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Ancient Greek Temple Of Hephaestus

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Greek architecture is an important part of architectural history. For centuries, the Greek’s style has been the basis for other great works of art, including many in Italy. The temples in Greece evolved throughout time through three distinct orders: Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian. Because of these orders, the Greek people have constructed architectural wonders, including the Temple of Hephaestus, Temple of Artemis, and the Temple of Olympian Zeus.

Temple of Hephaestus

Built on the western edge of modern Athens, the Temple of Hephaestus is one of the best preserved ancient Greek temples in the world. Because of its location, near many foundries and metal working shops, the temple was dedicated to Hepaestus, the god of blacksmiths and metallurgy. …show more content…

The Doric column is the simplest of the three Greek Orders, with a plain, unadorned column capital, and omits a base. The temple has dimensions of 104 feet by 45 feet, and is supports by 36 columns. There are six columns under the pediment ends, and thirteen columns on each side. The temple is peripheral, with columns that surround a central enclosed …show more content…

A great representation of this style is the Temple of Olympian Zeus, a colossal temple in the center of Athens, Greece’s capital.

Designed to be the greatest temple of the ancient world, the temple has a dipteral design and features 104 giant Corinthian columns about 56 feet high. These columns are slimmer that Ionic columns and have a bell-shaped capital formed deep with acanthus leaves and small swirls in the upper corners. Because of their ambitions to create an enormous temple, the dimensions of the structure were very large; 315 feet by 130 feet.

Construction of the Pentelic marble temple began in the 6th century BCE, but not completed until131 AD. It was the first temple to have its exterior built of the Corinthian order. Construction was stopped many times throughout the 638 year project, resulting in many changes in architecture and construction methods.

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