There have been many Ancient Greek temples that have been discovered. Most of these sanctuaries are magnificent stone or marble structures. Structures that leave people in awe and make them want to be transported back to when this building was built. One of these many temples is the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus. There were many reasons as to why this amazing building was built, why it is famous, and why it affected so many people in Ancient times.
The Temple of Artemis at Ephesus had many reasons to be built. One of them is that the Ephesians wanted to worship Artemis. To the Ephesians, who had a different religion than the Greeks who later took over Artemis was the mother god. She represented fertility and childbirth (Morris and Cox 75). As for the Greeks, Artemis was the goddess of hunt, moon, and maidenhood (Morris and Cox 75). When the temple was first built it was for the Ephesians who wanted to pray for good childbirth and motherhood. Another reason for the construction of this edifice was how when the Greek king Croesus took over Ephesus and he wanted to give back. Croesus hired the famous Greek architect Chersiphron to enlarge it and make it grander (Scarre 30). After a few years a man named Herostratus burned it down to have his name written down in history forever (Scarre 30). This event occurred the same day Alexander the Great was born (Scarre 30). Because of this coincidence Alexander also had the architectural structure rebuilt after he conquered that area of land. As it is shown there are many motive as to why the Temple of Artemis was built. This shows that the building was so important that many impressive people cared enough about it to rebuild it after the temple fell.
There are also many rationale for why the...
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...y people in ancient times. The Temple of Artemis was a very important building for the ancient people to worship their goddess. Many people are atheist in the present time, so not as many people come to socialize and worship together any more. Yet, the Temple of Artemis stands as a reminder of a time where people were all rooted deeply in their faith that they would build and do anything for their gods and goddesses.
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The Parthenon is an amazing Greek temple that was built 2,500 years ago. Even the architects of today have numerous questions about how it was constructed and how it has held up through its eventful past. The Parthenon's detailed appearance is not its only meaningful quality. The Parthenon was constructed as a temple to the goddess, Athena, and as an icon of the Greek people themselves. The Parthenon represents the Greek ideals of humanism, idealism, and rationalism.
The Greeks believed the deities provided the city protection and allowed them to be successful in their endeavors while in time of war. Phidias, a master bronze worker, was commissioned to create the sculpture of Athena Parthenos, the goddess of wisdom to show tribute to the gods by creating a large scale sculpture in Acropolis. The Acropolis was the most important site in the city of Athens, and was well recognized as the hilltop of protection. It is also the most significant reference point of ancient Greek culture as well as the symbol of the city of Athens. Some of the greatest architectural masterpieces of the period were erected on its ground.
== == = D’Agostino, Bruno (1974) Monuments of Civilisation Greece, Readers Digest, London Connolly, Peter; Dodge, Hazel (1998) The Ancient City: Life in Classical Athens and Rome Oxford University Press, Oxford Jenkins, Ian (1994) The Parthenon Frieze, British Museum Press, London Peach, Susan; Millard, Anne (2003)
The foundation of Greek culture was balance, reason, and harmony which can be unveiled in their art. As the civilization heavily revolved around religion, massive temples were built to serve the Gods. Greeks believed in many Gods, meaning they had polytheistic views . This notion of polytheism passed down to the Romans who adopted nearly the exact same deities and built similar architecture as well. One of the most famous buildings of worship was the Greek Parthenon built around 447-432 B.C.E, worshipping the goddess Athena . While building these brilliant pieces of art, concepts regarding laws and the natural world from philosophers were being incorporated in the structure. Pillars were often built in temples and various buildings in both Greek and Roman cultures. Doric, ionic, and Corinthian stand as the main three pillars built; each of them becomes increasingly more elaborate by order. For example, the Corinthian was the most intricate. Romans quickly developed a taste for this form of architecture and incorporated into theirs later on. The Romans however were very inventive, and began to develop the arch, vault and dome to add to what they emulated from the Greeks. Using these elements the Romans built what is known as the Coliseum, built over a 10 year span from around 70 AD to 80 AD. The Coliseum was said to hold 50,000 spectators and was used for entertainment
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The giant religious complex that is the Acropolis served as a communal religious center not only for the Athenians but all Greeks. Rivaling none in its grandeur the Acropolis serves as the high point in Athens both physically and figuratively.
... Athena. The difference between the Pyramid and temples of Greece is that the pyramids was built for the tomb of the Pharaohs while the temples in Greece was built for the different gods and goddesses of Ancient Greece.
The Parthenon was an amazing and important temple. Dedicated to Athena, the goddess of war and wisdom, it was a very important temple to the Greeks. Greeks worshiped all of their gods by building temples for them and giving sacrifices. Most of the sacrifices were sacred tiles designed especially for the gods, not many were human.
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Nagle, Brendan D. The Ancient World: A Cultural and Social History. New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, 1979.
The ruins of Ephesus can be found today on the west coast of the country of Turkey. Ephesus was a port city for the west coast of Asia during the period of the New Testament. “The city of Ephesus was aptly called the “mother city” of Asia because of her influence over the politics, commerce, and religious atmosphere of the province. Ephesus was the headquarters of the Roman proconsul and the seat of the “Confederacy” of the Greeks in Asia. ” Ephesus had a thriving economy which drew people from the rural areas and poorer cities to it. Ephesus was renowned throughout the world for the temple of Diana (Artemis), for skill in sorcery and magic, and as a destination spot for people from all the surrounding countries. Ephesus was multiethnic and religiously pluralistic. Paul reportedly labored for nearly three years (AD 52-55 /AD 54-57 ) in Ephesus during which time the word of the Lord spread to “all the residents of Asia,” (Acts19:10).
...ory of the contest between Athena and Poseidon to claim Athens, in which Athena won and thus being worshipped by people (Hyginus, pp. 264). Therefore, the Parthenon was built to dedicate to Athena, their virgin patron.
Damrosch, David, and David Pike. The Longman Anthology of World Literature. The Ancient World. Volume C. Second Edition. New York: Pearson/Longman, 2009. Print.