COMPARISON ESSAY BETWEEN THE TEMPLE OF ATHENA NIKE AND MASONIC TEMPLE
Yunjin Jo
Anthropology 0803: The Art of Sacred Space
April 20, 2016
In the ancient Roman period, uncountable kinds of fabulous, sophisticated artworks and architectures were produced by well-skilled artisans, which were based on the society, culture, and that particular time period. Rome, founded in about 753BC by two legendary twins, Romulus and Remus, developed its artistic style, which was nonexclusive, and allowed syncretism, and it spread out throughout the globe. The Temple of Athena Nike is a typical representation of artistic roman building till date. This temple was built in 420 B.C., and it is clearly a typical ionic temple at Acropolis. This
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Ionic order is derived from the 6th century in Ionia. The Temple of Athena Nike is regarded to be the representative of the art style, and the Masonic Temple has an Ionic hall, which followed and expressed the artistic features in the modern timeline. It is clear that the Ionic style is one of three major architectural orders in the ancient Greek and Roman timeline, together with Doric and Corinthian orders. Based on the “Britannica,” the Ionic order is defined as “Order characterized by soaring columns with molded bases, capitals with volutes and a continuously sculpted frieze.” Additionally, Ionians who created the style are mostly Greek. Furthermore, based on the journal, “Archaic Ionic Capitals Found on the Akropolis,” it is described that the beginning of the order is from Assyria, and Ionic order’s column features have rolled up shaping the volutes. Volutes are the specific feature which is recognized by the order style of people. The order is mainly determined by its capital, “the volutes vertically from the shaft of the column…horizontal band.” Moreover, the ionic styles’ column shaft is regarded as slender when compared to the Doric order, and has plain pillar surfaces. Furthermore, the columns of ionic orders are mostly fluted. According to “The Cornice of the Temple of Athena Nike,” the writer reveals several features of the temple. Columns in the Temple of Athena Nike have cornice, …show more content…
Furthermore, while the Temple of Athena Nike, is limited by only one art style which is Ionic style, the Masonic Temple is not. Based on the history when the Temple of Athena Nike was built, it was when the region was undergoing war. Hence, people who had a craving for a victory built the temple for the goddess Athena, indicating the blessing of victory and wisdom. Consequently, the Temple of Athena Nike was constructed with the statue of Athena Nike and is regarded as an auspicious symbol, giving the city of Athens their win over Sparta, who were the citizens’ enemy at the period. Since the temple is dedicated to Athena, there are multiple ‘freizes’ inside it. According to the article, “The East and West Friezes of the Temple of Athena Nike,” the author, Permberton, looks at the political and religious meanings of the friezes of the Temple of Athena, and attempts to interpret the statues in the temple. The writer tries to explain the south frieze battle scene, distinguishing the Persian dress, and other battle scenes as well; also, the author cites ‘the battle of Magara,’ to be the most significant battle of that time. Permberton mentions, “The history of the fourth century and Boeotian military prowess may have motivated Diodoros to
The Nike Adjusting Her Sandal was added to the Temple of Athena Nike in 410 BCE after the completion of the the entire Acropolis. The intricate carvings and elaborate nature of this piece illustrate a tremendous amount of skill on behalf of the unknown artist. In this sense, even though Pericles had died by the time the relief was carved, the sculpture was still a continuation his desire to show Athens’ power, strength, and wealth through elaborate construction and ornamentation. However, the Nike Adjusting Her Sandal’s historical significance goes beyond a desire to show skill. The relief was carved during the Athenian’s battle against Sparta in the Peloponnesian War. Athens had already suffered several defeats which placed the fate of their empire in jeopardy. Thusly, the low relief carvings on the parapet of The Temple of Athena Nike was a sort of political propaganda. The parapet’s various depictions of Nike symbolized victory, and thusly, served as a method of reminding the Athenians of their past victories along with the fact that the goddess of victory was on their side—lifting their spirits and encouraging them to fight on. The second aspect of the Nike Adjusting Her Sandal that makes the piece so significant in the world of art history, is the fact that it hints at the presence of a new artistic era. The Acropolis’ reconstruction was in the height of the Classical Period in Greece. During this time, the Greek believed that mathematics manifested itself in beauty. Thusly, all the art produced was obsessed with idealizing bodies through the canon of proportion. A perfect example of this is Polykleitos’ Doryphoros, which set the standard for Greek art in the era due to its perfection of the human form and serene appearance through a relaxed
