This book is the final result of a conference organized by the editors on New Approaches and Paradigms in the Study of Greek Architecture / Νέες προσεγγίσεις και θεωρητικά µοντέλα στη µελέτη της Ελληνικής αρχιτεκτονικής held at Cotsen Hall in the American School of Classical Studies in Athens (ASCSA), which brought together leading figures and emerging scholars in the field to illustrate, discuss, and debate new research and methods for the study of Greek architecture. More than 40 speakers originating from 11 countries came together in Athens for three days of stimulating discussions during November 3–5, 2016.

First, we wish to warmly thank the American School for hosting the conference from which this book derives and its former director, James C. Wright, for the invitation to hold the event at the School and his enthusiastic participation throughout. We also thank the ASCSA, the Hixson-Lied College of Fine and Performing Arts, the Office of Research & Development at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and the 1984 Foundation for financial support without which the conference would not have been possible. We also express our deepest gratitude to the keynote speakers, Mark Wilson Jones, Manolis Korres, and Bonna Wescoat, each of whom has set high standards for the field through their impressive publications, for stimulating presentations of their recent research at the event. We also extend our thanks to the session chairs, Georg Herdt, Jari Pakkanen, Lena Lambrinou, and Chrysanthos Kanellopoulos, for provoking conversation with their commentary and questions posed to the presenters. Many others assisted us along the way; Niamh Michalopoulou and Konstantinos Tzortzinis deserve special mention for their tireless devotion during the preparations and management of the venue and its technology.

While there have been past conferences held at the ASCSA on particular aspects of architecture—notably those concerning architectural terracottas and sculpture—the conference in 2016 was in fact the first since the foundation of the School 135 years beforehand that was dedicated solely to Greek architecture as a field of study. The ASCSA has a long history of fostering architects and architectural historians dedicated specifically to the study of Greek material, many of whom went on to make significant contributions in the field. A prime example of this relationship is Gorham P. Stevens, the first Fellow in Architecture at the ASCSA from 1903–1905, the director of the American Academy in Rome from 1917–1932, and director of the ASCSA from 1939–1947. It goes without saying that architectural historians have been and continue to be prominent among the community of scholars working in the field of Greek archaeology.

Those of us who work on Greek architecture straddle many fields, including architecture, archaeology, and ancient history. It is always a challenge to bring the picture into focus. Architectural historians have a unique relationship to the growth of their field. As we strive to move forward and break ground as a scientific discipline by integrating new approaches, methodologies, and paradigms into our research, we must acknowledge the accomplishments and learn from previous scholars and methods. It is not by any means clear that we have surpassed scholars like Penrose in terms of accuracy, or the representations of ancient buildings created by members of the École des Beaux-Arts as exemplars of artistic presentation, even as we have entered eagerly into the digital world of architectural recording and illustration.

Even in the digital era, the combination of accuracy with artistic ability and vision remains crucial to all Greek architectural historians. While many new digital methodologies are featured in the ensuing chapters, they typically combine older methods of representation created by hand which we might be tempted to describe as “traditional,” yet which continue to be central in contemporary research. Digital and especially 3D technologies also offer new possibilities for comprehensive documentation that were simply inconceivable in the past. What is clear is that we are in a new age of computerized documentation where it has become possible to process massive quantities of material evidence both from past excavations and new and ongoing projects throughout the Mediterranean. The challenge is to harness the new technologies in ways that will allow us to document, interpret, and present the architectural record with not only precision, but also clarity and artistry.

While we understand the built environment by means of two and three-dimensional representations, we may now consider the fourth dimension of time—the movement through that recreated environment—and the spatial realities of the built environment in new and exciting ways. Since we see and experience the world in three dimensions, we are compelled to think about not just the static presence of a building, but also its broader life history, from inception and design to construction, use, reuse, reception, destruction, and—in many cases—reconstruction(s). What we witness in the following chapters emerging from the ASCSA conference is how exciting new work is taking place with the exploration and testing of new methods and paradigms. These developments are forcing us to re-evaluate our relationship with, our perspective to, and understanding of the built environment and, particularly, the legacy of ancient Greek architecture and its interconnections with other fields in the humanities and social sciences. Many outstanding questions remain, such as to what extent can and should we reconstruct ancient buildings, either virtually or physically? How do 3D representations and virtual realities change the ways in which we document and interpret buildings and sites? The ensuing papers address a wide range of such questions and raise many others of social and historical significance. It is our hope that this volume encourages discussion and debate on these exciting topics.