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Essay on greek architecture
Essay on greek architecture
Greek architecture and modern architecture
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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...
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The ancient Greek civilization has left a rich cultural footprint on modern Western civilization. Especially during the ancient Classical and Hellenistic eras of Greece, ancient Greeks have left behind a plethora of ideas and concepts that have played a crucial role in forming the foundations to Western civilization. Although the Classical era was a time of war and conflict, it was the Golden Age of Greece that was the home to many achievements in art, philosophy, architecture, politics, and literature such as the birth of democracy. The Hellenistic era was a period of social and economic prosperity that was defined by the spread of Greek culture across the entire eastern Mediterranean and Southwest Asia. During this era, countless of advancements
Throughout the years, technology has changed the way live. This has included the way we build magnificent buildings. Old wonders like the Pyramids at Giza have fascinated people for years. There is another building concept that has attracted people’s attention for ages as well, domes.
Hemingway, Colette. The "Architecture of Ancient Greece." Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. Metropolitan Museum of Art, n.d. Web. The Web.
Ancient Greek sculpture is celebrated for its ground-breaking representation of the human figure. Nevertheless, this prominent artistic established practice did not just emerge fully developed. Ancient Greek sculpture is generally branched in the various stages of progression: the three fundamental stages are the archaic, classical, and Hellenistic periods. It is also worth noting that there is an earlier phase referred to as the Geometric Period in which the characteristics that would come to define ancient Greek sculpture were starting to take shape.
The ancient Greek was one of the most well-known civilization throughout history. This civilization was known for their history, philosophy, religion, and specially sculpture. One of the dominant ones was their sculpture. By studying the ancient Greek sculpture, one can see that there were different shifts. Historians tell us that these different shifts took place during the Stone Age, the Bronze Age, the Dark Ages, the Archaic, the Classical, and the Hellenistic Age. The three major shifts in ancient Greek sculptural development that we need to analyze are the Archaic, the Classical, and the Hellenistic sculpture.
Grecian architecture formed its own conventions in the ancient world, buildings in Greece were built with meticulous mathematic design. Great buildings were believed to be symmetrical, and perfectly proportioned [Document 7]. Another prominent aspect of ancient Greek architecture is the extensive use of columns. There were three basic types used, Doric which were plain capitals, ionic in which the capitals were fashioned after ram’s horns, and Corinthian which were made to mirror acanthus leaves.
Architecture is one important aspect of Byzantine culture. One of the most famous Byzantine architectural achievements is the Hagia Sophia, which is located in modern-day Istanbul. The basic design of the cathedral has a dome over a square base, which required a new innovation. At the time, it was kn...
One of the great things about America is the fact that it echoes previous centuries in ways that not many people would expect. Due to its diversity, it is thought of as a melting pot because it is filled with all kinds of culture and people from all over the world. But instead of this stereotypical metaphor, America can be thought of as the place where world architecture has not died, but instead has continued to thrive in a way that makes it suitable towards modern expectations. Greek architecture has been one of the most commonly used within this context. Although it emerged almost 3,000 years ago, the application of their architecture is still widely used today in places that aren’t Europe. We can see evidence of this through America’s government and financial buildings such as the Georgia’s Chamber of Commerce, the Capitol and even more commonly known, the White House. The White House is a major symbol of the United States and when bystanders observe its white walls, they not only a building of high status among the American people, but they also catch a glimpse into the past of centuries worth of influential architecture.
...ity in Classical Athens. New York, NY: Alexander S. Onassis Public Benefit Foundation (USA) in Collaboration with the National Archaeological Museum, Athens, 2008. Print.
Greek art and architecture were undoubtedly shaped by political, economic, and cultural factors during all periods in Greek history. The most recognizable and definitive art of ancient Greece is that of the classical period, it set the tone and standard for the successive Greek artists and society. The classical period used ideas which were central to Greek culture in general. “From an early phase of Greek art, the artist had shown his interest in man as man rather than as individual” (Gowing and Toyenbee).
The Greek civilization is responsible for many architectural features we use today. Greek were one of the earliest civilizations known to use the column in architecture especially in a large building structure. When Romans have conquered Greece they copied the architecture they discovered including the three main column styles used in Greece : Doric, Ionic and Corinthian. The Greeks, for whom daily life was a much more difficult and risky realm, focused not on an mythical religious life after death but on gaining with effort the knowable excellence of human achievement in this world. Their term for this was aretē, that quality of perfection that comes from their long studies of clarification, skill and testing, displayed by the achievement through bravery in wars or winning the athletic olympics or such.
I find Charles’ connection of a functionalist perspective and the Homeric Hymn to Apollo very interesting; how certain ancient Greek cities or aspects in the ancient Greek society utilized the hymns and myths to validate and justify their social and economic status. As much as I agree with most of what Charles has pointed out, there are some points to his response in which I would like to elaborate on.
...re that was most unique to the Early Dynastic period was the oval enclosure with a centralized platform to lend stability to the shrine. Storage were found near the enclosure. The Temple Oval at Khafaje best exemplifies the unique formation of the oval enclosure in the temples. This enclosure had a double perimeter wall present which was highly unusual for enclosures. Another oval temple was found that Tell al Ubaid, which had a rectangular platform in the center. In the front of this platform there were elaborate decorations, which were belived to have fallen from the façade of the temple which had stood on the platform. Besides these oval temples there were also plans of temples with a number of single or double roomed shrines, one noteworthy temple is from Tell Chuera in North Syria. This design plan yields a closer resemblance to the west and megaron buildings.
...on. It is important to understand the history and mechanics of Greek architecture in order to fully appreciate it. The ancient Greeks were very well known for their beautiful temples. They were able to devise several different ways to create beautiful buildings and implement those designs. The ancient Greeks set the architectural foundations for the rest of the world with their three orders. The three styles, or orders, are the Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian. The three distinctive styles are referred to as orders because they display proportionate, ordered, and coordinated parts. The Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian orders serve a functional purpose, as well as lend so much beauty to structures. “All the world’s culture culminated in Greece, and Greece in Athens, all Athens in its Acropolis, all the Acropolis in the Parthenon” (Nardo, 61).
From the time of the ancient Greeks all the way to modern day, some part of humanity has almost always been interested in the past. For the ancient Greeks, it was discovering Mycenaean ruins and composing stories about them. Today, inspiration is still drawn from classical architecture. One has to look no further than the U.S. capitol building, or even the University of Michigan's Angell Hall to see remnants of this architectural style. This raises the question of why does it still persists? Logically, the best way to answer this is to examine the origins of classical architecture, and what it represented then and now. Furthermore, the study of ancient architecture can show insights into past civilizations which otherwise would have been lost.