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{{Short description|Great hall in ancient Greek palace complexes}}
{{Hatnote|This article is about ancient Greek palace complexes. For the Megaron Mousikis, see [[Athens Concert Hall]].}}
{{Italics title}}
[[File:Megaron.svg|thumb|right|Schematic plan of a ''megaron'' complex. 1: ''anteroom'', 2: hall (main room), 3: columns in portico and hall.]]
[[File:MiceneMegaron.jpg|thumb|right|Foundation of the ''megaron'' complex at [[Mycenae]], view from the main hall (circular hearth visible in foreground) through the ''anteroom'' and porch]]
The '''''megaron''''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|m|ɛ|g|ə|ˌ|r|ɒ|n}}; {{langx|grc|μέγαρον}}, {{IPA|grc|mégaron|}}, {{plural form}}: ''megara'' {{IPAc-en|ˈ|m|ɛ|g|ər|ə}}) was the [[great hall]] in very early [[Mycenae|Mycenean]] and [[Ancient Greece|ancient Greek]] [[palace]] complexes.<ref name="Biers"/> 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 (architecture)|oculus]] in the roof.<ref>{{harvnb|Pullen|2008|p=37}}.</ref>

The ''megaron'' also contained the [[Throne room|throne-room]] of the ''[[Anax|wanax]]'', or Mycenaean ruler, whose throne was located in the main room with the central hearth.<ref>{{harvnb|Kleiner|2016|loc="Chapter 4 The Prehistoric Aegean", p. 94}}; {{harvnb|Neer|2012}}.</ref> 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 civilization|Aegean]].<ref name="Encyclopædia Britannica">{{cite web|title=Megaron|url=http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/373030/megaron|publisher=Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.|access-date=3 April 2013}}</ref> ''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.<ref name="Müller">{{harvnb|Müller|1944|pp=342−348}}.</ref> There were often many rooms around the central ''megaron'', such as archive rooms, offices, oil-press rooms, workshops, potteries, [[shrine]]s, corridors, [[Arsenal|armories]], and storerooms for such goods as [[wine]], [[oil]] and [[wheat]].<ref>{{harvnb|Pentreath|2006|loc="Pre-Classical Beginnings"}}.</ref> Evidence suggests that the ''megara'' of ancient Greece were often created using the construction techniques of "[[Wattle and daub|Wattle-and-Daub]]" and "[[Rammed earth|Pisé]]".<ref name=":52">{{cite journal|last=Smith|first=E. Baldwin|date=1942|title=The Megaron and Its Roof|journal=American Journal of Archaeology|volume=46|issue=1|pages=99–118|doi=10.2307/499112|jstor=499112|s2cid=192949828}}</ref>

The ''megaron'' is thought to have been used for sacrificial processions,<ref name="Wright">{{harvnb|Wright|2004|pp=161–162}}.</ref> as well as for royal functions and court meetings.<ref name="Encyclopædia Britannica"/> However, parts of the ''megaron'' functioned as habitable spaces, and were utilized as living quarters prior to the eighth century BC.<ref name=":32">{{cite journal|last=Coucouzeli|first=Alexandra|date=2007|title=From megaron to oikos at Zagora|journal=British School at Athens Studies|volume=15|pages=169–170|jstor=40960585}}</ref>

== Historical use and purpose ==
Numerous sources indicate that the ''megaron'' was used in two central ways: first and foremost, it was used for religious ceremonies, while also being used to support residents as a dwelling space. Additionally, according to Valentin Müller,<ref name=":22">{{cite journal|last=Muller|first=Valentin|date=1944|title=Development of the 'Megaron' in Prehistoric Greece|journal=American Journal of Archaeology|volume=48|issue=4|pages=342–348|doi=10.2307/499900|jstor=499900|s2cid=245275483 }}</ref> there is evidence for 32 different types of ''megaron'' throughout Greece and parts of Europe and Russia. Their use varied significantly depending on the time periods and locations in which they were built. Remnants of structures related to the traditional Greek ''megaron'' style buildings can be found in Thessaly dating back to the [[Neolithic|Neolithic Era]]. Müller asserts that these are some of the first known ''megaron'', classifying them with the designation "Type 1" ''megarons''.  These initial structures were somewhat similar in design to those found in ancient Greece, but different in their material and roofing style and complexity. Müller has classified and archived a number of ''megaron'' "typing's" which existed through the first, second and third periods of history, and shows how a number of ethnic groups participated in creating the original and archetypal model which later evolved into the classical Greek ''megaron'' structure.<ref name=":22"/>

