Sanctuaries have been seen throughout ancient Greece. A sanctuary has been defined as a sacred area for rituals, cultural activities, musical, theatrical, sports, and drama events. These events had a dual purpose of entertaining and religious activities. Activities could be civic religious based, or mystery religious based. Two major examples of sanctuaries in ancient Greece consist of Delphi and Olympia. Delphi and Olympia have specific functions that share similarities, yet simultaneously differ through buildings, activities performed, and corresponding history of each site. When focusing on Delphi and Olympia, an important note to make consists of Delphi and Olympia having broad similarities, but when investigating further, their differences appear specifically in certain features. Delphi’s and Olympia’s similarities have been seen through the features at each site. For a sanctuary to be truly defined as a sanctuary, the site must have an altar and peribolos. The altar and peribolos are important because the altar allows the people to worship their god/goddess, and the periobolo distinguishes the sacred area from the non-sacred area. The site can also include propylon, a sacred way, temple, and ancillary building. A propylon is a monumental gate which has the purpose of highlighting the importance of the area. A sacred way is where the processions occur. The temples are not sanctuaries, but erected to show off the altar. They altar had a greater importance
Temples were a very sacred place where on a special occasion, religion would take on a more of a formal tone. The gods were worshiped in the sacred sites and temples in the major communities by having ceremonies held by priest and their attendants. Temples over time, became massive 'houses' built in honor of a god. The temples are separated from the community by a gate known as a propylon. The temples received financial donations that were a celebration of a military victory and to give thanks to the gods.
The Oracle of Apollo at Delphi is shrouded in myth and mystery, but one thing is certain, their prophetic influence stretched far and wide and was detrimental in shaping Greece.
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
The girls would descend the steps of the Acropolis, a large fortress containing many important buildings. The Scirophonia was a festival in which priests would walk in a somber march under a vast sun umbrella and lastly the Panathenea. The Panathenea festival was the largest festival in which hundreds of people walked in a massive procession to the Acropolis. The people were bringing Athena a peplos, or a robe, made by the most skilled workers in Athens. During this festival, people held races, sang songs, played music, competed in gymnastics and also music contests (The Cut of Athena 1). Along with the festivals, the Greek people built expansive temples to Athena. There is the sanctuary of Athena in Delphi, Greece, part of the great temple complex there. The sanctuary was set-aside for Athena for her role as guardian of wisdom and consciousness (Philip, Wilkinson 53). The Parthenon in Athens also has a portion dedicated to Athena, but aside from that, there are two other temples devoted to the goddess: the temple of Athena Nike and the Erectheum, both of which are also located on the Acropolis in Athens. Athena was respected throughout Greece but she had an almost cult following in Athens (The Cult of Athena 1). There was an ancient rivalry between Athens, the city known for its advanced thinking, and Sparta, known for its warlike approach towards problems. However, both cities worshipped Athena. In Sparta, she was adored for her power in battle
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
The exterior of the Pantheon is beautiful, but its inside is what makes it truly stunning. The perfectly circular interior chamber approximately 143 feet in diameter topped by a dome that is the same 143 feet high. It is a giant room that conceivably holds a perfect sphere or globe 143 feet across. Some believe the sphere was meant to symbolize the vault of heaven. At the apex of the dome is an oculus; its main purpose was to let light stream into the building and to prevents the dome from collapsing. Several smaller shrines are along the inner walls. There used to be devoted to the seven gods linked to the planets of the Sun, the Moon, Venus, Saturn, Jupiter, Mercury, and Mars. The huge marble walls might be the most remarkable feature in Pantheon.
The artwork I chose for the Classical Greece period is the Erechtheion, an architectural building interestingly using six maidens as support columns. Through studies of the architectural history of this piece, Michael Lahanas suggests that the temple was constructed as “a complex design that supposed to represent the legendary contest between Poseidon and Athena for guardianship of the city of Athens” (Lahanas). The relationship between the art and the culture of the related civilization depicts through its purpose as a temple. Some articles suggest that the temple was a place where worship occurred for both Poseidon and Athena; the structure
In her illuminating commentary, “The Temple of Zeus at Olympia, Heroes, and Athletes,” Judith M. Barringer introduces Olympia and sets the scene of the famous ruins in ancient times. She forces you to imagine the reverence one would feel by simply visiting the Temple of Zeus. When peering into the temple, many would have first focused on the labors of Herakles that were portrayed before turning their attention to the magnificent, gold and ivory adorned statue of zeus, implying that these representations were quite exceptional for their time. When viewed, they gave off a sense of being larger than life.
