Erechtheion of Athens: Architecture and History
The Erechtheion
Erechtheion
Authors: Mnesicles and Philocles
Location: Athens Acropolis. Presented, merely characterized, female figures on the south side, facing the main temple of the enclosure, the Parthenon.
Function: Religious, dedicated to Poseidon and Athena.
Epoch: Fifth century BC
Style: Ionic.
Material: Marble. This building is perfectly framed in nature, taking advantage of the irregularities of the terrain. This makes it a structure with an irregular and unique plant.
Supporting Elements
The most important supporting elements (next to the wall) are the columns, which can be Doric, Ionic, or Corinthian. This temple presents an Ionic style characterized by volutes on its capital. It has an Ionic base with an entablature and a smooth, continuous frieze. There is one type of column, characterized as a female figure (Caryatid). Three present the right leg bent and three the left leg flexed. There are 6 figures, but only 4 are in one row; the other 2 are behind the partially closed side where the tomb of Cecrops is preserved. All the Caryatids look towards the Parthenon and the sacred way.
Sustained Constructive Elements
Ionic capitals. The entablature is disposed, formed by the architrave, frieze, and cornice. The entablature rests on a double-sloping roof and triangular spaces called pediments, whose inner part is called the eardrum.
Decorative Elements
The decorative elements that adorn the Erechtheion are the Ionic elements, the reliefs arranged in the continuous frieze, and the famous Caryatids.
Study of the Plant
The Erechtheion replaces a series of sanctuaries. The architect had to overcome a series of topographical difficulties, keeping the unevenness of the ground. He had to preserve all that the Athenians considered a sacred place. For this reason, the terrain was not leveled, finding different enclosures at different levels. These are very original constructions due to the anomalies in their provisions, necessary to bridge the gap in the field and for various worship spaces. During construction, they respected the signs of the battles that had taken place in Attica. We find traces, supposedly, of the three peaks where Poseidon’s trident struck, bringing forth a spring of water. Athena responded by planting an olive tree next to it. The building presents an east-west orientation. East: the main facade of the building, giving access to Athena Polias, where there is a wooden sculpture of the goddess. The western section is made up of three accesses to the interior, with a north-south axis where there is a rectangular naos.
Typology: Ionic, high slenderness and elegance.
Historical Context
The Erechtheion is located at the north end of the Acropolis. The construction of this unique monument was complex and entrusted to Mnesicles. The first phase of Ionic workers began in the year 421 BC, during the Peace of Nicias, and reached 414 BC. The work was interrupted by the resumption of the Peloponnesian Wars, and was not resumed until 409 BC. The building was finally completed in 406 BC. It is the grandest Greek Ionic temple, built in the time of Pericles to rebuild, in Athens, the temple destroyed by the Persians in 480 and 479 BC. It was dedicated to Poseidon and Athena, patron and protector of Attica, and associated with Erechtheus, who was supposedly buried at the site of the Acropolis where the Erechtheion stands.