=== Eventual reworking and the ''oikos'' ===
The Greek ''megaron'' style building was initially structurally designed to allow for religious ceremonies to be held in the central room of the building, while the other rooms supported residence dwelling. However, during the eighth century BC, the base layout of the ''megaron'' evolved into what is understood to be the traditional structural design: where the central configuration of the building became more strictly associated with worship. The inhabited sections of the structure grew as a subsidiary structure from the traditional ''megaron'' design, and became what was later known as an ''oikos'' in [[ancient Greece]].<ref name=":32"/>

==Structure==
[[File:Knossos - Megaron.jpg|thumb|Throne room of a ''megaron'' in [[Knossos]], Greece]]

Rectilinear halls were a characteristic theme of ancient Greek architecture.<ref name=Hitchcock>{{harvnb|Hitchcock|2012|pp=200–209}}.</ref> The Mycenaean ''megaron'' originated and evolved from the ''megaroid'', or large hall-centered rectangular building, of mainland [[Greece]] dating back to the [[Neolithic Greece|Late Neolithic]] and [[Helladic chronology|Early Bronze Age]].<ref name="Biers">{{harvnb|Biers|1996|loc=p. 69: "Perhaps the most conspicuous and distinctive feature of Mycenaean architecture is the central hall, or megaron, which is found not only in the palaces but in private houses as well. A typical mainland form, traceable at least to Early Helladic and perhaps to Neolithic predecessors [...]" }}</ref><ref name=Hitchcock/> Furthermore, it served as the architectural precursor to the [[Ancient Greek temple|Greek temples]] of the [[Archaic Greece|Archaic]] and [[Classical Greece|Classical]] periods.<ref name="Cartwright">{{harvnb|Cartwright|2019}}.</ref> With respect to its structural layout, the ''megaron'' includes a columned entrance, a ''[[Portico|pronaos]]'' and a central ''[[Cella|naos]]'' ("cella") with early versions of it having one of many roof types (i.e., pitched, flat, barrel).<ref name="Müller"/> The roof, specifically, was supported by wooden beams<ref>{{harvnb|Werner|1993|p=16}}; {{harvnb|Rider|1916|pp=179–180}}.</ref> and since the aforesaid roof types are always destroyed in the remnants of the early ''megaron'', the definite roof type is unknown.<ref name="Müller"/> The floor was made of patterned concrete and covered in carpet.<ref>{{harvnb|Diehl|1893|p=53}}.</ref> The walls, constructed out of [[mudbrick]],<ref>{{harvnb|Werner|1993|p=23}}.</ref> were decorated with fresco paintings.<ref name="Cartwright"/> There were wood-ornamented metal doors, often two-leaved,<ref>{{harvnb|Rider|1916|p=180}}.</ref> and footbaths were also used in the ''megaron'' as attested in Homer's ''[[Odyssey]]'' where Odysseus's feet were washed by [[Eurycleia of Ithaca|Eurycleia]].<ref>{{harvnb|Rider|1916|p=183}}; Homer. ''Odyssey'', XIX.316.</ref> The proportions involving a larger length than width are similar structurally to early [[Dorians|Doric]] temples.<ref>{{harvnb|Rider|1916|p=140}}.</ref>

== Construction techniques ==

=== Wattle-and-Daub and Pisé ===
The construction of the ''megaron'' style structure differs depending on the location and the specific example. Recent excavations of the small town of [[Karataş]], Turkey, has led to the discovery of structural evidence that survived the ages, allowing archeologists and scholars to piece together theories as to how they were created. Some of the most prominent theories to come from this unearthing are the "[[Wattle and daub|Wattle-and-Daub]]" and "[[Rammed earth|Pisé]]" construction techniques.<ref name=":02">{{cite journal|last=Warner|first=Jayne|date=1979|title=The Megaron and Apsidal House in Early Bronze Age Western Anatolia: New Evidence from Karataş|journal=American Journal of Archaeology|volume=83|issue=2|pages=133–147|doi=10.2307/504897|jstor=504897|s2cid=192878413}}</ref> In the ancient remains of the Karataş houses, archeologists analyzed the surviving foundations and walls of the ''megaron'' framework and observed that within each brick foundation were tightly packed tree saplings. The [[mudbrick]] surrounding these saplings provided for a dense and well taught structural foundation in which the ''megaron'' could be assembled. In other instances, the inner wood-work of the foundation was held in place with soil and rock, rather than mudbrick. Archeologist are unsure whether to call this a pure "Wattle-and-Daub" technique, or rather Pisé, as there is no indication that the inner saplings were woven together in order to help keep the wall's shape, or if the walls were rather held together by the surrounding mud, as done in typical Pisé fashion.<ref name=":02"/>

