Hi everyone! This is my new blog where I will be covering Greek Architectural structures. For my first post, I am going to focus on the tholos called the Philippeion at Olympia. Lets begin with a little information about the location of the structure, Olympia.

As many of you already know, Olympia was the place where the Olympic games were held every four years by the Greeks. It was located in the southeastern region of Elis where the two rivers Kladeos and Alpheus joined. Olympia was considered a sanctuary and not a town. Within this sanctuary were multiple buildings dedicated to worship and others dedicated the games. Altis is considered the central spot of Olympia and was considered a quadrangle. From east to west, Altis stretched around 200 meters, while from north to south it stretched around 175 meters. A large wall on the west and south ends enclosed Altis. The hill of Cronos, the Prytaneion, and the row of Treasuries enclosed the north end, while the Stadium and the Echo Portico enclosed the east. Inside this enclosure stood many important buildings including the Philippeion.  

Little is known about the Battle of Chaeronea due to the vagueness of the ancient accounts. What is widely accepted is the fact that Philip II defeated the elite forces of Thebes. Minor M. Markle III has written a series of arguments favoring in Philip’s victory. He supposes that by using the sarissa, a four to seven meter (13-21 ft) long spear used in Hellenistic warfare, instead of a short spear and by implementing the wedge-shaped formation, it is possible Philip could have won.

In 335 BC, Philip II had just won in the Battle of Chaeronea. Soon after, Philip began the construction of Philippeion at Olympia. Kings began building structures apart from their homes to represent their success and power. The Philippeion at Olympia is a prime example of one of these buildings. It was built as a gift after the Battle of Chaeronea and housed statues of Philip II along with his family. Only two years after construction first began, Philip II died, leaving the rest of the construction up to his son, Alexander the Great. 

            The Philippeion was built in the northwestern corner of Altis near the Kladeos River. It was built on what used to be the alluvial plain of the river.  This caused most of the foundation to sink. Originally, the Philippeion’s groundwork consisted of two rings. The outer ring was 2.33 meters wide and measured 15.45 meters in diameter. It had eighteen Ionic columns and contained three sequences of asher blocks. The inner ring measured 1.22 meters wide. It was set on a level higher than the outer ring and was used to support the cella wall. Unlike the outer ring, the inner ring only consisted of two courses of blocks.

            The Ionic capitals were said to be practically orthodox. The one thing that set the capitals apart is the fact that the helices, or inner spirals and flowers, were omitted. This idea of omitting the helices is thought to have been copied from the Tegea Temple since its construction was wrapping up around the same time the Philippeion’s capitals were starting to be built. Also, numerous vertical leaves were carved all over the bell. This caused it to look similar to the bell of the Bassae capital, which was covered with paintings of leaves.

            The Philippeion is said to be one of the oldest surviving examples of Ionic entablatures that combines the frieze and the dentils. In the book, Greek Architecture, A. W. Lawerence states, “This seems to be the earliest instance of combination of the two originally incompatible elements in structure.” The entablatures in the Philippeion sets the building apart because it breaks tradition. There were only two fasciae that were the same height in the architrave and a frieze-course joined with dentils that were slightly concave. The cella walls began with orthostates, which are large squared blocks of stone that are taller than they are wide and are generally built into the lower part of the wall. Beginning at 1.65 meters above the floor on the inner face of the wall were four engaged Corinthian columns. These columns did not perform any structural duty. The capitols of these columns were decorated with ‘leafy’ designs.

            The interior may have been around seven meters in diameter. On the opposite side of the entrance, a high marble pedestal was placed. On it stood the gold and ivory statues of Philip II’s family including himself, his parents, his wife Olympias, and his son Alexander the Great. The gold and ivory that were used in making the sculptures were considered luxury materials and were typically saved for images of deities.

            I hope you all enjoyed my very first podcast about the Philippeion. Please don’t hesitate to ask any questions!

Cited Sources: 

Lawrence, A. W. Greek Architecture. [Harmondsworth, Middlesex]: Penguin, 1957. Print.

Winter, Frederick E. Studies in Hellenistic Architecture. Toronto: University of Toronto, 2006. Print.

Robertson, D. S. Greek and Roman Architecture. 2nd ed. London: Cambridge U.P., 1969. Print.

Pedley, John G. Greek Art and Archaeology. 5th ed. [S.l.]: Prentice Hall, 2003. Print.

Rahe, Paul A. "The Annihilation of the Sacred Band at Chaeronea." American Journal of Archaeology. Archaeological Institute of America. Web. <http://www.jstor.org/stable/504975>.

Reeder, Jane C. "Typology and Ideology in the Mausoleum of Augustus: Tumulus and Tholos." Classical Antiquity 11 (1992): 265-307. University of California Press. Web. <http://www.jstor.org/stable/25010976>.

"Olympia." The New International Encyclopedia. 2nd ed. Vol. XVII. New York: Dodd, Mead &, 1930. 442. Print.