Greek Social Structure

Public and social buildings flourished in the era of the ancient Greeks and the Roman empire. While both civilizations aimed to build social places for people gathering, stoa and basilica were the most common in both the civilizations. The concept of public or social structure in the view of the ancients was varied. These structures could be used as a place for the market, as a place of buying and selling, as a place of government with administrative buildings, and as a spot for the public to cover themselves from disturbances of the weather. Stoas of ancient Greeks were located in the agora which considered to be the most important public space in Athens and the whole Greek empire. While the basilicas were usually located in every Roman town

Unlike the Roman basilica which was almost rectangular in plan. Anyone can distinguish the difference between stoas and basilicas from their roofs. While stoas consisted of a modest open awning with a roof slope from the back wall to the colonnades of poles along the front. Roman basilicas were more famous for its dome. A shelter for people gathering. The Greek stoa is a covered portico with two colonnades of columns in doric order that supports the sloping roof, but the inner columns were designed in ionic order. the stoa was designed to give the visitors the feelings of safety, and protective atmosphere. The inner columns divide the span into rows of shops and markets that are decorated with paintings. Built by king Attalos II, the stoa of Attalos is a perfect example of the concept of the ancient Greeks stoas. Like Greeks stoas, the stoa of Attalos contained double colonnades with a row of galleries and markets behind the colonnades. In addition, the stoa had two different orders of Greek columns. The rooms of the building were lighted through aisles and small windows. The structure was built from the local materials for ancient Greek. Walls are made of limestone, while columns and the facade are made of Pentelic marbles. The structure is 115 meters long, hosting more than 40 rooms that are multifunction. Attalos dedicates the stoa as a gift for the citizens of Athens because he was learning there. The structure

But after Christianity, the basilica became a place where people worshiped, remains its function till today. A multifunctional structure of ancient Roman civilization. The Roman basilica was the meeting place that hosts all Citizens of the empire. A place for trading and a court of justice, basilica considered to be the vein of every Roman town. Like Greek stoa, the building techniques of the basilica were columns and colonnades that divide the internal space into aisles and a huge open central hall. The central hall contains a platform that was raised from the ground level. The platform was used for judicial purposes and conflicts resolution between the people. The platform was surrounded by a dome to give greatness and prestige to the podium judge. Because the central corridor was raised than other corridors and tended to be wider, the sunlight penetrates the structure through the clerestory windows. One of the largest basilicas built in the Roman empire, the basilica of Maxentius was the last one that built in the Roman forum. King Maxentius started the construction in 308. Later on, King Maxentius was defeated by the king Constantine I who completed the structure. The basilica was the last non church basilica built in the Roman empire before the Christianity. The building consisted of rectangular plan with a central hall which was approximately (80*25 meters), the hall was surrounded with aisles