Greek ArchitectureEssay Preview: Greek ArchitectureReport this essayGreek Architecture: History and MechanicsThroughout history, there have been several significant architectural movements. The last, and perhaps most enduring movement is that of Classic Greece. Although for centuries, the architecture of ancient Greece has been admired, mimicked, and replicated, its beginnings are somewhat surprising to one unfamiliar with the history of the region. It is important to understand the history and mechanics of Classic Greek architecture in order to fully appreciate its form, function, and beauty. “Ancient Greek architects strove for the precision and excellence of workmanship that are the hallmarks of Greek art in general. The formulas they invented as early as the sixth century B.C. have influenced the architecture of the past two millennia” (metmuseum.org).
”„ὗ὘₊, the architectural style of Roman and Byzantine houses of the 12th century B.C., and the Greek architecture of the 1st to 14th century B.C. all began the same path—more or less: to embrace the most critical aspects of art to become an art form in one’s own country or ethnic group. For most, it was one of the main causes of their wealth and prosperity, leading them to pursue the ways of “philosophy.” Though art was developed to facilitate a wide variety of economic, social, and cultural activities under certain conditions, as well as many different kinds of social and cultural activities, an aesthetic style based on a particular style, tradition, or method has been common in more and more of Classical Europe since at least the 6th-Era century–12th century BCE. Greek artists, the first to achieve the highest artistic mastery, developed a style that is most universally credited, or at least recognized by the modern cultural and media, as its main attribute. These styles may be seen as defining the first classical artistic style in the world, though their use as a result of this style may change when one uses the term “classic Greek,” “classic Greek,” or “classic Italian.” Modern art styles can be considered an evolution of art styles in a number of ways, for some artists, particularly in the art of theater, are associated more with a specific aesthetics for artistic use, and others have been known to adhere more generally to the more more general artistic style, rather than the overall style of any particular art. However, all of these artists were influenced by their own particular style and method of art. Ancient Greece was a period in this period of artistic growth. During this period, the ancient city of Athens was the centre of attention with its numerous sculpture and fine arts shops. Some artists started to work in the galleries as early as the 12th century B.C. to a greater degree in Athens. These artisans began to construct small monomanic monuments as they explored for artistic enjoyment in cities surrounding the city. In addition to the art of writing and sculpture, the art of sculpture and painting, along with the arts of architecture, was also developed. The Greek art movement followed a similar fashion to that of the Roman Renaissance, with artists developing their own style of sculpture and painting. While the art of sculpture was first made up of stone sculpture, the Greek art movement developed a series of statues—each with a distinctive character. The first statues of the classical and early Renaissance art movements, consisting of the statues of Poseidon and Athena, were created primarily for their historical significance. The sculptures of Poseidon, which were erected in the 7th century CE, depict only the gods that lived in the world. In contrast, the statues of Athena—who are depicted with only two arms—also depict no god other than Poseidon. In addition, the large scale sculpture of Poseidon made up of clay and iron, also served as the foundation for modern art. These sculptures depict the ancient Greeks traveling across the Mediterranean, as well as the modern world, as they were part of the ancient Greeks’ culture and society. With their large, stone figurines, these statues reflected the Greek culture, mythology, and language during their travels. Classical and early Renaissance Greek artworks featured a number of statues with head and shoulders that were similar to those of Pose
“The first inhabitants of the Greek peninsula, who are believed to be Neolithic, built very primitive and basic structures. The houses were mainly built with a circular, oval, apsidal, or rectangular shapeÐ They used mud bricks and stones in the mud with reeds or brush to help build the house. Most of the houses had one room, there were very rarely two” (thinkquest.org). These simple homes are the primary foundation for the Grecian style of architecture. Though Neolithic in nature, the first Architects laid the basic foundations for all architecture to follow in Greece and the rest of the world. The shapes of these early homes carry through all the way from the Ionic to the Corinthian order.
