While the shield is an exceptional artifact, we should note that the meander was commonly used as a decorative band on Greek pottery, although the complex version is found infrequently on these ceramics.įigure 4: Detail of the Ara Pacis exterior frieze (ArS Artistic Adventure of Mankind). A close look at the border shows a complex Greek meander worked into the pattern with ivory inlay. Among the numerous artifacts found in the tomb was an elaborate ceremonial shield, richly decorated with figures and motifs in gold and ivory. In 1977, archaeologists working in northern Greece unearthed what is believed to be the tomb of Philip II of Macedon, father of Alexander the Great (died 354 B.C).
(Pinterest).Ī very early depiction of the complex Greek meander is found not in a work of architecture but in a recently discovered object. Figure 3: Detail of gold and ivory ceremonial shield of Philip II of Macedon. The illustration of a short section, shown here, offers a conjectural reconstruction of the original color scheme for both the sculptures and the painted band and is contrasted with the present condition. Scientific examination has shown that the band was originally richly colored as were all the sculptured figures in the frieze and those located elsewhere on the temple. The motif has been expanded vertically and horizontally with the insertion of decorated squares at regular intervals. One of the oldest examples of the complex Greek meander as architectural ornamentation survives as faded painted decoration on the fascia above the Parthenon’s famous sculptural frieze depicting the Panathenaic festival. Figure 2: Detail of the conjectural color reconstruction of the Parthenon Panathenaic frieze and fascia (StudyBlue). I hope it might encourage the application of this timeless, visually engaging detail as an ornamental accent for contemporary classical architecture. This illustrated essay is intended to show the early origins of the complex Greek meander and to offer examples of its use as an embellishment for more than two millennia. The designation is my own since I can find no specific definition for this distinctive form of Greek fret. What I define as the complex Greek Meander consists of two parallel strips of meandering fillets crossing one another at continuous intervals. The unbroken, interlocking pattern made it a symbol of both unity and infinity. The labeling of it as a meander results from its continuous back and forth progression, recalling the winding course of the Meander River in Asia Minor, now present-day Turkey. It has been called a Greek key because an individual section vaguely resembles a primitive key. At its most basic, it is a band consisting of short horizontal and vertical fillets connected to each other at right angles. The terms Greek key, fret, and meander are all names for a decorative device employed on buildings and objects beginning in ancient Greece and continuing to modern times.
Figure 1: The Complex Greek Meander: Abraham Swan, The British Architect, (1758), Plate LV (detail). Senior Architectural Historian for the Virginia Department of Historic Resources and Member of the Institute of Classical Architecture & Art Council of Advisors.
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