Rocking and Sliding of Ancient Temple Columns Under Earthquake Excitations

This paper deals with the rocking and sliding behavior of a monolithic stone block or a system of stone blocks under earthquakes, a problem commonly observed for ancient temples in Greece and Southern Italy. The analysis for the above monolithic or multi-drum columns is conducted by a simple process based on generally accepted simplifications. The effects of column geometry, earthquake characteristics and restitution ratio due to impact are also studied herein. Furthermore, an analytical approach for the solution of the complete nonlinear equations of motion (including the one for the vertical earthquake excitation) for the subject considered is proposed. Finally, characteristic representative examples are presented with useful conclusions drawn. It was found that the stability criteria based on static conditions are reliable, while the corresponding dynamic criteria may lead to erroneous results.