Did you know Greek dry-stone walls come in at least nine named styles? From Cyclopean (the Greeks thought giants built them) to Mycenaean and Lesbian, Italian archaeologist Lugli even developed a four-type system based on how tightly stones fit. Pelasgian and trapezoidal round out the main categories! 🏛️🪨
Nine terms classify Greek polygonal masonry styles
Key facts
- Polygonal is the broader term for walls built without mortar using odd-shaped stones
- Megalithic refers to walls made with large stones and often carries a prehistoric connotation
- Cyclopean, meaning 'built by the Cyclopes,' was used by classical Greeks for walls they considered wild, old, and large
- Italian archaeologist Lugli created a four-type classification system based on the tightness of stone fitting
- Pelasgian refers to a pre-Bronze Age people; Pelasgian masonry is considered old but smaller than Cyclopean
- Mycenaean is the term preferred by modern historians for polygonal masonry dating to the Bronze Age
- Lesbian style, named after a lead rule or wall on the island of Lesbos, features the most elegant curved fitting, comparable to examples in Peru
- Trapezoidal style features flat but not squared stones arranged in mostly horizontal courses, considered more recent
- Rubble construction uses small stones to fill gaps between larger stones, often confused with authentic ancient construction
Sources
(PDF) Polygonal Masonry in Larisa (Buruncuk)academia.edu
It discusses the classification of polygonal masonry into various types, including Lesbian masonry and coursed polygonal masonry, exploring their unique ...
A new method for the energetics analysis of polygonal ...sciencedirect.com
by G Fontana · 2023 · Cited by 13 — Lugli identifies four styles (maniere) of polygonal masonry based upon the appearance of their facades (Fig. 1). He posits an evolutionary schema with polygonal ...
Polygonal masonryen.wikipedia.org
Polygonal masonry consists of stones that have five or more face angles, in contrast to ashlar blocks which have four rectangular ones.
Polygonal Masonrythestonetrust.org
True polygonal masonry may be defined as a technique wherein the visible surfaces of the stones are dressed with straight sides or joints, ...
Fabrication Methods of the Polygonal Masonry of Large ...preprints.org
This masonry type consists of large stone blocks weighing from several hundred kilograms to several tons fitted close to each other almost without a gap between ...
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