megaron

(noun)

The rectangular great hall in a Mycenaean building, usually supported with pillars.

Related Terms

Examples of megaron in the following topics:

  • Mycenaean Architecture

    • Mycenaean citadel sites were centered around the megaron, a reception area for the king.
    • The megaron was a rectangular hall, fronted by an open, two-columned porch.
    • The site's megaron sits on the highest part of the acropolis and is reached through a large staircase.
    • The central megaron is easy to locate, and it is surrounded by various palatial and administrative rooms.
    • The megaron is accessed through a courtyard that is decorated on three sides with a colonnade.

  • The Propylaea and the Erechtheion

    • The Erectheion was built on the site of the Hekatompedon, which was the archaic temple to Athena, and also over the megaron of the Mycenaean citadel.

  • Temple Architecture in the Greek Orientalizing Period

    • Minoan shrines, as seen at Knossos, were tripartite shrines fronted by three columns, while the plan of the Mycenaean king's chamber (or megaron) was appropriated for use by the gods.

  • Temple Architecture in the Greek Archaic Period

    • The Archaic stone temples took their essential shape and structure from both these previous wooden temples and the shape of a Mycenaean megaron.