The Parthenon in Athens, for example, is a dedication to Athena; the goddess of wisdom and the patron of Athens (OI). As depicted in The Parthenon at the Acropolis in Athens, Greece (Doc6), this architectural piece is shown to have Doric columns that have a cylindrical shape seeming to be plain but sturdy. In comparison to the Doric style, the Ionic style was more elegant as it was taller and more decorative; engraved with vertical lines and topped with a curved rectangular shape. The Corinthian design is similar to the Ionic design because of the elaborate designs at the end of the pillars; it features more detailed designs that seem to be based around nature such as the inclusion of leaves and flowers. There are many buildings today that include these types of columns in their architectural design mainly in monuments and government buildings. According to the depiction of the White House in Greek Architecture (Doc8), the columns of the White House most closely resemble the Ionic style. Greek architecture are one of the many important legacies that Western civilization had inherited, influencing many architectural elements and building types used in art and architecture
Lefkowitz, M. R. (1996). Ancient history, Modern Myths. Black Athena Revisited [Portfolio reading set]. Retrieved from University of Massachusetts at Boston: http://www.UMB.edu
Late Helladic fortification walls on the Greek mainland are found surrounding citadels, not the entire city or site. The citadels seem to have housed central administration and housing for an elite class of citizens. They were built on hills, presumably as another layer of fortification. I will examine the sites of Gla, Midea, Tiryns, and Mycenae to look for similarities and differences in the design and architecture of their fortifications, as well as, arguments about the purpose of the fortifications at these sites. I will also explore how some sites were hindered or helped defensively and economically by their location and their use of fortifications.
...ity in Classical Athens. New York, NY: Alexander S. Onassis Public Benefit Foundation (USA) in Collaboration with the National Archaeological Museum, Athens, 2008. Print.
The Parthenon: architectural designed building in Ancient Greeks Each year, many tourists visit Greece to see the Parthenon, the outstanding architectural landmark of Greek Classicism. This architecture shows harmonies design of the Classical style which is geometric simplify and balance. The Parthenon served as a sacred shrine to people of Ancient Athens, and dedicated to Athena who are the goddess of wisdom and war. It is located in Athenian Acropolis, Greece, and is recognized as one of the famous surviving building in Greece. This essay will be discussing why and how the Parthenon was constructed, the structure of Parthenon, the optical illusions that makes Parthenon balanced, the function of the Parthenon, ruin
Athena was the Greek Goddess of many ideas, but she was famous mostly for her superior wisdom, her cunning skills in times of war, and her implausible talent for household tasks, such as weaving and pottery. She was celebrated more than any other God in ancient mythology, was the supposed inventor of countless innovations, and her figure gave reason for Greek woman to gain rights long before others of their time. The goddess of war, the guardian of Athens, and the defender of Heroes; Athena’s impact on the lives of Ancient Greeks is outstanding.
This temple was constructed by Perikles, that shows off his power and great impact he had on the Athenian Empire. This establishment is currently being used as a Museum of Art.
Roman art was also deeply influenced by the art of the Hellenistic world, which had spread to southern Italy and Sicily through the Greek colonies there. The Etruscans and Babylonians can also be seen as inspirations. “With the founding of the Republic, the term Roman art was virtually synonymous with the art of the city of Rome, which still bore the stamp of its Etruscan art” (Honour and Fleming,1999). During the last two centuries, notably that of Greece, Roman art shook off its dependence on Etruscan art. In the last two centuries before Christ, a distinctive Roman manner of building, sculpting, and painting emerged. Indeed, because of the extraordinary geographical extent of the Roman Empire and the number of diverse populations encompassed within its boundaries, “the art and architecture of the Romans was always eclectic and is characterized by varying styles attributable to differing regional tastes and the...
