Without a doubt, the art and architecture of the ancient Greeks had a serious influence on the next generations. Their majestic beauty and harmony became a model, as well as a source of inspiration for later historical eras. The ancient temples of Greece are monuments of Hellenic culture and art.
The periods of formation of Greek architecture
Types of temples in ancient Greece are closely related to the time of their construction. There are three eras in the history of Greek architecture and art.
- Archaic (600-480 BC). Times of Persian invasions.
- Classic (480-323 BC). The heyday of Hellas. Campaigns of Alexander the Great. The period ends with his death. Experts believe that it was the diversity of many cultures that began to penetrate into Hellas as a result of Alexander's conquests that led to the decline of classical Hellenic architecture and art. The ancient temples of Greece also did not escape this fate.
- Hellenism (before 30 BC). Late period ending withRoman conquest of Egypt.
The spread of culture and the prototype of the temple
Hellenic culture penetrated into Asia Minor, Sicily, Italy, Egypt, North Africa and many other places. The most ancient temples of Greece belong to the archaic era. At this time, the Hellenes began to use building materials such as limestone and marble instead of wood. It is believed that the ancient dwellings of the Greeks were the prototypes for the temples. They were rectangular structures with two columns at the entrance. Buildings of this type evolved over time into more complex forms.
Typical design
Ancient Greek temples, as a rule, were built on a stepped base. They were windowless buildings surrounded by columns. Inside was a statue of a deity. The columns served as a support for the floor beams. The ancient temples of Greece had a gable roof. In the interior, as a rule, twilight reigned. Only the priests had access there. Many ancient Greek temples could only be seen by ordinary people from the outside. It is believed that this is why the Hellenes paid so much attention to the appearance of religious buildings.
Ancient Greek temples were built according to certain rules. All sizes, proportions, proportions of parts, the number of columns and other nuances were clearly regulated. The ancient temples of Greece were built in the Doric, Ionic and Corinthian styles. The oldest one is the first one.
Doric style
This architectural style has developed back inarchaic period. He is characterized by simplicity, power and a certain masculinity. It owes its name to the Doric tribes, which are its founders. Only parts of these temples have survived today. Their color is white, but earlier the structural elements were covered with paint, which crumbled under the influence of time. But the cornices and friezes were once blue and red. One of the most famous buildings in this style is the Temple of Olympian Zeus. Only the ruins of this majestic structure have survived to this day.
Ionic style
This style was founded in the regions of Asia Minor with the same name. From there it spread throughout Hellas. Ancient Greek temples in this style are more slender and elegant when compared with Doric ones. Each column had its own base. The capital in its middle part resembles a pillow, the corners of which are twisted into a spiral. In this style, there are no such strict proportions between the bottom and top of structures, as in the Doric. And the connection between the parts of the buildings has become less pronounced and more shaky.
By a strange irony of fate, time practically did not spare the monuments of architecture of the Ionic style on the territory of Greece itself. But they are well preserved outside. Several of them are located in Italy and Sicily. One of the most famous is the Temple of Poseidon near Naples. He looks squat and heavy.
Corinthian style
During the Hellenistic period, architects began to pay more attention to the splendor of buildings. At that timethe temples of ancient Greece began to supply Corinthian capitals, richly decorated with ornaments and floral motifs with a predominance of acanthus leaves.
Divine Right
The art form that the temples of Ancient Greece had was an exclusive privilege - a divine right. Before the Hellenistic period, mere mortals could not build their homes in this style. If a man surrounded his house with rows of steps, decorated it with gables, it would be considered the greatest audacity.
In the Dorian state formations, the decrees of the priests forbade the copying of cult styles. The ceilings and walls of ordinary dwellings were built, as a rule, of wood. In other words, stone structures were the privilege of the gods. Only their abodes had to be strong enough to withstand time.
Sacred meaning
The stone ancient Greek temples were built exclusively of stone because they were based on the idea of separating the beginnings - the sacred and the mundane. The abodes of the deities had to be protected from everything mortal. Thick stone or marble walls protected their figures from theft, defilement, accidental touches and even prying eyes.
Acropolis
The heyday of the architecture of Ancient Greece began in the 5th century BC. e. This era and its innovations are strongly associated with the reign of the famous Pericles. It was at this time that the Acropolis was built - a place on a hill where the greatest temples of Ancient Greece were concentrated. Photos of them can be seen in thismaterial.
The Acropolis is in Athens. Even from the ruins of this place, one can judge how grandiose and beautiful it once was. A very wide marble staircase leads up the hill. To the right of it, on a hill, there is a small but very beautiful temple to the goddess Nike. People entered the Acropolis itself through a gate with columns. Passing through them, visitors found themselves in a square crowned with a statue of Athena (goddess of wisdom), who was the patroness of the city. Further on, the Erechtheion temple, very complex in design, could be seen. Its distinguishing feature is a portico that protrudes from the side, and the ceilings were supported not by a standard colonnade, but by marble female statues (caritaids).
Parthenon
The main building of the Acropolis is the Parthenon - a temple dedicated to Pallas Athena. It is considered the most perfect structure created in the Doric style. The Parthenon was built about 2.5 thousand years ago, but the names of its creators have survived to this day. The creators of this temple are Kallikrat and Iktin. Inside it was a sculpture of Athena, which was sculpted by the great Phidias. The temple was surrounded by a 160-meter frieze, which depicted a festive procession of the inhabitants of Athens. Its creator was also Phidias. The frieze depicts almost three hundred human and about two hundred horse figures.
Destruction of the Parthenon
The temple is currently in ruins. Such a majestic structure as the Parthenon, perhaps, would have survived to this day. However, in the 17th century, when Athens was besieged by the Venetians who ruled the citythe Turks set up a powder warehouse in the building, the explosion of which destroyed this architectural monument. At the beginning of the 19th century, the Briton Elgin brought most of the surviving reliefs to London.
The spread of Greek culture as a result of the conquests of Alexander the Great
Alexander's conquests caused Hellenic art and architectural styles to spread over a wide area. Outside of Greece, major centers were created, such as Asia Minor Pergamum or Egyptian Alexandria. In these cities, construction activity has reached unprecedented proportions. Naturally, the architecture of Ancient Greece had a huge impact on the buildings.
Temples and mausoleums in these areas were usually built in the Ionic style. An interesting example of Hellenic architecture is the huge mausoleum (tombstone) of King Mausolus. It has been ranked among the seven greatest wonders of the world. An interesting fact is that the construction was led by the king himself. The mausoleum is a burial chamber on a rectangular high base, surrounded by columns. Above it rises a stepped pyramid of stone. It is crowned with the image of a quadriga. By the name of this structure (mausoleum), other grandiose funerary structures are now called in the world.