“The next group of settlers were the Minoan architects. Their towns were mostly residential with little or no temples and public places. Unlike earlier people, their houses were private and had many roomsÐ…to separate rooms, they would use only pillars” (thinkquest.org). These new people introduced several different aspects to the foundation of Grecian architecture, namely, the openness of the houses and rooms. It is this culture, which is mostly accredited with introducing the mechanics of the ancient Grecian forms of architecture.
“The first advanced culture in Greece, and indeed in all of Europe, was created by a people referred to today as the Minoans. Their civilization flourished from about 2200 to 1450 B.C. on Crete, the large island located about one hundred miles southeast of the Greek mainland” (Nardo, 12). The Minoans are credited with founding the architecture that ancient Greece is now so famous for. One of the most famous examples of Minoan architecture is “Ð…the palace at Knossos, their chief city, located near the northern coast of the island, was five stories high and consisted of hundreds of interconnected rooms” (Nardo, 12). Nardo states “there is evidence that these were highly sophisticated buildings with modern-style plumbing features, such as flush toilets and clay pipes carrying hot and cold water. As many as thirty to fifty thousand people lived in the palace at Knossos and in the city that surrounded it. And there were dozens, perhaps hundreds of Minoan cities and towns on Crete and the islands of the Aegean Sea, the inlet of the Mediterranean Sea bordering eastern Greece” (Nardo, 12).
“Because the Minoans kept few records and no histories, their culture had been largely forgotten by the time of the classical Greeks. Yet a few vague memories of Minoan days remained, passed on by word of mouth over the course of many centuries” (Nardo, 13). It is this little bit of information that was orally passed down which became the foundation for the classical Greek style, when combined with the Egyptian influences to come.
“Greek Life was dominated by religion and so it is not surprising that the temples of ancient Greece were the biggest and most beautiful. They also had a political purpose as they were often built to celebrate civic power and pride, or offer thanksgiving to the patron deity of a city for success in war” (ancientgreece.com). The main purpose for the temples was to house and protect the statues of the gods and goddesses the temples were built to honor. While the temples were a place of worship, and the people of Greece were expected to honor and worship the gods and goddesses, until the age of Alexander the Great, only trained priests and priestesses were allowed access to the temples (ancientgreece.com). While the first temples were simple in both design and execution, as time went on, both design and function became more intricate. By the reign of Alexander the Great, when common citizens were allowed access to the temples, the architectural style had evolved so much that the temple was a place of beauty as well as a place of form and function.
The beautiful arches that Greek architecture has become so well known for were really not intended to be part of the decoration of the buildings. Used for support purposes only, the arches were either holding up the ceiling or holding up the floor. Ironically, those structural frames would withstand the tests of time and come to be one of the identifying factors of ancient Grecian architecture.
“When the Greeks ventured into Egypt and saw the soaring structures of the royal cities of the Nile Valley, they grasped the concept of monumental architecture and gigantic sculpture. It was not architectural design so much as the material and scale Ð- the imposing dimensions carried out in stone Ð- that they eagerly emulated. Before the Greeks came into contact with Egyptian culture, the basic plan of the Greek temple had been well established Ð- a rectangle, with columns along the front, sides, and back and usually in double rows down the interior of the main room, which housed a cult image” (Time, 60).
The Greeks didnt so much alter the style of their architecture as a result of Egyptian exposure, as they did the way in which they constructed their buildings. By the year 600 B.C., the Greeks began to build using only stone. The main reason for this is that they had a ready supply of both limestone and marble, and sufficient slave labor to mine both. Soon, building with wood, as they had been up to this point, was an extinct idea. It is from this transition that the three major orders of Greek architecture evolved.
“The Greeks developed three architectural systems, called orders, each with their own distinctive proportions and detailing” (ancientgreece.com). 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. It has been assumed that their initial forms may have had symbolic meaning. The main difference between the three orders is the column style. However, “Ð…the