Free Essays on Greek Architecture

Greek Architecture The architecture of ancient Greece is represented by buildings in the sanctuaries and cities of mainland Greece, the Aegean islands, southern Italy and Sicily, and the Ionian coast of Turkey. Monumental Greek architecture began in the archaic period, flourished through the classical and Hellenistic periods, and saw the first of many revivals during the Roman Empire. The roots of Greek architecture lie in the tradition of local Bronze Age house and palaces. The following paper will cover the basic forms of Greek architecture. One of the many types of Greek building structures was Sacred Architecture. The Greeks conceived of their gods in human form, as anthropomorphic representations of the forces and elements of the natural world. These gods and goddesses were worshiped with sacrifices made at an outdoor altar. At many sanctuaries, the altar was much older than the temple, and some sanctuaries had only an altar. The temple designed simply as a shelter or home for t he cult statue and as a storehouse for offerings. This shelter consisted of a cella (back wall), a pronaos (columned porch), an opisthodomus (enclosure), an antae (bronze grills securing the porches), and a colonnade that provided shelter for visitors. The earliest monumental buildings in Greek architecture were the temples. Since these were solidly built and carefully maintained, they had to be replaced only if destroyed. The architectural orders, Doric on the mainland and Ionic in the eastern Aegean, were developed in the archaic temples, and their lasting example tended to make Greek architecture conservative toward changes in design or in building technology. The Archaic period evolved after the Mycenaen palace collapsed in 1200 BCE during the dark ages when people began rebuilding. This era brought about the introduction of both the Doric and Ionic Orders. The Doric Order, which originated around 400 BCE brought rise to a whole new type of building tech... Free Essays on Greek Architecture Free Essays on Greek Architecture Greek Architecture The architecture of ancient Greece is represented by buildings in the sanctuaries and cities of mainland Greece, the Aegean islands, southern Italy and Sicily, and the Ionian coast of Turkey. Monumental Greek architecture began in the archaic period, flourished through the classical and Hellenistic periods, and saw the first of many revivals during the Roman Empire. The roots of Greek architecture lie in the tradition of local Bronze Age house and palaces. The following paper will cover the basic forms of Greek architecture. One of the many types of Greek building structures was Sacred Architecture. The Greeks conceived of their gods in human form, as anthropomorphic representations of the forces and elements of the natural world. These gods and goddesses were worshiped with sacrifices made at an outdoor altar. At many sanctuaries, the altar was much older than the temple, and some sanctuaries had only an altar. The temple designed simply as a shelter or home for t he cult statue and as a storehouse for offerings. This shelter consisted of a cella (back wall), a pronaos (columned porch), an opisthodomus (enclosure), an antae (bronze grills securing the porches), and a colonnade that provided shelter for visitors. The earliest monumental buildings in Greek architecture were the temples. Since these were solidly built and carefully maintained, they had to be replaced only if destroyed. The architectural orders, Doric on the mainland and Ionic in the eastern Aegean, were developed in the archaic temples, and their lasting example tended to make Greek architecture conservative toward changes in design or in building technology. The Archaic period evolved after the Mycenaen palace collapsed in 1200 BCE during the dark ages when people began rebuilding. This era brought about the introduction of both the Doric and Ionic Orders. The Doric Order, which originated around 400 BCE brought rise to a whole new type of building tech... Free Essays on Greek Architecture In the time of the New Stone Age in Greece, sometime around 5000 B.C., one the most popular forms of architecture was started by the Greeks. This form, being that of Greek Architecture. The Greeks started out using mud and wood in their building of huts. â€Å"Their most important innovation was the replacement of wood by stone, which changed Greek Architecture into what it is recognized as today.† (1) They used these materials and their architectural knowledge to build such things as houses and temples, and then later palaces, tombs, and other buildings that served as social meeting places. In these buildings, they used different styles starting with Doric order, and later upgrading to Ionic and the more complex Corinthian. Along with these styles they used a design that included light functions, columns, arches, and vaulting. All the buildings in Greek Architecture were built for different purposes and are unique in their appearance, due to the different influences. The Greeks had many influences on their architecture, such as geographical, religious, social, and geological. The geographical influences consisted of the island of Crete being one of the main sea powers of the Mediterranean Sea, which allowed for trade ships to establish routes. When the Aegean Civilization fell, these routes became ways for colonists to bring their cultures over to Greece’s mainland. The sea was even more important because the mountains made intercommunication difficult amongst Greeks. Along with geography, religion was a big influence that was derived from the Aegean Civilization. The Aegean’s worshipped the natural phenomena but the Greeks did it more developed, with the role gods played in their culture. It was also their religious belief that unified the Greeks socially. In fact, in Sir Banister Fletcher’s book, History of Architecture, he writes: †Greeks were essentially democratic . . . the citizens shared in all affairs of ...