The role of Cycladic workshops in late archaic architectural change

The analysis of architectural data concerning two famous mainland buildings, the temples of Apollo at Delphi and of Athena Polias on the Athenian Acropolis, led to new restorations and to a reconsideration of the Cycladic workshops’ role in the building design. A comparison between the two temples is very interesting, especially considering the antagonism between the Alcmaeonids and Peisistratids, who were responsible for construction of the two temples. A review of the data concerning the temple of Apollo and some observations on the architectural fragments of the temple of Athena Polias, visible in the southern fortification wall of the Athenian Acropolis, allow us to demonstrate the adoption of double corner contraction in both temples. This conclusion, together with the identification of the same solution in the Karthaia temple at Keos, suggests that this particular arrangement, together with some other features, such as the column slenderness, the alignments between walls and columns, and some recurring proportions in the elevation, are connected with the Doric architecture of the Cyclades. Of course the influence of Cycladic architecture was not restricted to these two examples, as confirmed by other Late Archaic mainland temples and by several Early Classical West Greek buildings. In fact it is possible to recognize many of these peculiarities in most of the buildings where there is evidence of Cycladic marble roofs. Furthermore, the remarkable mobility of the Cycladic workshops, involved in the most important building sites of the period, indicate their essential role as a “medium” in the diffusion of architectural models between different areas.