Greek era

HISTORY

OF

INTERIOR DESIGN - I

Ar. S.H.R.Jawahar Benazir

School of Architecture & Interior Design, SRM University

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INTERIORS

DURING

GREEK PERIOD

History of Interior Design - I

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http://www.mlahanas.de/Greeks/ImagesGreeks/Greeks0072.html

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G r e e k P e r i o d

Map

of

Ancient

Greece

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• Greek culture can be said to have begun with the Bronze Age civilization of the

Minoans in Crete.

• The Minoans built vast palaces, and were skilled in metalwork, pottery, artwork

and the crafting of jewelry.

• Civilization on the Greek mainland followed closely behind that of Crete, and

Greece soon became the cultural center of the ancient world.

• Ancient Greek civilization was at its zenith during the Classical era, from 499 BC

to 79 BC.

• The early Greeks were encouraged to be great thinkers and philosophers. Their

scientists and mathematicians laid the groundwork that made today's scientific

discoveries possible.

• They loved to gather together to discuss concepts, ideas, religion and politics,

spending much time in the agora (marketplace) in conversation and argument.

• Ancient Greeks were great lovers of beauty, art, literature and drama, and

enjoyed listening to stories, fables and legends.

ANCIENT GREECE

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ANC IE NT GR E E K FUR NIT UR E

• The Greek history of furniture can be traced back to the heritage of Egyptian

furniture.

• The earliest Greek civilizations borrowed styles and ideas from Egypt, but by the

Classical era, designs had subtly changed to a style that was uniquely Greek.

• Lines became softer, much use was made of subtle and elegant curves, and more

attention was given to comfort.

• Although almost no furniture has survived the centuries, Greek artwork such as

pottery decorations and friezes depict daily Greek life in Greek homes, and this

has given us an accurate idea of early Greek furniture designs.

• Early Greek furniture was largely influenced from furniture crafted by the

Egyptians.

• Unlike Egypt, Greece had enough timber for furniture making.

• Paintings created during that era depict furniture as unbending and rectangular.

• Furniture found during the classical Greek era differed little from that of early

Greek furniture.

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• Modern life in Western civilization has many of its roots and background in

ancient Greece. Much of ancient Greek culture such as drama, art, architecture,

literature, mythology, and the Olympic games all began in one small country in

Europe.

• Yet there is another aspect of Greek life affecting culture today that is often

overlooked: furniture.

• No indoor ancient Greek furniture has survived to present day due to the fact

that it was entirely made of wood.

• The examples of the furniture that we see today in vase paintings, sculptures,

and reliefs from the Parthenon are considered by historians to be valid.

• Yet, these are but artists depictions of what furniture was.

• The only surviving furniture was used in outdoor plays, and is believed to ill-

represent the common furniture of the people.

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• So much wealth in the form of precious

metals like gold, bronze etc were

lavished in typical Greek furniture.

• The Greeks took time to configure some

complicated designs of furniture and

this made their technology in furniture

outstanding.

T HE C ONF IG UR AT I ON OF GR E E K FUR NIT UR E

• For example, the ancient Greek couch was used for resting as well as for eating. It

was constructed with the horizontal reclining area at table height, rather than low

and at an incline.

• The headrest was often curved to support pillows and no foot rest was used.

• Their stools were built in a variety of configurations and the legs were mostly built

in trumpet form or a rectangular design based on a columnar form.

• There were the folding stools with X-shaped legs and stationary stools with

straight legs which were made.

Couches for dining halls

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STYLES

• Greek furniture styles were simple, elegant and tasteful. Although carving and

inlays were used, furniture was not over-decorated.

• Houses were not cluttered with much furniture, and household items were made

for use and comfort rather than decoration.

• However, the Greek love of beauty and art extended to furniture design, and the

few simple items of furniture in an early Greek household were often works of

art in their own right.

• Oak, maple, beech, citrus and willow were the main woods which did not

require any veneering technique.

• Marble and bronze were used in conjunction with or to replace wood, and laid

ivory, ebony, and precious stones were lavished on the finest wooden pieces,

which sometimes had feet of silver.

• Carved and painted decoration was almost commonplace in this rich market.

• Sears were fitted with perfumed and brightly coloured cushions.

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• Elegant interiors with marble columns, stucco ceilings and mosaic floors, are

portrayed in frescoes and marble carvings.