=== Roofing ===

There are a number of different theories about the architectural design of ''megaron'' roofing; consequently there is much contention as to what type of roofing was actually used in [[ancient Greece]]. Some scholars suggest that the traditional ''megaron'' roof was [[Flat roof|flat]], while others, prominently Baldwin Smith and Dinsmoor respectively, believe there is more evidence towards a [[Roof pitch|pitched]] or [[Gable roof|gabled]] design.<ref name=":12">{{cite journal|last=Blegen|first=Carl W.|date=1945|title=The Roof of the Mycenaean Megaron|journal=American Journal of Archaeology|volume=49|issue=1|pages=35–44|doi=10.2307/499938|jstor=499938|s2cid=245275098}}</ref> A lot of these theories have gained popularity and are widely accepted in the effort to reconstruct the ancient ''megaron''; however, some scholars such as Carl W. Blegen have argued that both the arguments presented by the lead supporters for the pitched and gabled roofs (Smith and Dinsmoor) provide insufficient evidence for determining what the actual roofing might have looked like and asserts that more pertinent studies need to be done before any conclusive judgements can be made.<ref name=":12"/> As it stands, conceptualization of the ''megaron'' style roofing rendered an overall inconclusive understanding among the archeological community and has led to nothing but speculation.

==Examples==

=== ''Megaron'' of Tiryns ===
A famous ''megaron'' is in the large reception hall of the king in the Bronze Age palace of [[Tiryns]], the main room of which had a raised throne placed against the right wall and a central [[hearth]] bordered by four Minoan-style wooden [[Column|columns]] that served as supports for the roof.<ref name="Müller" /> The [[Crete|Cretan]] elements in the Tiryns ''megaron'' were adopted by the Mycenaeans from the palace type found in [[Minoan architecture]].<ref name="Müller" /> [[Fresco|Frescoes]] from [[Pylos]] show figures eating and drinking, which were important activities in [[Culture of Greece|Greek culture]].<ref name="Wright" /> Artistic portrayals of bulls, a common zoomorphic motif in Mycenaean vase painting,<ref>{{harvnb|Wright|2004|p=160 (Footnote #116)}}.</ref> appear on Greek ''megaron'' frescoes, such as the one in the Pylos ''megaron'', where a bull is depicted at the center of a Mycenaean procession.<ref name="Wright" /> Other famous ''megara'' include the ones at the Mycenaean palaces of [[Thebes, Greece|Thebes]] and [[Mycenae]].<ref>{{harvnb|Werner|1993}}.</ref> Different Greek cultures had their own unique ''megara''; for example, the people of the [[Geography of Greece#Mainland|Greek mainland]] tended to separate their central ''megaron'' from the other rooms whereas the [[Crete|Cretans]] did not do this.<ref>{{harvnb|Rider|1916|p=127}}.</ref>

=== ''Megaron'' of Mycenae ===
Notable information about the ''megaron'' of [[Mycenae]] has been reported by archeologist Hugh Plommer on his findings of a fully intact carved block from the ''megaron'' of Mycenae. His publication notes specific ''[[in situ]]'' measurements, photographs, physical details and descriptions of the stone left behind, along with a brief history of what had happened to the digging site, and even a supposition of the block's use – possibly the remnants of a fallen [[Abacus (architecture)|abacus]] from the porch of the ''megaron''. The carved fragment of the ''megaron'' which he recovered was reportedly "broken into more than forty fragments",<ref name=":42">{{cite journal |last1=Plommer |first1=Hugh |title=A Carved Block from the Megaron of Mycenae |journal=The Annual of the British School at Athens |date=1965 |volume=60 |pages=207–211 |doi=10.1017/S0068245400013952 |jstor=30103155 |s2cid=130406443 }}</ref> and was made from what he assumed to be a sort of reddish [[sandstone]]. This archeological fragment is particularly revealing of the history of the ''megaron'' of Mycenae, as much of the stone was also reportedly blackened around its edges, indicating that at some point there was a fire which raged through the building. After much archeological analysis, Plommer concluded that the abacus of the ''megaron'' was likely "80 cm" in both length and width, creating a solid square base linking the roof to the supporting pillar.<ref name=":42"/>

=== Müller's ''megaron'' types ===
One source written by Valentin Müller claims that there are 32 recorded types of ''megaron'' found throughout Greece and parts of Europe. These structures are understood as variations of the Greek ''megaron'' style building, as they are similarly defined by their design as a "long room"<ref name=":22"/> where two parallel walls of the structure are equal in length to each other, and longer than the other two walls. Refer to "Fig 1 – Types of ''Megera'' with Dates"<ref name=":22"/> for a full list of ''megaron'' types as determined by Müller.

