The Greek Temple

In the tenth century B.C.E., Greek temple was made of ephemeral materials such as wood and mud brick. In the eighth century B.C.E., the Greek architecture begins to move from ephemeral materials to permanent material like stone. In the fifth century B.C.E., the Greek city-states were engaging in the show of resources. An example is the Athenians that invested substantial resources in the building of their temple to honor their gods. In addition, architecture was affected immensely in the process of uplifting the temple in the later century. Greeks re-used temples by remodeling it. Building a new structure on existing

Questions about Image Set 1: Acropolis, Athens 101. The gateway to this site, visible in the foreground at the lower right, is called the: a. Erechtheion b. Parthenon c. Temple of Hera d. Stoa of Attalus e. Propylaia 102. The main temple shown at the upper right is dedicated to: a. Athena b. Erectheus c. Portunus d. Aphrodite 103. The primary function of the main temple shown at the upper right is: a. an interior gathering space for worshippers b. a venue for religious games c. a house for the statue of a god or goddess d. a fortification high on a hill 104. The site shown in plan and reconstruction is known as the: a. Great

Stage in most ancient Greek plays was composed of four main areas. The first was around place in which plays and acts were done. The audience sat on the ‘theatron’, then there was the building behind the ‘state’ which was decorated as a temple or a palace called the ‘skene’, the last place was the passageways

the massive sanctuary both regarded Athena and celebrated the city of Athens. Taking a gander at the costly and intricate Parthenon, nobody could question the loftiness and wealth of Athens. In spite of the fact that it was a heavenly showplace, the Parthenon did not fill the pragmatic needs that different sanctuaries did. The huge statue of Athena was not connected with any known cults. Indeed, the customary customs and tributes were performed for a

and chief performance space. None of the fifth century orchestras were able to be seen, but later orchestras hypothesized that the original orchestras were full circles. The best preserved theatre is the one in Epidaurus. Ancient plays are still being performed there. This theatre was rebuilt and enlarged in the

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

At the back of the ancient Greek theatre stood the ‘skene’. The word ‘skene’ means stage building. The ‘skene’ was a wooden building where the actors could change and this building could also be used for as a house or temple or any other part of scenery (Gill). At the front of the

There are a number of art and architectural features found in the Athenian Agora, Kerimeikos and the Acropolis. The Agora or market place has a number of buildings such as the Tholos, The Eponymous Heroes and the Strategion. The Kerimeikos or Ceramicus was the potters ' quarter of the city, from which the word "ceramic" is derived, and was also the site of an important cemetery and numerous funerary sculptures erected around the area. The Acropolis had many major buildings, the most prominent of them being the Parthenon and the Temple of Athena Nike. An evaluation of primary and secondary literary sources gives insight into the main purposes of the buildings and the art within such as pottery and sculptures found within the context of these sites. To an extent the art and architecture in these sites reflect the significant cultural practices and beliefs of the ancient Athenians as it gives insight into what they truly valued.

The Temple of Athena is a sacred place where in time or war and hardship people could go and worship the goddess of victory. (Sacred Destinations) The temple was built as an expression of Athens ambitions to defeat the Sparta and become a world power. (Sacred Destinations) It provided strength and courage for the people and allowed them to help overcome fear and be courageous. The temple was created for strength in time of need or despaired like wars. It gave the citizens of the cities hope. That as long as they had a place to worship and call upon the goddess of war and Victory. Then they had a fighting chance; anytime there is hope in mankind it is worth more than anything. For all as long as mankind has hope they have a reason to keep going and

During the early plays there was really no scenery or backdrops. There were two machines on stage that helped to lift the actor into the air who was playing a God. The other machine helped produce the sound of thunder. Zeus

Ancient Greek architecture was very intricately made and well thought out. The Greeks used different methods and reasonings behind their architecture because they made sure that their pieces were exquisitely made to represent the things they thought were important. They valued their Gods and their worship of the Gods. It was important for them to always represent or have symbolic meaning behind all of their architectural designs. There are many hidden symbols that are involved in Greek architecture like trees, trophies, leaves, hair, and sacrifices to name a few. Greek architecture includes these hidden symbols to worship Gods, and to represent culture in their pieces.

Agrippa, Augustus’ right-hand man, constructed this building as a temple to all the gods; however, a fire destroyed this temple in 80 CE and so Domitian built the reconstruction. The Pantheon we are familiar with has a significantly different design than the original one, and this is why this specific temple is so dislike to the rest of the Roman temples. Before it was burnt, the Pantheon stood in a podium at the end of a large rectangular court. The surroundings of this temple have changed in order to provide a unique experience to its visitors. For example, the temple has en enormous dome with a 27-foot oculus that opens to the sky. This oculus lets a shaft of light come through creating an emphasis wherever the reflection is. Visitors were driven nowhere but to the light at the center of the dome. This building was built for greeting foreign embassies, adjudicating disputes and hold court (Janson). Moreover, the Pantheon is extraordinary because of the potential and strength of concrete. Some other materials used in the process of building the temple include travertine, tufa, brick, and pumice. These materials varied in order to reduce its weight. The colored marble on the wall symbolized imperial authority. The sphere is though to symbolize eternity and perfection and the bronze panels symbolized a starry night sky.

This new building type differed in striking ways from the traditional Greek theater. The latter consisted of two separate structures: a horseshoe-shaped seating area and a freestanding stage-building. The Roman theater, in contrast, was a fully enclosed edifice, unroofed but often covered with awnings on performance days. The seating area in the Greek theater was supported against a natural hillside, whereas the Roman theater was carried at least in part on concrete vaults, which provided access from the exterior of the building to the cavea. In the Hellenistic world, the stage-building was a relatively low structure, ornamented with painted panels but rarely with large-scale sculpture.

Many aspects of ancient Greek theaters have long been studied and debated. Much of the information about these theaters is based on speculation due to the fact that so little of them still exist today. This lack of remnants especially applies to the architecture of the early Greek Theaters. However, through archeological finds and years of studying the people, the plays, and the architecture of the time, we are able to make many conclusions about these early structures.

     The third distinct part of the theater was the skene (scene building). "The earliest scene buildings were very simple wooden structures " (Butler 31). " Originally, the skene was a dressing room; later it is believed to have borne a painted backdrop" (Kennedy 1102). This area was known as the actors place. It was intended to provide a background against which actors could perform. "In Greek theater as we know it, the skene appears as a appendage, adjunct, breaking the perfect circularity of the design" (Arnott 13).