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According
to Socrates, the ideal home should be cool in summer and warm in
winter. But Socrates' ideal was not easy to accomplish 2,500 years
ago in ancient Greece. The Greeks had no artificial means of
cooling their homes during the scorching summers; nor were their
heating systems, mostly portable charcoal-burning braziers,
adequate to keep them warm in winter.
Modern excavations of many
Classical Greek cities show that solar architecture flourished
throughout the area. Individual homes were oriented toward the
southern horizon, and entire cities were planned to allow their
citizens equal access to the winter sun. A solar-oriented home
allowed its inhabitants to depend less on charcoal - conserving
fuel and saving money. |
