Megaron

This article is about ancient Greek palace complexes. For the Megaron Mousikis, see Athens Concert Hall.

Schematic plan of a megaron complex. 1: anteroom, 2: hall (main room), 3: columns in portico and hall.
Foundation of the megaron complex at Mycenae, view from the main hall (circular hearth visible in foreground) through the anteroom and porch

The megaron (/ˈmɛɡəˌrɒn/; Ancient Greek: μέγαρον, [mégaron], pl.: megara /ˈmɛɡərə/) was the great hall in very early Mycenean and ancient Greek palace complexes.[1] Architecturally, it was a rectangular hall that was supported by four columns, fronted by an open, two-columned portico, and had a central, open hearth that vented though an oculus in the roof.[2]

The megaron also contained the throne-room of the wanax, or Mycenaean ruler, whose throne was located in the main room with the central hearth.[3] Similar architecture is found in the Ancient Near East, though the presence of the open portico, generally supported by columns, is particular to the Aegean.[4] 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.[5] 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 and wheat.[6] Evidence suggests that the megara of ancient Greece were often created using the construction techniques of "Wattle-and-Daub" and "Pisé".[7]

The megaron is thought to have been used for sacrificial processions,[8] as well as for royal functions and court meetings.[4] However, parts of the megaron functioned as habitable spaces, and were utilized as living quarters prior to the eighth century BC.[9]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference Biers was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Pullen 2008, p. 37.
  3. ^ Kleiner 2016, "Chapter 4 The Prehistoric Aegean", p. 94; Neer 2012.
  4. ^ a b "Megaron". Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. Retrieved 3 April 2013.
  5. ^ Müller 1944, pp. 342−348.
  6. ^ Pentreath 2006, "Pre-Classical Beginnings".
  7. ^ Smith, E. Baldwin (1942). "The Megaron and Its Roof". American Journal of Archaeology. 46 (1): 99–118. doi:10.2307/499112. JSTOR 499112. S2CID 192949828.
  8. ^ Wright 2004, pp. 161–162.
  9. ^ Coucouzeli, Alexandra (2007). "From megaron to oikos at Zagora". British School at Athens Studies. 15: 169–170. JSTOR 40960585.