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The megaron (; grc, μέγαρον, ), plural ''megara'' , was the great hall in very early Mycenean and ancient Greek palace complexes. Architecturally, it was a rectangular hall that was surrounded by four columns, fronted by an open, two-columned portico, and had a central, open
hearth A hearth () is the place in a home where a fire is or was traditionally kept for home heating and for cooking, usually constituted by at least a horizontal hearthstone and often enclosed to varying degrees by any combination of reredos (a low, ...
that vented though an
oculus Oculus (a term from Latin ''oculus'', meaning 'eye'), may refer to the following Architecture * Oculus (architecture), a circular opening in the centre of a dome or in a wall Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Oculus'' (film), a 2013 American s ...
in the roof. The megaron also contained the throne-room of the ''
wanax (Greek: ; from earlier , ') is an ancient Greek word for "tribal chief, lord, (military) leader".. It is one of the two Greek titles traditionally translated as "king", the other being basileus, and is inherited from Mycenaean Greece. It is nota ...
'', or Mycenaean ruler, whose throne was located in the main room with the central hearth. Similar architecture is found in the
Ancient Near East The ancient Near East was the home of early civilizations within a region roughly corresponding to the modern Middle East: Mesopotamia (modern Iraq, southeast Turkey, southwest Iran and northeastern Syria), ancient Egypt, ancient Iran (Elam, ...
though the presence of the open portico, generally supported by columns, is particular to the Aegean. Megara are sometimes referred to as "long-rooms", as defined by their rectangular (non-square) shape and the position of their entrances, which are always along the shorter wall so that the depth of the space is larger than the width.. There were often many rooms around the central megaron, such as archive rooms, offices, oil-press rooms, workshops, potteries, shrines, corridors, armories, and storerooms for such goods as wine,
oil An oil is any nonpolar chemical substance that is composed primarily of hydrocarbons and is hydrophobic (does not mix with water) & lipophilic (mixes with other oils). Oils are usually flammable and surface active. Most oils are unsaturated ...
and wheat. Evidence suggests that the megara of ancient Greece were often created using the construction techniques of “
Wattle-and-Daub Wattle and daub is a composite building method used for making walls and buildings, in which a woven lattice of wooden strips called wattle is daubed with a sticky material usually made of some combination of wet soil, clay, sand, animal dung a ...
” and “
Pisé Rammed earth is a technique for constructing foundations, floors, and walls using compacted natural raw materials such as earth, chalk, lime, or gravel. It is an ancient method that has been revived recently as a sustainable building method. ...
”. The megaron is thought to have been used for sacrificial processions,. as well as for royal functions and court meetings. However, parts of the megaron functioned as habitable spaces, and were utilized as living quarters prior to the eighth century BC.


Historical Use and Purpose

Numerous sources indicate that the megaron was used in two central ways: first and foremost, it was used for religious ceremonies, while also being used to support residents as a dwelling space. Additionally, according to Valentin Müller, there is evidence for 32 different types of megaron throughout Greece and parts of Europe and Russia. Their use varied significantly depending on the time periods and locations in which they were built. Remnants of structures related to the traditional Greek Megaron style buildings can be found in Thessaly and Russia dating back to the Neolithic Era. Müller asserts that these are some of the first known megaron, classifying them with the designation "Type 1" megarons. These initial structures were somewhat similar in design to those found in ancient Greece, but different in their material and roofing style and complexity. Müller has classified and archived a number of megaron "typing's" which existed through the first, second and third periods of history, and shows how a number of ethnic groups participated in creating the original and archetypal model which later evolved into the classical Greek megaron structure.


Eventual Reworking & the Oikos

The Greek Megaron style building was initially structurally designed to allow for religious ceremonies to be held in the central room of the building, while the other rooms supported residence dwelling. However, during the eighth century BC, the base layout of the Megaron evolved into what is understood to be the traditional structural design: where the central configuration of the building became more strictly associated with worship. The inhabited sections of the structure grew as a subsidiary structure from the traditional megaron design, and became what was later known as an " oikos" in ancient Greece.