• From the 7th century BCE to 4th century BCE, there were 5 main types of

furniture : stools, couches, small tables, chests, and chairs.

• The early kinds of ancient Greek furniture were predominantly influenced by

Egyptian furniture. Characteristic of this early furniture was a stiff,

rectangular, and unflattering shape.

T YP E S OF FUR NIT UR E

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Pompeii wall painting depicting

women and luxury textiles

covering the seat. Woman putting

valuables into chests

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ST OOL S

• Two main styles of stools of ancient Greece have

survived through reliefs.

• The first type looks more like a small table. The

typical stool consisted of a flat top and four straight

legs. This stool was known as a Bathron.

• There was no back support and the bottom was hard

and uncompromising.

A women holding a

basket (situla). Behind

her a stool with a woven

cushion.

Stool &small table

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“Diphros Okladias”

X-frame style

• The second type of stool was made lightweight and

easy to carry-the X stool.

• The X-stool, also known as the diphros okladias,

was easily movable and did not have a specific

place in the home. It consisted of three animal legs

pointed inwards and ending with lion's paws.

• These were used both indoors and outdoors.

• When masters went out to stroll in the streets, the

diphoros okladias was carried by a servant so that

it would be ready immediately whenever he might

wish to rest.

• Some of these were greatly decorated and used as backless thrones outdoor in

similar manner.

• X-framed stools enjoyed both popular and official status, the straight legged

version (sella curilis) being used by magistrates.

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• The third type of stool, the Thronos or throne, was a type of stool known only to

the wealthy. The Thronos was ornately decorated and was often times lined with

precious stones.

• The thronos or throne-chair, was always reserved for the use of the most

important person present. Often a god was depicted on a throne which was

carved with ram’s heads at the ends of the arms or whose back was shaped like a

snake or a horse’s head.

• The footstool, which was used for access to couches and other high furniture,

was known as the Theyns.

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C O U C H E S - K L I N E S

• Greek Kline- The Greeks followed the

Eastern tradition of lying down to eat.

• The couches, known as klines, had a

headboard that could be used as a

backrest while sitting, and were elegantly

upholstered.

Decoration

of a kline

• They were made entirely of wood, but often had bronze legs

cast in animal styles.

• The klines were placed around the walls, and small tables

were placed next to them to hold the food and drink. • Kline from klino (cause to lean), from which also the word

clinic and clinical is derived (that on which one reclines).

• It was made of wood or bronze, and was often richly

adorned.

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• Various types and sizes of chests were used for

storage.

• These usually had gabled lids and some painted with

flowers and figures or elaborately decorated with inlay

and bronze or silver mounts.

• Chests were prized pieces of furniture, and would

often be passed down from one generation to another.

C H E S T S

Woman putting

valuables into chests • Chests were originally made similar to those of the

Egyptian style and then took on their own style. • Chests were the only means for storing clothing because

shelves were generally not used for that purpose.

• Jewelry, Valuables and fruits were hidden alongside the

clothing for protection.

• Chests were also often valued enough to be part of a

wife's dowry into use in the Hellenistic period

• Some of the chests made of wood were used as coffins. Woman putting

clothes into a chest

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• Greek furniture was treated architecturally.

• Beds usually had the appearance of Greek temples and

usually were made of stone.

B E D S

C H AI R S

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• Prior to the invention of a type of chair known as the Klismos

by the Greeks in the 5th Century BCE, chairs were the same as

those of Egypt and Persian.

• These chairs had hard stiff backs and arms. Even the people

depicted in paintings and friezes sitting in these types of chairs

look to be uncomfortable.

• The Klismos was an entirely new type of chair designed by the

Greeks. It's smooth and flowing shape inspired cultures of the

Middle Ages and the early 19th Century to revive the concept.

• The Klismos, used principally by women, was made with

delicately curved back and legs.

• Rather than being designed to be comfortable, these chairs of the 6th and 7th

Centuries BCE were purely ceremonial in nature.

• The 5th Century BCE brought along a new era in Greek chairs and furniture.

The Hard

stiff back

Chair

The Klismos

• These features allowed the sitter to be in a freer and

more natural position; the backs of these chairs,

referred to as Stiles, were designed to the curvature

of the back for comfort and extended to the shoulders.

• The Klismos, like most other furniture, was made of

wood and not ornately decorated.

• In order to increase the comfort, cushions and animal

skins were usually placed on the Klismos.

• By Hellenistic times, the general shape and structure

of the Klismos had already started to change.

• Chairs once again became heavier and more rigid.

• The general concept of comfort over ceremony has

luckily survived through these changes so that a piece

of furniture from 2500 years ago does not seem at all

strange today.

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Klismos chair

Klismos - The backs of

these chairs, referred to

as Stiles, were designed

to the curvature of the

back for comfort and

extended to the

shoulders. Used mainly

by women.

http://www.mlahanas.de/Greeks/ImagesGreeks/Greeks0127.html

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• Couches of ancient Greece were

combinations of beds and sofas. This type

of furniture, called the Kline, was made for

sleeping as well as dining.

C O U C H E S

• During meals Greek diners would lie down rather

than sit to eat. The Greek tend to recline rather than

sit originated in the 6th century.

• Greek couches were similar to those of the

Egyptians except for two differences.

• They stood higher off the ground, so much that a

footstool was sometimes used as a means of

access; and second, there was a headboard but no

footboard.

Sometimes a kline was used

even on a horse

• The height allowed for easier access to tables and also allowed room beneath to

fit tables. The headboard was used as a means of back support while eating.

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• A common wood type table was rectangular and stood

on three legs. There were two legs at one end, the third

being in the centre of the other end.

• The Greeks had one set item to be placed upon their

tables: food; The ancient Greeks did not use tables as

places to set up trinkets or valuables, but merely used

them in their most basic purpose.

• Tables were low and mostly movable, credences and

drinking tables being often three-legged and made of

bronze.

• Most ancient tables, were made with 3 rather than 4

legs to create a better sense of balance.

• These tables could be made of bronze or marble, but

typically of wood. This type of table was the most

common up until the 4th Century BCE when square

topped tables were replaced with round tops.

T AB L E S

table with lion form legs

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• The previously mentioned furnishings were usually the bare essentials for

a family living in ancient Greece.

• There are also other furnishings which were less useful and more

decorative. These, of course, belonged to the wealthy.

• Wealthy Greeks enjoyed the luxuries of incense burners, vases, and large

vases known as Lebeti as a part of daily life.

AD D I T I O N AL F U R N I S H I N G S

• LEBETI - he vases of the wealthy were decorative and were often

times made of precious or semi-precious metals. These vases,

along with Lebeti, were made by highly skilled workers and were

often times ornately decorated.

• Lebeti were "elegant nuptial vases of eighteen inches high and

minutely decorated with stories from history or legend...“

• Lebeti, in addition to their decorative purpose, were used as water

jugs and large bowls.

incense burner

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Marble Table – Supported on a

single Leg – Animal faced leg

Marble Table – typical three

legged with a Round top

A chair designed for small children.

Baby on Stool with Mother

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G R E E K HOUSE S

• The Greek house consist of two parts:

The northern house and

The southern house.

• The northern house begins with a single large room, "the great hall," then lesser

rooms are added to it. It gets its light from windows in the outer walls, and it is

covered by a single steep roof.

• The southern (Greek and Oriental) house is a building with all rooms arranged

around a rectangular court. The rooms, many or few, get their light from this

court, while they are quite shut off from the world outside. All in all, for warm

climates this style of house is far more airy, cool and comfortable than the other.

The wide open court becomes the living room of the house during the hot seasons.

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Houses in ancient Athens

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Houses in ancient Athens

View

Plan

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• The plan of a Greek house naturally varies infinitely according to the size of the

land plot, the size of the owner's family, his own taste, and wealth.

• It will usually be rectangular, with the narrower side toward the street; but this is

not invariable. • In the larger houses there will be two courts (aule), one behind the other, and

each with its own circuit of dependent chambers.

• The court first entered will be the Andronitis (the Court of the Men), and may

be even large enough to afford a considerable promenade for exercise.

• Around the whole of the open space run lines of simple columns, and above the

opening swings an awning if the day is very hot. • In the very center rises a small stone alter with a statue of Zeus the Protector

(Zeus Herkeios), where the father of the family will from time to time offer

sacrifice, acting as the priest for the household.

P L AN OF A G R E E K HOUSE

AN D R O N I T I S

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• This is where the family spent most of its time, and only when guests appeared

would the women disappear to their own quarters.

• In summer, the family would eat in the andronitis, and would gather to tell and

listen to stories in the evenings. In the center a small shrine to Zeus was normally

found.

