THE ERECHTHEION

THE BASICS

DATE it was built between 421 and 406BC.

ARCHITECT

Philokles Could also have been Mnesikles

MATERIAL

Pentilic marble

LOCATION

north side of the Akropolis.

FUNCTION

built to house the wooden statue of 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 … =the two main cellas had to be built on different levels.

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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.

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EAST

WESTS

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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.

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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.

• 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.

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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 half-man/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

• 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