The end of the Geometric period resulted in the beginning of the Orientalizing Period, dated between 700-600 BC. Within this time frame, Greek introduced a new innovation, the Peripteral Temple. For many years prior, a row of colonnade was used on the interior primarily to hold up the roof of the building. In contrast, columns are seen being used on the outside, creating a visual wall around the building exposing parts of the interior. With in the temple existed the megaron style, carried forward from Bronze Age homes. It was also in eastern influenced period, the first real stone temples, and terra cotta roof tiles came to exist to hold the weight on these new stone temples. The population grew drastically, introducing new techniques and styles, which blended to form designs with balance and symmetry. It was during this period, two major Greek designs were developed, the Ionic and Doric order. (Pedley, 2012: pg. 180) The Doric order, being the first and most simple, consisted of baseless columns placed closely together as the Greeks did not know how much weight the shortened columns could hold. Reason behind this was the lack of length in the columns were believed to hold less weight and therefore forced into being placed closer together. This closely set arrangement created a very bold statement in the Doric temple. The Capital, which sat on top of the concaved shaped shaft, was left plain but when grouped alongside others, suggested a bold harmony. In contrast, the Ionic order was less bulky and more delicate than the Doric order. The top of the capital is decorated with two scrolls, also known as volutes, which could have resembled a shell or animal horns. Above the capital, held room for a surrounding frieze depictin...
Many buildings of ancient Greece are still around such as the Parthenon in Athens, Temple of Hephaestus, and the temple of Apollo Epicurius. Greek buildings are still around thanks to the architects that designed them and the material used to make a building. Additionally, Roman architecture was influenced by the greeks and much later influences architecture today. According to the article “Greek Architecture” “The Greek concern with simplicity, proportion, perspective, and harmony in their buildings would provide the foundation for the classical architectural orders which would dominate the western world from the Renaissance to the present day” (Cartwright).
The two ancient civilizations of ancient Greece and Rome were the best of the best during their time periods. Ancient Greece began around 2000 B.C. by the inhabitants known as the Mycenaean’s, followed by the Minoans. The Minoans built the foundation of Greece. The Roman Empire was founded around 753 B.C. by the two twins, Romulus and Remus. Romulus ended up killing Remus and built the city of Rome on one of seven rolling hills. Architecture was very important to both civilizations and they were always trying to out due the other. The architectural style of the Ancient Greeks and Romans was overall constructed and used differently.
The architect of the statue was a man by the name of Phidias. Phidias had previously built the statue of Athena in Athens, which was over fourty feet tall. He also did much of the sculpture work on the exterior of the Temple
In Ancient Greece, religion dominated their life, so it is understandable that their architecture would be dominated by their religion. Before Greece became many different city-states, they had kings, and they would build a room called a megaron to show they King’s authority. A typical megaron is a single chamber with a fire pit in the middle with a throne off to the side. This room opened up into a porch (portico) that had four columns in the front. After there were no more kings these megarons turned into temples. The fire pit, which turned into some type of altar or a place to show a sacrifice for that god, was now outside in front of the temple. The altar was now outside so people could see you make these sacrifices to their gods. The first Greek temples were made out of wood and were long rectangular buildings with a porch all the way around which was supported by columns made from tree trunks. A Greek temple consists of five basic parts: the pediment, entablature, columns, base, and the cella, or the inner sanctum. The pediment is triangular and would have a type of sculpture or ornament known as acreteria on each corner. An entablature consists of three parts: the cornice, frieze, and architrave, which holds up the pediment. The columns are the support between the entablature and the base. The base usually consists of three steps. The cella is the inner sanctum, which has different rooms with more columns for support. Each temple would have a cella but they were not identical.
Both the Greeks and the Romans dedicated their temples to the gods, however, unlike temples today that are used for congregation, Greek and Roman temples were used differently. Greek temples were used as the home of a certain deity and as a place to worship the specific god that was housed there. The Romans used temples to praise a god for military victory or for a politician to show his increase of wealth and status by commissioning the construction of a temple. Roman Temples were also often used as a meeting place for people to express a multitude of social and political concerns whereas the Greek temples were typically used by one person at a time. Within the cella of both the Greek and Roman temples was an altar dedicated to the gods. The Greeks used elements from their temple design in the creation of these altars, and Romans sometimes modeled their sarcophagi after this design. The Sarcophagus of Lucius Cornelius Scipio Barbatus from his tomb on the Via Appia from 200 B.C.E depicts the elements that the Romans borrowed from Greek temples. It is a mixture of two styles of Greek temple, Ionic and Doric. The Ionic style can be seen in the curves on the lid whereas the Doric style is depicted in the squares on the side of the sarcophagus, where each of the vertical lines of the square is a set of columns. This shows not only Greek