Civil Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
ent in concept. Bastard ashlar construction was essentially a facing to a disparate
core, Greek ashlar construction was uniform throughout the entire structure. Was
then the ordonance of Classical Greek ashlar essentially an expression of Classical
Greek rational idealism?
Greek ashlar masonry was assembled out of sizeable blocks—the average wall
block of the order ca 1.0 m × 0.5+m × 0.5-m (or ca 3'-4' × 2' × 1.5'). h is gives
a total mass of ca 0.25 m3 or a burden of 0.5+ ton, which is about the upper
limit that one or two men can budge or lever about, but which can not thus be
lit ed and placed in position. Such blocks were i nely dressed on the bench into
orthogonal form with each surface truly planar admitting of dry stone, hair-line
jointing between adjacent blocks. h is hair-line jointing was ef ected with great
discrimination. At the bed joints where the compressive stresses in the masonry
were transmitted the contact was total, but the rising joints where no compressive
stress was transmitted were dressed so that contact was made only at the periphery
(anathyrosis). On the other hand to provide against displacement at these joints
through exceptional tensile forces the blocks were tied together by an overall system
of metal cramps and dowels. Moreover the blocks were set together in ef ective
bonding systems which af orded in elevation patterns very pleasing to the eye.
Finally, although it is not exactly in point to speak of the matter here, there was
more than meets the outer eye in the monumental masonry of Classical Greece.
Not only was the jointing uniformly i ne throughout the structure whether visible
or not, but the “intervals” between the joints everywhere were made to conform to
an overall pattern—i.e. they were everywhere “in harmony”, so that e.g. the record
of jointing preserved in a lower course of the crepis enables the jointing of
the stylobate to be reconstructed and thus the scheme of the peristasis. h ese things
were for the eye of the mind, they were an expression of rationalist idealism.
Classical
Greek
ashlar
masonry
198-201
202
202
198-203
49
Truly shape and fashion these;
Leave no yawning gaps between.
h ink not because no man sees
Such things will remain unseen.
Let us do our work as well,
Both the unseen and the seen;
Make the house where gods may dwell,
Beautiful, entire and clean.
Classical Greek ashlar masonry was as much as Classical Greek sculpture superb
idealist art. Like Classical Greek sculpture it had observed antecedents in Egypt
and Western Asia, but was the product of Greek mentality and society—both very
dif erent from what obtained in Egypt and Western Asia.
h e meticulous precision of detail and the consequent solidarity of Classical
Greek ashlar masonry was standardised at a level never at erwards achieved. When
