Greek Temples Research Paper

Ancient Greek architecture dates from around 800 BCE when the site of Delphi first obtained a religious significance. The architecture of Ancient Greece has influenced the architecture of the past two millennia most significantly that of Ancient Rome (Hemingway, 2003). Greek architecture influenced Roman architecture in extensive ways, giving that the Romans adopted and incorporated many Greek methods and elements into their own practice. Although the Romans were inspired by the Greek there are still many differences in their architecture most noticeably through materiality. Although the Greeks constructed many types of buildings the most recognisable “Greek” structure is the temple. (Becker, 2015) As stated by Coleen Hemingway in an article for the Metropolitan Museum of Art “ the Greek temple best exemplifies the aims and methods of Greek Architecture”. Whilst exploring such architecture it is necessary to examine the mentality, religious beliefs and driving forces of each civilization. According to Stierlin “Unlike the Greek temple, essentially a structure for the play of light and shade, with little interior space accommodating a small sanctuary, Roman builders typically used arches, vaults, matching domes

Just before you go to sleep, you image yourself taking a ride to the White House. You then notice it's beautiful columns. As you look through columns, this type of architecture is ancient Greek. There are other place to find these Greek columns. Besides architecture, other developments from ancient civilizations have an impact on our world today, such as roads and Gregorian calendar.

Did you know that the people who built many of the Egyptian monuments we know today (also know as slaves) suffered while making creating the monuments.Well in ancient Egypt, slaves created the monuments that there still is and many of them were killed in the process of building them. Great achievements are not worth great injustices because slaves died, they had terrible lives and they couldn’t enjoy what they had made.

The time of the Ancient Greeks is one of the most, if not the most, influential periods since the dawn of existence. The Ancient Greeks contributed to many of the modern world concepts that are used in everyday life. The importance of the Ancient Greeks is shown, in some way, scattered through each and every day. One contribution to the Western civilization from the Ancient Greeks is architecture.

Both the Greeks and the Romans made a number of contributions to western culture in the field of architecture, many of which can still be seen to this very day. Architecture played a pivotal role in both the religion and daily life of ancient Greek society. The Greeks produced some of the world’s most enduring architectural monuments, many of which are still standing today. These include the Parthenon, the Temple of Zeus, and the Temple of Poseidon. Perhaps one of the largest contributions of the ancient Greeks to western civilization in regards to architecture was their development of the three fundamental architectural systems of design, the Doric, Iconic, and Corinthian orders. The following excerpt from an article

The Acropolis is a large worship complex built on a mountain overlooking the city of Athens. Both the residents of the city and those traveling to Athens would have been able to see it at all points throughout the day. Inside the structure lies the Parthenon, the main temple, dedicated to the goddess Athena, who was the guardian of the city of Athens. The location itself was a holy site as it was believed to be the place where Athena won against Poseidon and earned her patronage. Poseidon gave the Greeks a salt well where as Athena gave them a olive branch, and as her gift was deemed better, they erected the Parthenon in her name. There is also a smaller temple dedicated to Poseidon in the Acropolis. The olive branch given to them was said to be within the Parthenon and the salt well was said to be in the temple to Poseidon. Finally, the Parthenon is covered in the carved stories of the victories of both Athens and Athena herself. These re-introduced their beliefs and glorified Athena for her helping of

In Acropolis it states that the chief temple was the Pantheon. It was built to honor Athena the Virgin. To the people Athena represented many things. Her day of celebration is in July (Brockman).

