean quality of their masonry, while other cities were totally unfortified.

Mycenaean palaces were built around great halls called Megarons rather than around an open space as in Crete.

The principal Mycenaean towns were well fortified. Mycenaean walls were often made in a fashion calledcyclopean, which means that they were constructed of large, unworked boulders up to eight meters (26ft) thick, loosely fitted without the clay mortar of the day. Different types of entrances or exits can be seen: monumental gates, access ramps, hidden doors, and vaulted galleries for escaping in case of a siege..

Many of the Mycenaean constructions utilized stone blocks of an enormous size. Corbel Vaulting is used to span arched corridors and circular domes in buildings and is often used to lighten the weight above doorways. The corbel vault is created by arranging courses of stones with each successive course projecting slightly more into the space, until a single stone can be placed over the top of the triangular arch.

The tunnel leading to the secret spring and the tholos tombs of the Mycenaeans

The Lion Gate of Mycenae was the entrance to the city. Atop the gate, two lions rampant are carved in stone relief. The gate was about 10 feet wide and 10 feet high; the carved stone with the lions is about 3 feet high. It forms what is called a "relieving triangle", because the carved slab weighs much less than the stones to the right and left; this reduced pressure on the lintel block below it. That block weighs two tons. The door was made up of two wooden leaves opening inward.

The best examples of the Mycenaean palace are seen in the excavations atMycenae,TirynsandPylos. Within the palace complex residential space, storerooms and workshops were arranged around the central Megaron, considered to function as the audience chamber for the royals. Most were probably two-storied. The plan of the palace varies a great deal from site to site, but they all share the Megaron as their central feature

The Megaron is the great hall of the Greecian palace complexes. It was a rectangular hall, fronted by an open, two-columned porch, and a more or less central, open hearth vented though an oculus in the roof above it and surrounded by four columns. It is the architectural predecessor of the classical Greek temple. It was used for poetry, feasts, worship, sacrifice, formal royal functions, councils, and is said to be where guests of the king would stay during their visits

The palace includes entrance gates, paved courts, large halls, vestibules, smaller rooms, and a bath. It was apparently built by stages; the complex of buildings representing both earlier and later palaces. The citadel of Tiryns is about 28 metres high, 280 meters long, and it was built in three stages. In the 12thcentury B.C. it was destroyed by earthquake and fire but remained an important centre until the 7thcentury B.C.

The Great GateThe entrance to the Acropolis of Tiryns consists of a large gateway-built at the same time as the Lion Gate at Mycenae.Unfortunately much of the stonework has not survived. From the marks in the stone, it has been calculated that the wooden door which hung in the gateway was about 15cms (6 inches) thick.The ramparts of Tiryns are very impressive. They are 7 - 10m wide (23 - 33 feet) and in some places are 7.5m (25 feet) high.

The Palace areaThe Propylaea is the monumental GatewayThe door to the palace area had a large stone threshold. There are holes for the door hinges, and marks where the socket for the wooden bar which would have held the door closed.In the area known as theEast Casematesthere is a narrow gallery, about 30m (99 feet) long. It has a vaulted roof, and was built within the width of the ramparts. Leading off the gallery are six rooms (casemates) which are thought to have been used as stores or barrack rooms.The Propylaea leads into the great court of the palace-Megaron.

The MegaronThe Megaron at Tiryns is the best preserved of all the palaces. It's portico had two columns and the walls were decorated with seven slabs of alabaster(lime stone). These were decorated with reliefs of rosettes and lapis lazuli.The Megaron itself was the most important room in the palace. As at Mycenae, there was a central hearth with four pillars to support the roof. The floor was plastered, and decorated with painted squares which imitated carpets.The walls were covered with paintings of hunting, ladies on a wagon drawn by horses, courtly ladies dressed in rich clothes, and wild animals.

Romans fix the date of the founding Rome at 753 B. C. Prior to this date, the Etruscans established an urban culture in the Italian peninsula, which reached the height of its development around 600 B.C.They had conquered and established their authority over a loose federation of citiesRome was ruled by Etruscan Kings aided by a popular assembly.Towards the end of the 6th century B.C., Etruscan power began to decline.In 509 B.C. Rome revolted against their king and established an independent city state.Further decline in the power of the Etruscans was accompanied by the rising influence and increasing significance of Rome

The Earliest civilization in the region around Rome were the Etruscans.The Etruscan civilization existed in the northern part of what is now Italy, prior to the formation of the Roman Republic.During the 700s BC, the Etruscans developed into a series of autonomous city-states: Rome was a part of these city states.Knowledge about the Etruscans is fragmentary, and usually filtered through Roman eyes;They brought sophisticated Eastern and Greek culture to the region.

Not much has survived of Etruscan buildings to the present. The temple shown in the image is a reconstruction of a typical Etruscan temple The Etruscans introduced another order of architecture This order, known as the Tuscan order became popular with the RomansThe Tuscan order had a simple base and the shaft was without flutesThe capital and entablature were also without decoration

Sketch plan, elevation and view of THE TEMPLE OF JUNO SOSPITA describing its salient features.