Ancient Greek Architecture essays

Ancient Greek Architecture essays The Ancient Greeks constructed magnificent architecture. They had three main styles; Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian. Doric was the least ornate and Corinthian was the most. The majority of their architecture was done in the Doric style. Six of the Greeks more important structures are the Parthenon, Erechtheion, Herodeion, Temple of Zeus, Treasury of Athenians, and the Temple of Hephaestus. The Parthenon, a well-known and once impressive temple, sets on a hill called the Acropolis. The Acropolis became the religious center of ancient Athens, and it was on this hill that the Greeks built the Parthenon almost 2,500 years ago. They built the Parthenon to honor Athena Parthenos, the pagan goddess of Athens. Athena was the Greek goddess of wisdom and also the Warrior Maiden. The city of Athens was named in her honor. Inside the temple stood a giant gold and ivory statue of Athena. Today the Parthenon is old and crumbled but there is something about it that takes you back to the glory days of ancient Greece. The Parthenon is the biggest temple on the Acropolis and was considered a great beauty in her day. It is square shaped with 8 columns going across each end and 15 along each side. Inside, people can only imagine the once magnificent gold and ivory statue of Athena. The Parthenon had a roof of two skewed sides with a triangular space underneath each end so that carvings of gods and goddesses could be placed inside. An inner border of carvings shows a parade of Athenians including warriors, women, and priests. Ictinus and Callicrates designed the Parthenon with sculpture work done by Phidias. It is made completely of white marble and surrounded by large standing columns. The temple had two rooms inside its cella, the encased space inside the colonnade. The smaller room was dedicated to the goddess Parthenon and in due time the whole building was named aft...