American’s interest in ancient Greek culture develops when they sense that there’s a connection between them: “…the Greek War of Independence against Turkish domination aroused the sympathy of our citizens, who saw in the Greek struggle for freedom a parallel to our own War of Independence” (Downs 173). The parallelism is that they both have experience of battling for freedom from a controlling country. Another relation that makes the Americans appreciate the Greek culture even more is the archeological discovery showing Greece as the birthplace of democracy: “As the Greek Revival style unfolded and developed in the United States it became as indigenous to the soil of our system of law…and our democratic system of government, which was founded on the ancient ideal of individual freedom” (Downs 176). After studying and getting hold of the architectural idea and vocabulary, Greek architecture soon becomes America’s national style. The classical look of the Greek architectural are made up of three primary orders: Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian. Doric being the oldest and simplest of the three: “The Doric order is characterized by a plain, unadorned column capital and a column that rests directly on the stylobate of the temple without a base…entablature includes a frieze composed of triglyphs and metopes. The columns are fluted and are of sturdy, if not stocky, proportions” (Becker 1). The Doric is best describe as the most understated style with a masculine appearance out of the three orders. Despite the simplest look of the Doric, it is the most popular. The Parthenon, also known as the epitome of Greek culture, is built under the Doric order. Famous works of the Doric order in the United States can be seen on the design of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C and the Justice Hall Building in New York City. Next is the Ionic: “notable for its graceful

to honor Athena. With this temple built, the Greeks had somewhere to go to place their

Theaters were built that could seat nearly 30,000 people at the larger venues. These theaters were built into the hillsides and featured an orchestra, a skene, and an altar. The orchestra was the circular space where the play was performed , the skene acted as a dressing room, and the altar was dedicated to the god Dionysus. The theaters that were built are impressive for the time period, but the crowing achievement of the Greek Golden Age as far as architecture is concerned has to be the Pantheon. The Pantheon was built as a dedication to the goddess Athena, and it represents the apex of post-and-lintel building method. It was constructed using the Doric order which was simple and severe, yet in the Pantheon the clarity of this order of architecture is seen at a masterly crafted

The Temple of Athena Nike exemplifies the early Greek belief that the gods, specifically Athena, held divine providence over government and victory in war. It was built as part of the same project as the Parthenon, one of the greatest achievements of Mycenaean Greece. Lasting from 1300-1000 B.C.E, Mycenaean Greece bordered Epirus, Macedonia, Phrace, Phryapa, Mysia, Caria, and Lydia. Encompassing this time span, Ancient Greece lasted from 8000 to 50 B.C.E. The achievements of Athens in this time include the Pythagorean Theorem and the Socratic dialogues. The epic Trojan War was said to have occurred in Mycenaean times as well. So were the Ionic Greeks who built this ancient temple. (Ancient-Greece.org)(about ancient history.com)

The Parthenon, with no doubt, is one of the best well-known Greek temples of all times. It is also the dominant temple on the Akropolis. Its construction began in 447 BC and ended in 438

The top if the column has a scroll like design. The Ionic order is mostly found in the eastern part of Greece and some of its islands along the coast (“Ancient Greece” 2). The base supports the columns. The capitol of the column has two volutes and they rest atop a band of palm-leaf ornaments (“Architecture in Ancient Greece” 1). “The most important feature of the Ionic order is the frieze” (“Architecture in Ancient Greece” 1). The area in ancient Greece where the Ionic order was most prevalent was around Greeks in Asia Minor and the Greek islands. A monument that includes the Ionic order columns is the temple of Athena Nike.

There were a few people that could make sculpture. They were an inspiring piece that showed everyone how they represented each others during their time. Greek architecture were during the Archaic Period, roughly 600 to 480 BC. This is one of the periods where practice of fine art in ancient Greece. This was the first time that Greek architects learned to make massive temples out of stone, generally using soft white stones like marble or limestone. During the Archaic Period, two orders of Greek architects emerged. First was the Doric Order, with smooth capitals on the tops of each column and decorations in the superstructure that resembled the ends of wooden beams, a nod to earlier temples. After that came the Ionic Order, with capitals that looked like scrolls and thinner columns. During the sculture time there was architect's that learned how to make massive temples out of stone, generally using soft white stones like marble or limestone. These sculptures were impressive and carried an elegant look during their

The History of Greek Architecture The architecture of ancient Greece is represented by buildings in the sanctuaries and cities of mainland Greece, the Aegean islands, southern Italy and Sicily, and the Ionian coast of Turkey. Monumental Greek architecture began in the archaic period, flourished through the classical and Hellenistic periods, and saw the first of many revivals during the Roman Empire. The roots of Greek architecture lie in the tradition of local Bronze Age house and palaces. The following paper will cover the basic forms of Greek architecture.