See the main post here: The Temple of Dionysus at Teos
The Temenos
Temenos is a Greek term used to describe an area that has been demarcated as a sacred ground belonging to a respective deity. It was common for large temple sanctuaries to have temenos areas surrounded by various related structures.
The temenos of the sanctuary of Dionysus at Teos was surrounded on all four sides by enclosing structures that formed a trapezoidal courtyard around the main temple building. This courtyard consisted of four stoas, which are designated as the North, South, East, and West stoas.
Under Roman rule, many Greek temples followed the Roman fashion of completing the enclosure around the temenos area, creating an enclosed courtyard space around the main temple building, typically consisting of stoas and a propylon (monumental entrance).
Stoas
Stoas were covered colonnaded walkways, built typically for public use. They were often added to prominent public spaces, particularly to agorae and Roman forums, and sometimes to temple sanctuaries.
Often monumental in their architecture and scale, they served to beautify the area and provide shelter from the elements. Various functions could take place in a stoa, including the sale of goods, the display of artwork, and religious gatherings. The Stoic school of philosophy derives its name from the stoa where the Zeno of Citium and his followers would gather to discuss philosophy.
The North and South Stoas
The North and South stoas in the sanctuary of Dionysus at Teos border the northern and southern edges of the temenos respectively. They are thought to extend along the length of these sides, with the North stoa having a length of approximately 112 metres, and the South stoa being approximately 100 metres long. They are in the Doric order, which was a popular choice for stoas in ancient Greece. It is more economical than the more ornate orders, but still has a dignified and stately appearance suitable for monumental structures.
The Doric order employed here is slender in its proportions, with tall columns and a relatively narrow entablature above. These slimmer proportions – typical of Hellenistic and Roman period architecture – give the buildings a lighter and more airy appearance, and depending on preference, may be seen as appearing more graceful.
Voussoirs (arch stones) were found at the western ends of the North and South stoas, suggesting the presence of arches. We are not sure where or how these arches were placed, and the relation between the North and South with the West stoa at the corners is still obscure. In our reconstruction, we have used arches to facilitate the junction between the South and North stoas with the West stoa, which featured a higher façade than the former two.
The lower portions of these columns were left without fluting. Fluting columns is an expensive process, and the sharp edges of the fluting are particularly prone to wear. The bottom portion of a colonnade was sometimes left unfluted in high-traffic areas, where people passing by and leaning on the columns would erode the edges over time.
The interior wall of the stoas is thought to have been decorated with a Pompeian First style fresco, also known as incrustation or masonry style. This type of wall decoration uses moulded stucco to imitate the appearance of an ashlar masonry wall, often colourful and sometimes textured to look like marble. Architectural details such as cornices and miniature engaged pillars, columns, and fences were sometimes included, too. Remains of stucco belonging to a First style fresco have been found in excavations of the West stoa, and it is thought that this type of wall decoration was present in the other stoas too. In our reconstruction, we have chosen to take a conservative approach, showing a plain white First style wall; the original wall decoration may have been more elaborate and colourful.
The entablature of both the North and South stoas is depicted with the tripartite red-white-blue colour application that is typical of the Classical and Hellenistic periods. Our main source of inspiration for colouring the Doric order this way is the 3rd and 4th century B.C.E. Macedonian tombs, which exhibit remarkably well-preserved ancient Greek polychromy and architecture.
Construction Date
The North and South stoas could not be precisely dated, but they are estimated to have been built in the Hellenistic and Roman periods due to their architectural details. Differences in the details between the friezes of the North and South stoas may be the result of differing construction dates or the result of later rebuilding due to damage. According to M. Duran Uz in his study of the temenos area (Teos Dionysos Temple Temenos Area, 1986), the frieze of the North stoa is Hellenistic in style, while the frieze of the South stoa is Roman.
As always, we would like to emphasise that this reconstruction is speculative in nature, and is the result of both research and creativity (see our about page for more information). We will continue to update our reconstruction as new archaeological evidence comes to light.
Gallery
Click on images to enlarge.
North Stoa
South Stoa
