Before the Greece we know today there was another civilisation, which is said to have paved the way for the Greek civilisation and design. The Mycenaean civilisation also created great feats of design and engineering. The Mycenaean civilisation was ruled by Agamemnon. Agamemnon created a citadel which was also a fortified city with massive buttressed walls which still can be seen to this day.
Agamemnon’s citadel
Every stone weighs around ten tones and they were cut to fit one another precisely which makes the fortification interlock and very resistant. One of their engineering marvels can be seen by the Lions Gate which has an innovative design built into it. The gate first is built up by the post and lentil design like the ones we commonly find in the Maltese temples.
Lions gate
Maltese temple gate
On top it has a beautifully carved stone which has a relief of two lions hence the name of the gate. The gate was a great symbol of propaganda. This stone is supported by blocks which are counter weighed with more blocks to make as stable frame. This came to be known as the Corbel arch. The Corbel arch lead to the creation of the Corbel dome. The corbel dome was only used as a barrel chamber for leaders of the city.
The fortification design kept on developing throughout the years while retaining its defensive purpose. During the war there were a lot of bunkers that were built for the safety of the citizens, headquarters and many other uses. These bunkers were abandoned but now we can see that there is an increase of investors willing to re use these underground fortifications as homes. The repurposed bunkers serve as functional living quarters while providing the additional benefit of their protection from natural disasters and any potential wars.
Corbel arch
Corbel dome
This is a great time in human and art history. Many scholars refer to this time as the Golden age which took place 400 years after the Mycenaean’s, as massive feats of engineering where being accomplished as well as the amazing political power that was happening at the time.
Battles have been won and Greece has attained new found status in Europe.
Greek Conquest
They had strong armies, a strong navy and a very affective political system that we still use today which is democracy and also the technology to be able to engineer and produce great symbols of propaganda such as the Parthenon.
Parthenon
The Parthenon is the creation of Pericles, which was a Greek politician. The Parthenon was to be a temple used to house the statue of Athena. The Parthenon was going to be built on an existing temple foundation that crumbled down. Before construction they went to a marble quarry to cut the 10 tone blocks needed for the structure. At the quarry they cracked the block using existing crack and jamming inside metal wedges to further widen the cracks until it came loose from the mountain. Then workers hulled the massive blocks to the site. This was a very dangerous process and lives were lost. Then they worked the blocks into columns and others for the steps and sealing of the temple. The columns where cut round in drums.
Column construction
Eleven drums created one column. Each drum was fluted and had chiselled holes in the middle and the top. The chiselled tops allowed to each peace to interlock with the next one and even the holes where used to jam stick inside to help them align each peace with the next. The drums of the columns had handles carved so the crane which was made out of a pulley and a boom, lifted each block in lace and after they were put in place they chiselled away the handles. The columns are in the Doric style.
Greek column types
The temple also had a frieze of flat reliefs around the top, depicting and embracing the celebration of the Goddess that where originally polychromed. The statue of Athena on the inside was made out of gold and ivory.
Parthenon frieze
Parthenon Goddess Athena statue recreation
It took 15 years of construction to finish the Pantheon that through the ages will portray a great sense of propaganda that the Greek empire had. In the end though it is said that the people where not happy with it as they saw it as an eyesore as they were stuck with the old idea of aesthetics. We can also see this happen in our own country with the new construction being done in our capital city Valletta.
Marble furniture
The example above shows contemporary furniture made from black and white grain marble inspired by the Greeks love for columns and eye for detail. The marble in these products are more for an aesthetic purpose but they do retain their practical purpose of being non porous (easy to clean), heat resistant and can function well as outdoor furniture.
Greek pattern on a ring
The influences of Greek design can mostly be seen through their continuous patterns like in the ring shown above. I have used their patterns before in art works especially works carved from limestone.
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meaning and value 
