Ancient Greek Architecture in the U.S. Capital

When observing federal monuments across Washington D.C., you will see that our capital’s buildings are modeled from the architecture of past civilizations in Greece, particularly Athens. Not only did Greek architecture serve a practical purpose of shelter, but it also reflected the mindset and principles of the Minoan, Mycenaean, and Athenian civilizations. This architecture style survived millennia and is present in our nation’s monument buildings.

Think back about 4000 years ago from our present day to the beginning of Greece, in the Minoan Civilization. The Minoans flourished on the vast island of Crete. On it, their crown jewel was Knossos Palace. Contrary to popular belief, this palace was not a single building so much as a series connecting and intertwining with that of the city’s structures. The Minoans emphasized quality and “openness” between their people. Thus, the blend of what would traditionally be seen as the royal house interconnected with the city could be seen as a symbol of their softening of class separations. Another enforcer of their “openness” mindset is the design layout of each individual house. The rooms were all “arranged around a central place -covered or open- through which they have access” (Kyriatsoulis 116). This design, coupled with their lack of many barriers in their architecture, represented that mindset of union between the people.

            The Minoan’s architecture significantly represented their cultural values. Their “driving concept is centrality”, with their “architectural tradition revolv[ing] around a focal space that functions as a node” (Kyriatsoulis 116). The Minoan principle of “openness” is apparent in our nation’s Library of Congress. Much like the design layout of Minoan houses, the library’s “Main Reading Room” is centered around many hallways and rows of books, where people alike can meet and confer. Also, our nation’s federal department buildings and monuments are scattered throughout the capital, similar to Knossos’s palace intertwining with the city.

Around 1500 B.C., the Mycenaeans conquered the Minoans and Greece. The Mycenaeans paved the way for what people think of when referring to the ancient Greeks.  While the Minoans focused on “centrality”, the Mycenaeans’ architectural tradition was founded on “linearity”, represented “through line[s] of interlinked spaces.” (Kyriatsoulis 116). Mycenaean buildings were also more fortified than the Minoans. Though their architecture differed greatly from their predecessors, various elements passed through the transition of reign, such as the elitist symbolism portrayed from decorative support structures (Kyriatsoulis 118). One such structure is the famous Lion Gate relief, with its detailed lion engravings surviving over 3000 years. The intricate lion designs on the arch doesn’t serve a practical purpose but was rather created to display the Mycanaean culture and architectural abilities, much like the Minoans did in their own construction. Though not ornately decorated, the use of gate relief architecture was revived in our nation’s capital in 1806 with the creation of the Latrobe Gate, which features a relief architecture technology similar to the famous Lion Gate relief. Another similarity between the Mycenaeans and the Minoans was the use of columns “opening out like a lily and taper[ing] downward” (Michelis 32). This method, coupled with the use of tools evident from drill holes on the relief, show an advanced society of that time (Blackwell 455). 

Not only were the Mycenaeans advanced, but they were also very hospitable. Ancient Greece’s practice of xenia was honored in the Mycenaean culture. This hospitality concept was apparent through the Mycenaeans’ treatment of guests. At the Mycenaean palace of Tiryns, a fascinating feature was the bathing room. Weary travelers would be welcomed into the palace and treated to a luxurious bath (Shaw 555). The use of bathing and honoring xenia is not very apparent in our nation’s capital.

From the Mycenaeans came the Athenians. This prosperous civilization is the most influential in our capital’s architecture. From their sculptures of the human body to the architecture of their buildings, the Athenian people strove for perfection. In their temples, they experimented with different ratios, and improved on the Doric Order’s disproportionate looking temples. As time went on, the Athenians constructed the Parthenon. Whether the two architects, Ictinus and Callicrates, came to discover it mathematically or another way, they had stumbled upon the golden ratio, which is a ratio of “perfection” occurring throughout nature that’s roughly 1.6:1. Artists and architects alike throughout history since have used it in their work. The golden ratio was used for the number of columns, as well as the dimensions of the temple itself (Markowsky 8).

The Parthenon was the pinnacle of Athenian architecture. In order to appear perfect, changes were made to the traditional temple model to compensate for what our eyes perceive, and make it look perfect to us. These compensations include the columns being slightly bulged in the middle to appear perfectly straight to our eyes. Another correction is that the columns are not exactly parallel, but rather ever so slightly tilted towards each other at the top.

The Athenians were inspired by the past Mycenaean and Minoan civilizations with their use of tapered columns and decorative stone. Much like the Lion Gate relief, the pediments of Athenian temples, such as the Parthenon, are intricately decorated with detailed sculptures. This civilization used their structures to express their culture, heritage, and artistic ability to the masses. The Lincoln Memorial’s design was directly based on the Athenian Parthenon (“The Lincoln Memorial - Ancient Greek Temples Influence on Contemporary Architecture.”). In addition, the dimensions of the Lincoln Memorial (190 ft. x 119 ft.) almost exactly match the golden ratio (“Lincoln Memorial”). In addition to the Memorial, the Parthenon gave influence to the U.S. Supreme Court building, with the number and style of the front columns as well as the use of a decorative pediment featuring multiple, intricate sculptures. The Supreme Court building, as well as others in the D.C. area, was modeled after Athenian architecture to pay homage to the founding city-state of democracy.

Greek elements are not only present in the U.S. Supreme Court Building and other monuments mentioned above, but all throughout our nation’s capital. From the design layout of a monument to the columns supporting them, ancient Greek civilizations and their accompanying cultures have played a large role in making what our capital’s monuments look like today. As important decisions are made in the United States' capital, its lawmakers and citizens can be reminded daily of democracy and its founding city by simply marveling at their city's architecture.

 
 Knossos Palace

                         


  

       
                                         
                                                       The Parthenon

                       





U.S. Supreme Court Building

References

Blackwell, Nicholas G. “Making the Lion Gate Relief at Mycenae: Tool Marks and Foreign Influence.” American Journal of Archaeology, vol. 118, no. 3, 2014, pp. 451–488. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/10.3764/aja.118.3.0451. Accessed 18 Feb. 2020.

Kyriatsoulis, Apostolos. Bronze Age Architectural Traditions in the Eastern Mediterranean: Diffusion and Diversity: Proceedings of the Symposium, 07. - 08.05.2008 in Munich/Gasteig München = Architektonische Traditionen Im östlichen Mittelmeer während Der Bronzezeit: Verbreitung Und Vielfalt: Symposiumsband. Vol. 7, Verein Zur Förderung Der Aufarbeitung Der Hellenischen Geschichte, 2009.

“Lincoln Memorial.” National Parks Service, U.S. Department of the Interior, www.nps.gov/nr/travel/wash/dc71.htm.

Markowsky, George. “Misconceptions about the Golden Ratio.” The College Mathematics Journal, vol. 23, no. 1, 1992, pp. 2–19., www.jstor.org/stable/2686193. Accessed 18 Feb. 2020.

Michelis, P. A. “Refinements in Architecture.” The Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism, vol. 14, no. 1, 1955, pp. 19–43. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/426639. Accessed 19 Feb. 2020.

Shaw, Joseph W. “Bathing at the Mycenaean Palace of Tiryns.” American Journal of Archaeology, vol. 116, no. 4, 2012, pp. 555–571. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/10.3764/aja.116.4.0555. Accessed 18 Feb. 2020.

“The Lincoln Memorial - Ancient Greek Temples Influence on Contemporary Architecture.” Google Sites, sites.google.com/site/arth372exhibition/contemporary-greek-architecture.

Tsakanika, Eleftheria. (2009). The constructional analysis of timber load bearing systems as a tool for interpreting Aegean Bronze Age architecture.