Megaron

megaron

In ancient Greece and the Middle East, an architectural form consisting of a porch, vestibule, and large hall with a central hearth. The megaron was found in all Mycenaean palaces and also in houses. It probably originated in the Middle East, later attaining the uniquely Aegean aspect of the open porch supported by columns.

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megaron

1. In many Greek temples, a space divided off and sometimes subterranean, where only the priest was allowed to enter.

2. The great central hall of a palace.

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Megaron 

a type of building (often dwelling) that developed in the Aegean culture in the third and second millennia B.C. The megaron was a rectangular structure with a portico at one end that was usually enclosed by projecting walls on the sides and by columns in the front. Behind the portico was a hall with a central hearth. Such megarons, as well as megarons with a hall divided lengthwise into two or three sections by rows of columns supporting the ceiling, have been found in Troy, Tiryns, Mycenae, and other cities. The megaron was the model for ancient Greek temples of Homeric times.