• In fine weather, the women of the family would spin, weave and sew here, listening

to the men discussing the latest ideas gleaned from the Agora.

• The Andronitis is the true living room of the house: here the master will receive

his visitors, and only the male slaves work here.

• The decoration is very plain: the walls are neatly tinted with some kind of wash;

the floor is of simple plaster, or, in a humbler house, common earth pounded hard.

• Under the colonnade at all four sides open the various chambers, possibly twelve

in all. They really are cells or compartments rather than rooms, small and usually

lighted only by their doors.

• Some are used for storerooms, some for sleeping closets for the male slaves and

for the grown-up sons of the house, if there are any.

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• Leading from the andronitis was the andron, or men's dining room - probably the

most pretentious room in the house.

• This is where male guests were entertained to symposia - dinner parties and

convivial evenings companionably spent over an amphora or two of wine.

• In one corner is the family hearth, once the real fire for the whole household

cooking, but now merely a symbol of the domestic worship. • It is simply a little round alter sacred to Hestia, the hearth goddess, who

corresponds to the Roman goddess Vesta, and on its duly rekindled flame little

"meat offerings and drink offerings" are cast at every meal, humble or elaborate.

• Women were strictly excluded from these festivities.

• The andron was likely to be the most elaborate room in the house, often having a

mosaic floor and luxurious decor.

• In the rear wall of the Andron facing the Andronitis is a solid door.

• Only the father, sons, or near male kinsmen of the family are allowed to go inside, for it leads into the Gyneconitis, the hall of the women.

AN D R O N

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• The women are forbidden to participate in so much of public life that their own

peculiar world is especially reserved to them.

• Male guests to houses were allowed no further than the andron; beyond this were

the women's quarters. • The Gynæconitis, or Hall of the Women, was a second colonnaded

courtyard, with its own set of rooms leading from it.

• These would include the kitchen, possibly a bathroom, more storage rooms, and

small sleeping chambers for the female slaves.

G YN E C O N I T I S

• Leading from this, or possibly on a second storey, would be the thalamos - the

master bedroom belonging to the master and mistress of the house. • Some houses contained a second large bedroom, known as the ante-thalamos,

for the daughters of the house.

• The most precious possessions and ornaments of the family, as well as the best

furniture, would be kept in the thalamos.

T H AL A M O S

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• One of the rooms in the very rear is the kitchen;

• Others are the sleeping closets of the slave women.

• Another special room is set apart for the working of wool, although this chief

occupation of the female part of the household is likely to be carried on in the

open inner court itself, if the weather is fine.

FUR NISH I NG S OF A G R E E K HOUSE • These houses, even owned by the lordly rich, are surprisingly simple in their

furnishings.

• The furniture includes - Beds, couches, chairs (usually backless), stools,

footstools, and small portable tables.

• Huge chests, heavy and carved, in which most of the household could be locked

away were the main storage furniture.

• Oriental carpets are often used as wall draperies or couch covers rather than

upon the floors.

• There was a very simple wardrobe – or a chest of drawers for the storage of

clothes.

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• There is a marked absence of heavy and unhealthful upholstery; but the simple

bed - four posts with cushion stuffed with feathers or wool has its woodwork

adorned with carving.

• On festival days the house will be hung with brilliant and elaborately wrought

tapestries usually kept in the great chests.

• The whole bed is given an elegant effect by the magnificently embroidered

scarlet tapestry which overspreads it.

• Moreover, the different household vessels, the stone and bronze lamps, the

various table dishes, even the common pottery put to the humblest uses, all have

a beauty, a chaste elegance, a saving touch of deft ornamentation, which

transforms them out of "kitchen ware" into works of art.

• Those black water pots covered with red-clay figures are simple but supremely

beautiful.

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• In conclusion, it is easy to see the effect that ancient Greeks furnished their

houses with five main types of furniture in ancient Greece which were made for

practicality then, and have continued to serve their purpose to this day.

• The stools, couches, tables, chests, and chairs of the Greeks are merely more

additions to the grand assortment of Greek items and ideas that have had an

immense influence on Western life today.

• Furniture is easier to carry than sculptures.

• The only complete surviving piece of wooden classical Greek furniture was found

far from Greece, in an Egyptian tomb. And Rome also must have imported Greek

furniture.

• An impressive and influential stone throne exists in three identical versions this

is a marble throne in S. Giorgorio Magno, Rome decorated with winged lions and

acanthus scrolls.

Greek era

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