"THE GLORY THAT WAS GREECE"

Auckland Star, Volume LXX, Issue 165, 15 July 1939, Page 3 (Supplement)

"THE GLORY THAT WAS GREECE"

The walls were huilt of enormous I'loi'ks ol *to.,e or marl.le, winch were "imply laid on ea<h other, and with no "■wtar of any kind to bind them to;retlii.r. The ill.istn.tion of what u> known h.s -tlh. Lion". fJetc"—from the 'K'ires of t1... two lions that surmount the entrance, to the Palace— m a -owl •••VM.nple of the art nf these people" at "liose en-iiM-erin- skill, as evidenced in "'« li'tliiK and placing ;„ |Kw ition of hih-Ii enornmu.s blm-ks of stone, we can on I-' wonder. Their weijrht must have been terrific Ihe lintel that spans the head of the openin-, by itself, would test the liftiii"

U7HILE the study of all ancient " arch 'tecture is o f intense interest, the work of the anc ient Greeks may be termed fascinating, hspec.ally is this true of the ancient architecture which they produced at the acme of their art, beginning early in the seventh century and continuing well into the first century, B.C. Tlh ' * u "'y 8,,< 1 "-liitnictoristicß of ein-liiT 'i'-'-ok Ixnvover, is n»t »• »,l! known, t],,m<xh it [ VP \\ ||, ( . ~tt,.,,ti,,,, ~f ~„ ( . llUm . C(| ncnlilc

The fjii ly iiiluil.il iinfM ~f (;,-,.,.,.,, W( ,,. ( , known a., and—fnin, Hie records WP ,„„.„.,<__( | u , y W(l| . o y| . (i)it ( . n | oiiU(s especially In ||, f , ~,m « ( w ~,• AHft Mi ■ mill the hluhi-m nf tile Ml'ilili'l HI Ilea 11. Wlls iikml itctivi.; i M f;,,.t. ,| I lo\ eminent lIM-HMin- WHS |mrtM('ll (lining iin , fi'M'iitli i-fiitury B.C. imikiim i! nniipiil-.i \ . This wus ,1,,,,,. nut only to r-tiil.li-li trade, lint to reduce the Bii|icrl!ii<i!ir. |)ii|)iilnt inn ini<l to pro\ide an milli'l I'm" party strife. X)ies t . emigrant i.'recks erected line \vhrre\ei , llii'.v settled, iiiul many of tin , iiuiflrrpii'ifpi nf liri'fk architectural art arc to In , fiMiliil in Asin Minor and other nf I irci'k (Miliiiiirs. Aiming inti'riwt illy «liocii\ crii's of i li-rii times u ilic i'ul«"lirati'il Koyal I'jilni'c ill Myri'iiao, rijilit in tin , nMitrr (if mint lirrii (Iri'Pcp, not far frnin (niiiilli. li «;i> In , ri" tliiii Aiiii iin-iii in in mid ( l> li'iiiiMviiii livcil. i>ro\i;i).|v alum) Ijnil lie. hioin i lie rcMiiiiiis of ilii'-c Hiirl oilier liiiiMiirj.s lli.it h,i\r liimmi cMii \ii I fil. hi' ran >i-c iiiany of tlii-ir HiiiraHrrisl ics mill I In , ty|i«' of ti<ll1 —■•( yc|ii|M'iiii"~ that tlicv I'lnployi'il.

8y... Basil Hooper (A.R.1.8.A.)

vitli the same difficulties, but succeeded by some methods, the details of which history has not handed down to u<=. One of the curious features in the architecture of these Pelasgi is the way they constructed, or formed, their columns. The true Greek type was always designed with the thick portion at the bottom, tapering up towards the top, with an "entasis," or slight swelling, of the column. It will be noticed that the column placed between the lions i*> inverted, i.e., with the thick end at the top. and the same trait is apparent in all thoir early work. Another interestin;.' point is shown in the way the walls slope inwards towards the top—no doubt with the idea, of lessening the epan of the stone roof.

powers of our most modern machinery, and it is an interesting problem to consider how these ancient builders, with no cranes or derricks, managed to get them up so hijrh. The builders of Stonphen<re and Pyramids in Egypt must have been faced

and is a most interesting example of the many theatres built by the Greeks— showing, by the way, the great importance attached to the drama in those days. A curved recese in an open hillside was nearly always excavated to form the auditorium, thus saving the great expense of raising a foundation for the upper seate, while some beautiful prospect was sought ae a background. The stage, or platform, was of varying heights. At Epidaurus it was" unusually high—ll or 12 feet above the ground—and was reached by flights of steps in the centre and at the eides. The arena, or "orchestra," as it was called, was the scene of the dance, and was designed in the form of a complete circle. A semi-circular channel at the base of the seats was constructed to carry off flood water. It had a pipe at either extremity to take the water underground.

The second illustration is one of the theatre at Epidaurus, near Nauplia, Peleponnesus, on the west coast of southern Greece. This was deeigned by Polycleitos the Younger about 400 B.C.

The seating accommodation at Epidaurus must have been considerable ae the diameter of the theatre was 415 ft, with about 50 tiers of seats. One can imagine the marvellous eight it must heve been on a bright, sunny day, the theatre packed with people all intent on the play or the dance. The third example shows some of the marble sculptures at the back of the stage at the Theatre of Dionysus (Bacchus) below the Acropolis at Athens. TJie centre figure, that of Bacchus, is a wonderful example of the Oreek sculptor's art. Indeed, all the figures are beautifully sculptured; one could only wish that they had been preserved intact instead of having lost their heads during the lapse of the centuries. This theatre was shaped in much the same way as the one at Epidaurus, with a circular orchestra, and was specially remarkable for the fact of its having t>7 marble chairs immediately round the the orchestra. These chairs had backs

shaped like the chairs of the Early Victorian period in England and were inscribed with the names of the priests or other dignitaries who occupied them. The stage in the Theatre of Dionysus wae considerably lower than that at Epidaurus, being only 4ft high and was called the Logeion, or speaking place. A permanent stone proscenium, decorated with columns, was built at the back. Altogether these theatres must have been extraordinarily impressive, both from the architectural and dramatic point of view. It is most interesting to realise that the masterpieces of EuriI>edes. Soplioi-les and Aristophanes were played at the Theatre of Dionysus, and one must appreciate the fact "that the people of those long-past centuries evidently were, in these matters at least, a great deal more cultured than the majority of educated men and women of our own times!