It is quite possible that the location of today’s lecture is where all of Western culture can derive itself, specifically, the ideals of democracy, mega-institutions, and a certain way of life that is more inclusive rather than exclusive. The ancient city of Mycenae was but a tiny part of a large network of citadels and city-states located in Greece and Asia Minor. Evidence suggests even earlier Neolithic settlements from around 6500 – 5000 BCE. We know that the earliest settlements here spoke Greek, were a mix between the indigenous populations of the region and Indo-European peoples, and that they had the same Gods as in classical mythologies: Athena, Apollo, Zeus, etc. While we know very little about the oldest civilizations here, we can definitely divide those civilizations from 2000 BCE onwards into three distinct categories:
1. Early Mycenaean – 2000-1600BCE
a. Trade, communication, simple civilization, horses
2. Middle Mycenaean, 1600-1400 BCE
a. Growth and expansion due to the death of rival Aegean civilization
b. Had the opportunity to utilize the networks built up by the Minoans
3. Late Mycenaean, 1400-1200 BCE
a. Height of their power, international presence, highly developed communication networks
I recount this minor introduction into ancient Greek history because it will most definitely pertain to the sights that we will be seeing later on in this trip. As for the site of the ancient Mycenaean civilization, they of course needed some sort of defense mechanism in order to protect themselves from invaders and to protect the sacred burial areas. As the Classical Greeks thought these giant fortifications were built by some type of super-human Cyclops, they deemed these structures to be Cyclopean. Of course we know now this isn’t the case, but it’s these types of creation myths that permeate the ancient world and are intermingled with some aspects of the truth. It’s not often hard to pick out the myth from the reality, but as we all experience this world in a subjective way, what actually is myth to some people becomes a reality for others.
The Lion’s Gate, for instance, is a good way to look at this intermingling of fact vs. fiction. The relief atop this structure depicts two lions whose spirits and strength are protecting the area from invaders. Is it the lions that are protecting the area, or the fact that the stones are so massive and impenetrable as to prevent attack? For the ancient Greeks it was probably a bit of both. Did the spirit of two lions somehow shield this city from attack? Probably not. But does that matter now, or was the idea of mythology so ingrained in ancient Greek culture that either answer suited them just fine?
Once we passed through the gates, we were informed that the ancient citadel program would have comprised a palace for the elite, houses for administrative purposes and for priests, storage, and any temples that they were inspired to build. Any graves and burial chambers were usually located outside the city walls, a practice that was common in this area of the world. Chambers would often include luxurious items that were common to the rulers in their everyday lives such as tools, swords, masks, jewelry, and terra cotta. While later civilizations built many temples to their gods, the temples here were often hard to identify and absent in some cases. Other architectural elements present at Mycenae included a military garrison, which was the lookout spot above the Lion’s Gate and faces north; the Megaron, which was a major feature of these civilizations – a palace for the elite with 5 different levels; and houses with single holes in each roof for rainwater entrance or expelling smoke that were often complemented by a courtyard below. Many of these structures were meant to be understood with respect to the landscape, which has been a long-standing tradition in Greek culture.
I was also quite interested in the procession of spaces in the Megaron, which was the house of the king located at the top or near the top of most acropolises in ancient Greece. The sequence of spaces is as follows:
exterior courtyard à portico à ambulatory (the interstitial space) à bedroom and hearth
This procession of spaces from being exposed to enclosed is not unique in the world. Rather, there are many civilizations whose ancient architecture has these same features. Perhaps it is within our nature to want to move away from the wild outdoors into a more enclosed civilized place. When we were at the Villa Giulia in Rome, it was explained to us the difference between the cultivated garden and the natural landscape. Perhaps this is what they were trying to achieve here as well: a statement that said that they are a civilized people, and aside from the basic need for shelter, they will create a procession of spaces which is both sensitive and responsive to the landscape but also reflects the civility of current society.
The lower burial chamber, known as a Tholos, is also a common feature to this civilization. It is both a manifestation of their connection with the Egyptian burial culture, and an admitted preoccupation with the afterlife. The monumental entryway is what connects the outside world to the world of the dead: a large door twice the size of a normal person and colossal stone walls rise up to greet all visitors. At this time, the ancient Greeks had somewhat of a grasp on post/lintel and corbelling construction techniques. It is evident in these tholos tombs, as above each monumental door stands a triangular section of corbelled stones, a device employed so push the forces of gravity to the side allowing the door to be made so large.
Location: Tiryns
Tiryns was the ancient port city of Mycenae, providing this civilization a chance to grow their navy to be used for both trading and war. It is not by the sea today, as the shoreline has receded, and the position of the city was not as fortified as the cities further inland. As a result there needed to be many more thresholds in order to reach the Megaron or to simply breach the city walls. Again we see similar elements of the ancient Greek cities: walls, gates, megaron, and storage. It also had a gate similar to the northern gate at Mycenae. These features aside, I was again taken by the sequence of spaces at the megaron. Its propylon gives it an elaborate threshold and monumental entrance to an inner courtyard. There seems to be a similar effect as one moves from the open spaces to the closed spaces. To think that there was a conscious effort on the part of the Greeks to consider the implications of the difference in attitude and feeling as one moved from the “denial” space to the “reward” space definitely tells me that this was an advanced society. Yes, we could absolutely say that society today is more advanced technologically. But have we lost something architecturally along the way? The Greeks only had nature to rely on giving them sustenance and providing them vistas with which to appreciate their position in life. I believe that Frank Lloyd Wright was probably one of the last great architects to really consider nature in his designs. To me, green architecture somehow seems ‘forced’ in a way. And this is not to say we should return to making our houses out of stone and perching them atop mountains, no. what I’m saying is that to look at these examples might help us further our deteriorating relationship with nature.
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