Stereobat

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The substructure of the Greek temple

The stereobat ( Greek  στερεός , stereós , firm , hard , durable , spatial and ἡ βάσις , the step, the passage ) is the underground foundation of the Greek temple .

It consists of several layers of roughly cut cuboid stones. Only the top layer, the euthyntery , is finely hewn and smoothed in the support. It partially protrudes from the ground. The laying of the foundation layers took place after the excavation for the construction pit or the leveling of rocky terrain had been completed. The procedure for laying the stones does not seem to have followed any rule: You could start with the foundation for the cella or for the pillars; you could also work your way to the corners from the middle of all sides at the same time or move the stones to the middle from the corners.

The top layer, the euthyntery, served to unravel the building's floor plan. All relevant details and classifications were fixed on it.

The mostly three-tier Krepis rises on the euthyntery, but is no longer part of the stereobat. Stereobat and Krepis together form the substructure of the temple.

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Wiktionary: Stereobat  - explanations of meanings, word origins, synonyms, translations