Structure

Rectilinear halls were a characteristic theme of ancient Greek architecture.. The Mycenaean megaron originated and evolved from the ''megaroid'', or large hall-centered rectangular building, of mainland Greece dating back to the Late Neolithic and
Early Bronze Age The Bronze Age is a historic period, lasting approximately from 3300 BC to 1200 BC, characterized by the use of bronze, the presence of writing in some areas, and other early features of urban civilization. The Bronze Age is the second prin ...
. Furthermore, it served as the architectural precursor to the Greek temples of the Archaic and Classical periods.. With respect to its structural layout, the megaron includes a columned entrance, a pronaos and a central naos (cella) with early versions of it having one of many roof types (i.e., pitched, flat, barrel). The roof, specifically, was supported by wooden beams and since the aforesaid roof types are always destroyed in the remnants of the early megaron, the definite roof type is unknown. The floor was made of patterned concrete and covered in carpet. The walls, constructed out of
mud brick A mudbrick or mud-brick is an air-dried brick, made of a mixture of loam, mud, sand and water mixed with a binding material such as rice husks or straw. Mudbricks are known from 9000 BCE, though since 4000 BCE, bricks have also been fi ...
, were decorated with fresco paintings. There were wood-ornamented metal doors, often two-leaved, and footbaths were also used in the megaron as attested in Homer's '' Odyssey'' where Odysseus's feet were washed by Eurycleia. The proportions involving a larger length than width are similar structurally to early
Doric Doric may refer to: * Doric, of or relating to the Dorians of ancient Greece ** Doric Greek, the dialects of the Dorians * Doric order, a style of ancient Greek architecture * Doric mode, a synonym of Dorian mode * Doric dialect (Scotland) * Doric ...
temples.


Construction Techniques


Wattle-and-Daub and Pisé

The construction of the megaron style structure differs depending on the location and the specific example. Recent excavations of the small town of
Karataş Karataş ( gr, Μέγαρσος, Mègarsos) is a small city and a district in Adana Province, on the Mediterranean coast of Turkey, 47 km from the city of Adana, between the rivers of Seyhan and Ceyhan, the Pyramos of Antiquity. The city of K ...
Turkey has led to the discovery of structural evidence that survived the ages, allowing archeologists and scholars to piece together theories as to how they were created. Some of the most prominent theories to come from this unearthing are the “
Wattle-and-Daub Wattle and daub is a composite building method used for making walls and buildings, in which a woven lattice of wooden strips called wattle is daubed with a sticky material usually made of some combination of wet soil, clay, sand, animal dung a ...
” and “
Pisé Rammed earth is a technique for constructing foundations, floors, and walls using compacted natural raw materials such as earth, chalk, lime, or gravel. It is an ancient method that has been revived recently as a sustainable building method. ...
” construction techniques. In the ancient remains of the Karataş houses, archeologists analyzed the surviving foundations and walls of the megaron framework and observed that within each brick foundation were tightly packed tree saplings. The mudbrick surrounding these saplings provided for a dense and well taught structural foundation in which the megaron could be assembled. In other instances, the inner wood-work of the foundation was held in place with soil and rock, rather than mudbrick. Archeologist are unsure whether to call this a pure “Wattle-and-Daub” technique, or rather Pisé, as there is no indication that the inner saplings were woven together in order to help keep the wall's shape, or if the walls were rather held together by the surrounding mud, as done in typical Pisé fashion.


Widely Accepted Roofing Theories

There is much to debate over what the style of roof would have looked like on the ancient Greek megaron. Some scholars believe that the roof would have been either flat or sloped based on the recovered ground-plans of megara found in ancient Greece, while other argue that there is possibility that these roofs were either pitched or gabled. As of now archeologists are unable to provide a conclusive answer to this contentious debate.


Counterclaim to Said Theories

There are a number of different theories about the architectural design of megaron roofing; consequently there is much contention as to what type of roofing was actually used in ancient Greece. Some scholars suggest that the traditional megaron roof was flat, while others, prominently Baldwin Smith and Dinsmoor respectively, believe there is more evidence towards a pitched or gabled design. A lot of these theories have gained popularity and are widely accepted in the effort to reconstruct the ancient megaron; however, some scholars such as Carl W. Blegen have argued that both the arguments presented by the lead supporters for the pitched and gabled roofs (Smith and Dinsmoor) provide insufficient evidence for determining what the actual roofing might have looked like and asserts that more pertinent studies need to be done before any conclusive judgements can be made. As it stands, conceptualization of the megaron style roofing rendered an overall inconclusive understanding among the archeological community and has led to nothing but speculation.