The purpose is to educated readers on the mythology of it all.It talks about the different temples and worship points in places like Olympia, Delphi, and Acropolis.He explains various rituals of sacrifice, liberation, and purification. He also explains in-depth about the gods, the position of heroes, and the belief of the
Reflecting upon Olympia and Delphi, it is possible to highlight both similarities and differences between the two sanctuaries. In examining the location and the main attributes of each sanctuary, it is clear how they differ and how they are comparable in various ways. Whilst they clearly differ in their geographical situation, they are similar in that they both host their own games. However it is what occurs in these games that distinguish between the two. Both sanctuaries have considerable religious elements to them; however it is arguable that Delphi has more religious significance to the rest of the world, its main attribute being the oracle,
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
It is very clear that ancient buildings can be a part of the evidence to show what happed in the history. As a part of ancient culture, architectural languages have the significant vale in both culture and construction. The temple of Hera, which becomes the sign of Greek classic architecture even the whole Europe, plays an important role in the Greece history and culture . This essay will start an analysis from the structure and component of the temple of hera to present that how can cultural factors affect the form and functions of a building.
Because of its location and landscape, it allowed for the sanctuary to gain its “power”. “Apollo in his Delphinios form could be associated with certain horizon views, or positions of natural springs” (Salt and Boutsikas). “The heliacal rising of the Delphinus constellation was visible throughout Greece but delayed at Delphi due to the high horizon” (Salt and Boutsikas). This gave people enough time to make it to Delphi for the moment of consultation. Ultimately, serving as an indicator to people, so they knew when to visit the sanctuary to consult with the oracle.
The temples and monuments of both ancient Greek, Roman, and Minoan cultures encompass the religious ideals of their time periods. Often times, these religious sanctuaries would outlast the religions altogether, leaving them standing as a monumental icon of the importance of religion within classical art and archaeology. These monuments could be shrines with altars inside, such as the Parthenon. They could contain religious votives for the afterlife, like the Ayia Triadha sarcophagus. They could also be the religious shrine themselves, such as with Aphrodite of Knidos, who is the goddess of love and fertility. Or they could be shrines of familial protection, like the lararium from the house of Vetti in Pompeii. During antiquity, many of these
The Temple of Apollo was the temple dedicated to the Greek and Roman god Apollo. This temple was an important religious building because Delphi played a significant role in the religion. The Temple of Jupiter was the main centre of religious life in Pompeii. This building was built in honour of the god and goddesses Jupiter, Juno and Minerva. The ‘head of Jupiter’ was not fully restored before the eruption of AD 79 from the damage caused by the earthquake of 62 AD. The Temple of the public Lares was the temple dedicated to protect the gods of the house and was built by the Pompeiians for them taking their gratitude for having to escape the perilous earthquake. This temple protects the property and the families. The Temple of Vespasian was a small cult building which was part of the façade of the outer structure of Forum.The Temple of ISIS is the best preserved building of all the temples in Pompeii. After the earthquake of AD 62 the temple was restored because of so much damage. The Temple of Jupiter Meilichios was a small building which became the principle seat of the cult of Jupiter and the Capitoline triad Jupiter-Juno-Minerva after the larger temple of Jupiter on the Forum Square was destroyed in the earthquake of 62 AD. The Temple of Fortuna Augusta was built in the 1st century B.C. The temple provides us with a cella which they had on time were several statues, including one in honour of the Emperor Augustus. This temple includes a cella which was where the statues of gods were housed. The purpose of these temples were to provide a place where rituals and sacrifices were carried out by priests or priestess to honour the gods and gain their favour. The Temples and religious buildings dedicated to