Cyclopean architecture: Encyclopedia - Cyclopean architecture

Cyclopean architecture

Cyclopean architecture was a characteristic building style of Mycenaean Greek civilization. Tombs and citadels were built of huge irregular stones, fitted together with fine joinings and no mortar. Cyclopean ruins are found at Greek, Etruscan, south Indian, Talayotic, and Anatolian sites.

Cyclopean architecture - Origin of name

The name comes from the mythical giants Cyclops, to whom the building of such enormous walls was attributed

Cyclopean architecture - Cyclopean Masonry

Cyclopean Masonry (from the Cyclopes, the supposed builders of the walls of Mycenae), a term used in architecture, in conjunction with Pelasgic, to define the rude polygonal construction employed by the Greeks and the Etruscans in the walls of their cities. In the earliest examples they consist only of huge masses of rock, of irregular shape, piled one on the other and held together by their great size and weight. Sometimes smaller pieces of rock were used to fill up the interstices. The walls and gates of Tiryns and Mycenae were constructed in this way. Later, these blocks were rudely shaped to fit one another. It is not always possible to decide the period by the type of construction. This depended on the material. Where stratified rocks could be obtained, horizontal coursing might be adopted, in fact, there are instances in Greece, where a later wall of cyclopean construction has been built over one with horizontal courses.

Cyclopean architecture - Origin of name

The name comes from the mythical giants Cyclops, to whom the building of such enormous walls was attributed.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Cyclopean architecture", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki