Greek and Roman Architectural Influences in Modern Society

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There are many imitations, and reproductions of Greek and Roman forms in the modern society of today. Even though the times of the great Ancient Greek and Roman Empires have passed, people of today are still able to honor their legacy with their long-lasting influences on modern society today, especially in architecture. If one just looks at today’s style of buildings, they can see the similarities between the two different time spans.
Back in the golden days of Greece, one of the top priorities to the Grecian people was how big and impressive their way of life was, and this included their houses, and public buildings. The primary type of definitive Greek building was the temple. Many of these temples were built on a large hill known as an acropolis, and it generally included placements of columns that encircled a large hall for a statue of one of the Greek deities to whom the temple was dedicated. The Greek style of architecture that we learn about today in school and from common knowledge began in the Bronze Age of the Aegean civilization (3000-1000 Before Christ), which was mostly located around the coast of Asia Minor, which was along what is now Southern Greece, and the island of Crete. In Ancient Greece, there were two distinct periods of time that encompassed different, yet similar, styles of architecture. The first was the Minoan Period (3000-1200), during this time, the Minoan royalty and wealthy lived in great, palace-like houses, which contained a number of rooms, and were usually constructed around a central courtyard. Many of these palaces were at least two or more stories high, and they were connected by huge, elaborate staircases. The walls were typically made with a bright white stone, and faced with stucco for de...

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...any modern day buildings exist only because of the fundamentals that the Greeks and Romans provided for us. It’s because of them that modern society has the architectural skills of today, and continue to enrich our world with modern ideas, as their civilizations once did.

Works Cited

1. Reid, Richard. “Greek Architecture, Roman Architecture.” The Book of Buildings:
A Panorama of Ancient, Medieval, Renaissance, and Modern Structures.
Chicago: Rand McNally, 1980. 26-29. Print.

2. Adkins, Lesley, and Roy. A Adkins. “Building Techniques, Architects and Architecture, Foundations.” Handbook to Life in Ancient Rome. New York:
Oxford UP, 1994. 151-152. Print.

3. “Classical Greek Architecture, Function.” The World Book Encyclopedia. Vol. 1. Chicago, IL. World Book, 2009. 610-616. Print.

4. Nardo, Don. “Chapter 3.” Architecture. Detroit: Lucent, 2008. 40-48. Print.

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