Located opposite the Parthenon, the Erechtheion is one of the most distinctive buildings standing on the Athenian Acropolis constructed between 421 and 406 BC. The Erechtheion replaced the Old Temple of Acropolis, which was destroyed by the Persians in 480 BC. The asymmetrical building was built of Pentelic marble, with friezes of black Elusinian limestone to take applied white marble relief sculpture. ( "Erechtheum (Erechtheion)" ) Since the complex temple sits on a slopping site, it has an irregular floor plan which consists of four chambers with multiple functions. It housed a great variety of ancient cults and many sacred objects, including the venerable image of Athena Polias in the east cella, a golden lamp made by Callimachus, a well containing sea water, which is known as the Erechtheian Sea, and the mark of Poseidon's trident, sacred shrines like the altar of Poseidon, and the altars of Boutes and Hephaestus. (Roberts, "Erechthēum" ) To the south-west of the building stood the olive tree, which is a gift of Athena to the city of Athens.
The whole structure also consists of two porches, the north porch at the northwest corner is supported by six tall Ionic columns, stands at a lower level and gives access to the western cella, while below its floor it was believed to be the spot where Zeus killed the legendary King Erechteus with a thunderbolt. (theacropolismuseum.gr) In the south-west corner, there stands a uniquely projecting porch which is the most well-known part of the Erechtheion. It is supported by six massive female statues, and hence named the Porch of the Maidens, with the supporting figures known as caryatids. Below it stood the grave of Kekrops, another legendary King of Athens. (theacropolismuseum.gr) The se...
... middle of paper ...
...ty Press, 2007. Oxford Reference. 2007.
3. “The Erechtheion.” The Acropolis Museum. http://www.theacropolismuseum.gr/en/content/erechtheion/0
4. "Erechtheum." Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6Th Edition (2013): 1. Literary Reference Center. Web.
5. Plommer, Hugh. “Vitruvius and the Origin of Caryatids.” The Journal of Hellenic Studies, Vol. 99 (1979), pp. 97-102. The Society for the Promotion of Hellenic Studies.
6. Shear, Ione Mylonas. “Maidens in Greek Architecture : The Origin of the « Caryatids ».” In: Bulletin de correspondance hellénique. Volume 123, livraison 1, 1999. pp. 65-85.
7. Lesk, Alexandra L. “A Diachronic Examination of the Erechtheion and Its Reception”, PhD thesis, University of Cincinnati, 2005.
8. Edmondson, J. C., and MyiLibrary. “Augustus”. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2009. eBook Academic Collection (EBSCOhost). Web. 4 May 2014.
Lindsay, Jack, and Lucius Apuleius. "IV-VI." In Apuleius and The golden ass . Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 1979. 88-148
Hunt, Lynn and Thomas R. Martin, Barbara H. Rosenwein and Bonnie G. Smith. “ The Greek golden age,” in the making of the west volume 1 to 1750 2012, edited by Denise B. Wydra, 75-108. Boston: Beford/St. Martin’s, 2012.
Antony Kamm ~ The Romans: An Introduction Second Edition, Published in 2008, pages 47, 93
5. Howe, Helen, and Robert T. Howe. From the Ancient and Medieval Worlds. N.p.: Longman, 1992. Print.
Howe, Helen, and Robert T. Howe. A World History: Ancient and Medieval Worlds. Volume 1. White Plains, NY: Longman, 1992. 533.
of the book. USA: Simon and Schuster, Inc. 2000. The.. Print. The.. Blundell, Sue. Women in Ancient Greece.
Tacitus. The Annals of Tacitus. Edited and annotated by Henry Furneaux. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1907.
Bailkey, Nels M. Readings in Ancient History: Thought and Experience from Gilganesh to St. Augustine. Third edition. Lexington, MA: D.C.Heath and Co., 1987.
Marcel Le Glay, Jean-Louis Voisin, Yann Le Bohec. A History of Rome. West Sussex, UK: Wiley-Blackwell, 2009.
statue was found in the Hera's Temple. Contained in the Temple of Zeus was one
1. Tim Cornell, John Matthews, Atlas of the Roman World, Facts On File Inc, 1982. (pg.216)
3)Dionysius, Earnest Cary, and Edward Spelman. The Roman Antiquities. Cambridge, Mass: Harvard UP, 1937. Print.
Following from etruscan we need to understand the characteristics of a greek temple. the greek did not allow the people to enter the temple and thus their temple were designed to accommodate their needs. having freestanding columns with and a circu...
Stebbins, Elinor. "Athena." Sweet Briar College { History of Art Program }. Web. 27 Feb. 2011. .
Meyer, Jargen C. “Women in Classical Athens in the Shadow of North-West Europe or in the Light from Istanbul”. Women’s Life in Classical Athens. www.hist.uib.no/antikk/antres/Womens life.htm. Accessed: March 10, 2012