Ancient Greece

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Ancient Greece

• Greek Art
• Began around 2000 BC

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Greek Architecture

• Temples considered dwelling places for the gods,
  who looked and acted like humans
• Greeks believed gods controlled the Universe and
  destiny of every person
• The highest goal was doing what the gods wanted
  them to do
• Fortune tellers and omens were important to Greek
  religion
• The earliest temples were made of wood, stone and
  finally marble
• The basic design didnt change because it served
  their needs and was pleasing to the eye

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The Parthenon

• Built as a house for Athena, the goddess of
  wisdom and guardian of the city named in her
  honor
• Post and lintel construction
• Colonnade with a sloping roof
• Architect comes from the Greek word-
  Architekon, meaning Chief Builder
• Consisted of 2 rooms
• -1 holding a colossal gold and ivory statue of
  Athena (only priest and attendants saw the
  statue)
• Statue of Athena was 42 feet tall, white ivory,
  made from 1 ton of gold with precious stones in
  eyes and helmet
• Recreated in Nashville, Tennessee

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The Parthenon
The Parthenon and other main buildings on the
Acropolis were built by Pericles in the fifth
century BC as a monument to the cultural and
political achievements of the inhabitants of
Athens. The term acropolis means upper city and
many of the city states of ancient Greece are
built around an acropolis where the inhabitants
can go as a place of refuge in times of invasion.
It's for this reason that the most sacred
buildings are usually on the acropolis. It's the
safest most secure place in town. As little as
150 years ago there were still dwellings on the
Acropolis of Athens. 
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Definitions of Greek Architecture

• Raking cornice- the sloping element that slants
  above the cornice
• Cornice-horizontal element above the frieze
• Pediment- triangular section framed by the
  cornice and raking cornice
• Frieze- decorative band running across the upper
  part of the wall
• Lintel- crossbeam supported by the column
• Capital-top element of a column
• Shaft-main weight bearing portion of a column
• Stylobate- top step of a 3 step platform
• Entabulature- upper portion lintel frieze and
  cornice
• Column- upright post used to bear weight
• Colonnade- formed by a line of columns

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The Parthenon, cont.

• The Parthenon was used as a Christian church in
  the 5th century, a mosque in the 15th century and
  an explosion took place in the 17th century

The new Parthenon in Nashville, Tennessee
The goddess Athena
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The Acropolis

• Sacred hill above Athens
• Made of a mass of rock rising 500 feet
• Shaped like a huge pedestal
• Held the Parthenon, temples, statues and a great
  flight of steps on 8 acres
• The western edge held a huge statue of Athena-
  her glimmering spear was a beacon to ships at sea
• The statue was created by the sculptor Phidia
• It was said to be made from the bronze shields of
  the defeated Persians

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The Acropolis
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Three Orders of Columns

• 1. Doric- earliest style
• Simple, heavy column with no base topped by a
  broad, plain capital
• 2. Ionic- thinner, taller column
• -elaborate base and capital with double scrolls
  that look like rams horns
• 3. Corinthian- most elaborate
• Developed in the 5th C. BC
• -elongated and decorated with leaves
• Originally used on the inside of buildings

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Greek Columns and Orders