==See also==
* [[Ancient Greek architecture]]
* [[List of ancient Greek and Roman roofs]]

==References==
===Citations===
{{reflist}}

===Sources===
*{{cite book|last=Biers|first=William R.|title=The Archaeology of Greece: An Introduction|year=1996|location=Ithaca, NY|publisher=Cornell University Press|isbn=978-0-801-43173-9}}
*{{cite web|last=Cartwright|first=Mark|title=Mycenaean Civilization|website=[[World History Encyclopedia]]|year=2019|url=https://www.worldhistory.org/Mycenaean_Civilization/}}
*{{cite book|last=Diehl|first=Charles|title=Excursions in Greece to Recently Explored Sites of Classical Interest: Mycenae, Tiryns, Dodona, Delos, Athens, Olympia, Eleusis, Epidaurus, Tanagra|year=1893|location=London|publisher=H. Grevel and Co.|url=https://archive.org/details/excursionsingree00diehuoft/page/n7/mode/2up}}
*{{cite book |doi=10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199873609.013.0015 |chapter=Mycenaean Architecture |title=The Oxford Handbook of the Bronze Age Aegean |year=2012 |last1=Hitchcock |first1=Louise A. |pages=200–209 |isbn=978-0-19-987360-9 }}
*{{cite book|editor-last=Kleiner|editor-first=Fred S.|title=Gardner's Art Through the Ages: A Global History|volume=I|edition=15th|year=2016|location=Boston, MA|publisher=Cengage Learning|isbn=978-1-30-554486-4}}
*{{cite journal|last=Müller|first=Valentin|date=1944|title=Development of the 'Megaron' in Prehistoric Greece|journal=American Journal of Archaeology|volume=48|issue=4|pages=342–348|doi=10.2307/499900|jstor=499900|s2cid=245275483 }}
*{{cite book|last=Neer|first=Richard T.|year=2012|title=Greek Art and Archaeology: A New History, c. 2500–c. 150 BCE|location=New York, NY|publisher=Thames & Hudson|isbn=978-0-500-28877-1|oclc=745332893}}
* {{cite news |last1=Pentreath |first1=Guy |title=ABCs of Greek Architecture |year=2006 |url=https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/fodors/top/features/travel/destinations/europe/greece/athens/fdrs_feat_14_10.html |work=The New York Times }}
*{{cite book|last=Pullen|first=Daniel|chapter=The Early Bronze Age in Greece|editor-last=Shelmerdine|editor-first=Cynthia W.|title=The Cambridge Companion to the Aegean Bronze Age|year=2008|pages=19–46|location=Cambridge and New York|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-0-521-81444-7}}
*{{cite book|last=Rider|first=Bertha Carr|title=The Greek House: Its History and Development from the Neolithic Period to Hellenistic Age|year=1916|location=London|publisher=Cambridge University Press|url=https://archive.org/stream/greekhouseitshis00rideuoft}}
*{{cite book|last=Werner|first=Kjell|title=The Megaron during the Aegean and Anatolian Bronze Age: A Study of Occurrence, Shape, Architectural Adaptation, and Function|year=1993|location=Jonsered|publisher=Paul Åströms Förlag|isbn=978-9-17-081092-3|url=https://www.academia.edu/9611621}}
*{{cite journal|last=Wright|first=James C.|title=A Survey of Evidence for Feasting in Mycenaean Society|journal=Hesperia|year=2004|volume=73|issue=2|pages=133–178|doi=10.2972/hesp.2004.73.2.133|citeseerx=10.1.1.675.9036|s2cid=54957703 |id={{ProQuest|216525567}}}}