Examples


Megaron of Tiryns

A famous megaron is in the large reception hall of the king in the Bronze Age palace of Tiryns, the main room of which had a raised throne placed against the right wall and a central
hearth A hearth () is the place in a home where a fire is or was traditionally kept for home heating and for cooking, usually constituted by at least a horizontal hearthstone and often enclosed to varying degrees by any combination of reredos (a low, ...
bordered by four Minoan-style wooden
columns A column or pillar in architecture and structural engineering is a structural element that transmits, through compression, the weight of the structure above to other structural elements below. In other words, a column is a compression member. ...
that served as supports for the roof. The
Cretan Crete ( el, Κρήτη, translit=, Modern: , Ancient: ) is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the 88th largest island in the world and the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after Sicily, Sardinia, Cyprus, ...
elements in the Tiryns megaron were adopted by the Mycenaeans from the palace type found in Minoan architecture. Frescoes from Pylos show figures eating and drinking, which were important activities in
Greek culture The culture of Greece has evolved over thousands of years, beginning in Minoan and later in Mycenaean Greece, continuing most notably into Classical Greece, while influencing the Roman Empire and its successor the Byzantine Empire. Other cultu ...
. Artistic portrayals of bulls, a common zoomorphic motif in Mycenaean vase painting, appear on Greek megaron frescoes such as the one in the Pylos megaron where a bull is depicted at the center of a Mycenaean procession. Other famous megara include the ones at the Mycenaean palaces of Thebes and Mycenae. Different Greek cultures had their own unique megara; for example, the people of the Greek mainland tended to separate their central megaron from the other rooms whereas the
Cretans Crete ( el, Κρήτη, translit=, Modern: , Ancient: ) is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the 88th largest island in the world and the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after Sicily, Sardinia, Cyprus, and ...
did not do this..


Megaron of Mycenae

Notable information about the Megaron of Mycenae has been reported by archeologist Hugh Plommer on his findings of a fully intact carved block from the Megaron of Mycenae. His publication notes specific '' in-situ'' measurements, photographs, physical details and descriptions of the stone left behind, along with a brief history of what had happened to the digging sight, and even a supposition of the block's use - possibly the remnants of a fallen
abacus The abacus (''plural'' abaci or abacuses), also called a counting frame, is a calculating tool which has been used since ancient times. It was used in the ancient Near East, Europe, China, and Russia, centuries before the adoption of the H ...
from the porch of the megaron. The carved fragment of the megaron which he recovered was reportedly "broken into more than forty fragments," and was made from what he assumed to be a sort of reddish sandstone. This archeological fragment is particularly revealing of the history of the Megaron of Mycenae, as much of the stone was also reportedly blackened around its edges, indicating that at some point there was a fire which raged through the building. After much archeological analysis, Plommer concluded that the abacus of the Megaron was likely "80 cm" in both length and width, creating a solid square base linking the roof to the supporting pillar.


Müller's Megaron Types

One source written by Valentin Müller claims that there are 32 recorded types of megaron found throughout Greece and parts of Europe and Russia. These structures are understood as variations of the Greek megaron style building, as they are similarly defined by their design as a "long room" where two parallel walls of the structure are equal in length to each other, and longer than the other two walls. Refer to "Fig 1 - Types of Megera with Dates" for a full list of megaron types as determined by Müller.  


See also

*
Ancient Greek architecture Ancient Greek architecture came from the Greek-speaking people (''Hellenic'' people) whose culture flourished on the Greek mainland, the Peloponnese, the Aegean Islands, and in colonies in Anatolia and Italy for a period from about 900 BC un ...
* List of ancient Greek and Roman roofs


References


Citations


Sources

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Bibliography

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Further reading

*Homer's '' Odyssey'' contains detailed references to the megaron of Odysseus. * * *


External links

* *{{cite web, last=Lee, first=Stephanie, title=Megaron, website=JIAAW Workplace: Archaeologies of the Greek Past, publisher=Joukowsky Institute for Archaeology & the Ancient World (Brown University), year=2007, url=https://www.brown.edu/Departments/Joukowsky_Institute/courses/greekpast/4888.html Architecture in Greece House types Mycenaean architecture Rooms