== Bibliography ==
# {{cite journal|last=Blegen|first=Carl W.|date=1945|title=The Roof of the Mycenaean Megaron|journal=American Journal of Archaeology|volume=49|issue=1|pages=35–44|doi=10.2307/499938|jstor=499938|s2cid=245275098}}
# {{cite journal|last=Coucouzeli|first=Alexandra|date=2007|title=From megaron to oikos at Zagora|journal=British School at Athens Studies|volume=15|pages=169–170|jstor=40960585}}
# {{cite journal |last1=Dinsmoor |first1=William Bell |title=Notes on Megaron Roofs |journal=American Journal of Archaeology |date=1 July 1942 |volume=46 |issue=3 |pages=370–372 |doi=10.2307/499777 |jstor=499777 |s2cid=192984693 }}
# {{cite journal |last1=Knox |first1=Mary O. |title=Megarons and ΜΕΓΑΡΑ: Homer and Archaeology |journal=The Classical Quarterly |date=1973 |volume=23 |issue=1 |pages=1–21 |doi=10.1017/S0009838800036429 |jstor=638119 |s2cid=170046576 }}
# {{cite journal |last1=Cosmopoulos |first1=Michael B. |title=Cult, Continuity, and Social Memory: Mycenaean Eleusis and the Transition to the Early Iron Age |journal=American Journal of Archaeology |date=1 July 2014 |volume=118 |issue=3 |pages=401–427 |doi=10.3764/aja.118.3.0401 |s2cid=192963948 }}
# {{cite journal|last=Muller|first=Valentin|date=1944|title=Development of the 'Megaron' in Prehistoric Greece|journal=American Journal of Archaeology|volume=48|issue=4|pages=342–348|doi=10.2307/499900|jstor=499900|s2cid=245275483 }}
# {{cite journal |last1=Plommer |first1=Hugh |title=A Carved Block from the Megaron of Mycenae |journal=The Annual of the British School at Athens |date=1965 |volume=60 |pages=207–211 |doi=10.1017/S0068245400013952 |jstor=30103155 |s2cid=130406443 }}
# {{cite journal|last=Smith|first=E. Baldwin|date=1942|title=The Megaron and Its Roof|journal=American Journal of Archaeology|volume=46|issue=1|pages=99–118|doi=10.2307/499112|jstor=499112|s2cid=192949828}}
# {{cite journal |last1=Wace |first1=Alan J. B. |title=Notes on the Homeric House |journal=The Journal of Hellenic Studies |date=November 1951 |volume=71 |pages=203–211 |doi=10.2307/628203 |jstor=628203 |s2cid=163626816 }}
# {{cite journal|last=Warner|first=Jayne|date=1979|title=The Megaron and Apsidal House in Early Bronze Age Western Anatolia: New Evidence from Karataş|journal=American Journal of Archaeology|volume=83|issue=2|pages=133–147|doi=10.2307/504897|jstor=504897|s2cid=192878413}}

==Further reading==
*Homer's ''[[Odyssey]]'' contains detailed references to the megaron of Odysseus.
*{{cite journal|last=Hopkins|first=Clark|title=The Megaron of the Mycenaean Palace|journal=Studi Micenea ed Egeo-Anatolici|volume=6|pages=45−53|year=1968|url=http://smea.isma.cnr.it/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/Hopkins_The-Megaron-of-the-Mycenaean-Palace.pdf}} 
*{{cite book|last=Konsolaki-Yannopoulou|first=Eleni|chapter=Mycenaean Religious Architecture: The Archaeological Evidence from Ayios Konstantinos, Methana|pages=61–94|editor-last=Wedde|editor-first=Michael|title=Celebrations: Sanctuaries and the Vestiges of Cult Activity|year=2004|series=Papers from the Norwegian Institute at Athens 6 |publisher=The Norwegian Institute at Athens |s2cid=55419723 |hdl=1956/24357 |isbn=978-82-91626-23-9 }}
*{{cite book|last=Vermeule|first=Emily|title=Greece in the Bronze Age|year=1972|location=Chicago|publisher=University of Chicago Press}}

==External links==
*{{cite web|author=Encyclopedia.com|title=Minoan and Mycenaean Architecture (Arts and Humanities Through the Eras)|publisher=Encyclopedia.com|date=15 April 2021|access-date=19 May 2021|url=https://www.encyclopedia.com}}
*{{cite web|last=Lee|first=Stephanie|title=Megaron|website=JIAAW Workplace: Archaeologies of the Greek Past|publisher=Joukowsky Institute for Archaeology & the Ancient World (Brown University)|year=2007|url=https://www.brown.edu/Departments/Joukowsky_Institute/courses/greekpast/4888.html}}

[[Category:Architecture in Greece]]
[[Category:House types]]
[[Category:Mycenaean architecture]]
[[Category:Rooms]]
[[Category:Tiryns]]
[[Category:Mycenae]]