Arete
Arete is “the Greek way of excellence”. It isn’t only excellence, like painting a good painting or running a good race. Instead, Arete is the philosophy for one to become all that they can be. It is a virtue, that the Greeks believed everything possessed. The Greeks left their historical mark by showing Arete in their architecture, literature and philosophies, in today’s modern society people also strive to have Arete.
Greek architecture is a huge demonstration of Arete. Buildings such as the Parthenon in Athens and the incredibly iconic Greek pillars are great Greek, architectural achievements. The Parthenon is a particularly interesting demonstration of Arete. The Greeks built this astonishing temple over another temple, to replace it, after the Persians destroyed the old temple. It cost the Greeks four hundred and sixty nine silver talents to build and after, only a short fifteen years, the astonishing structure was finished. The Parthenon was built mainly out of ivory and gold and
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was densely cluttered with many extremely intricate works of sculpting. The temple served as a offering to the god Athena and showed the other Greek city-states that Athens was superior. (“Acropolis”) The reason that the Parthenon is so interesting, is that the Greeks built it, apart from being an offering to Athena, to show their excellence. They could have put less effort into the Parthenon’s creation and still had a great temple. Instead, the Athenians knew that if they put in all the resources they possessed and hired the most talented architects and workers they could have a temple to strike fear into other empires and show their devotion to Athena. Knowing this, they followed it through and made a monumental structure demonstrating Arete. Quick, think about ancient Greece.
Did the thought of Greek pillars arise? The Greek style of sculpting is still today an iconic example of Arete. The Greek pillars came in three main types; Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian style pillars. Doric pillars have a sturdy shape with seldom intricate pieces of art. The Doric style was mainly found in colonies of Italy and Sicily. Ionic pillars, perhaps the most famous, are created with a scroll-like design at the top. They were mainly found in eastern Greece. Also, finally, Corinthian style pillars were not used often however, these pillars were used on some special occasions when a very important building came along, like a temple or government building. The pillars had carefully carved images, and delicate stonework on the top. (“Acropolis”) These pillars show just how much thought went into the smallest of things. The Greek style in general, for architecture, is a great example of how time and effort can show a civilization's
Arete. Greek Literature is another excellent example of Arete. Greeks invented drama; comedies, and tragedies. Also they created lyrical poetry and mastered the literary element of irony. (“Ancient Greece-Classical Literature”) Greek philosophers played a huge role in shaping today’s philosophies and ideals around government. They took it to themselves to make their society happier and more fair. Socrates, Plato and Aristotle were the most important figures in greek philosophy. Greek Philosophers tried to move away from a mythological aspect of looking at life to a scientific and mathematical approach. (“Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy”)
When studying an ancient culture, it is important for one to comprehend the many unique elements that make up that culture. The study of architecture enables historians to deepen their understanding of a culture and identify the modern influences of that society. Architecture is an essential aspect of ancient Greek culture and its long lasting influence is evident in most cities today. The Greek Revival style dominated American architecture during the nineteenth century. Many prosperous citizens believed that the ancient Greece architecture embodied the spirit of democracy. When analyzing the architecture of New York City, one will find many examples of Greek Revival architecture, the most notable examples being the Old Custom House on 28 Wall Street, the first National City Bank building on 55 Wall Street, and Saint Peter’s Church at 22 Barclay Street.
The Parthenon in Athens, for example, is a dedication to Athena; the goddess of wisdom and the patron of Athens (OI). As depicted in The Parthenon at the Acropolis in Athens, Greece (Doc6), this architectural piece is shown to have Doric columns that have a cylindrical shape seeming to be plain but sturdy. In comparison to the Doric style, the Ionic style was more elegant as it was taller and more decorative; engraved with vertical lines and topped with a curved rectangular shape. The Corinthian design is similar to the Ionic design because of the elaborate designs at the end of the pillars; it features more detailed designs that seem to be based around nature such as the inclusion of leaves and flowers. There are many buildings today that include these types of columns in their architectural design mainly in monuments and government buildings. According to the depiction of the White House in Greek Architecture (Doc8), the columns of the White House most closely resemble the Ionic style. Greek architecture are one of the many important legacies that Western civilization had inherited, influencing many architectural elements and building types used in art and architecture
Throughout the years, technology has changed the way live. This has included the way we build magnificent buildings. Old wonders like the Pyramids at Giza have fascinated people for years. There is another building concept that has attracted people’s attention for ages as well, domes.
The very basis of American architecture, as displayed by the monuments on buildings in Washington DC, has its very roots in classical Greek architecture. Many of the most distinct and easily recognizable buildings in our capital have roots of Greek architecture. Although many Americans think that they do not know or have not seen Greek architecture, most have. Greek architecture does not only influence our capital, but also many of our major cities, as well as buildings in our local towns. The widespread use of Greek architecture is an acclaim to the magnificent style of the architecture.
Grecian architecture formed its own conventions in the ancient world, buildings in Greece were built with meticulous mathematic design. Great buildings were believed to be symmetrical, and perfectly proportioned [Document 7]. Another prominent aspect of ancient Greek architecture is the extensive use of columns. There were three basic types used, Doric which were plain capitals, ionic in which the capitals were fashioned after ram’s horns, and Corinthian which were made to mirror acanthus leaves.
The foundation of Greek culture was balance, reason, and harmony which can be unveiled in their art. As the civilization heavily revolved around religion, massive temples were built to serve the Gods. Greeks believed in many Gods, meaning they had polytheistic views . This notion of polytheism passed down to the Romans who adopted nearly the exact same deities and built similar architecture as well. One of the most famous buildings of worship was the Greek Parthenon built around 447-432 B.C.E, worshipping the goddess Athena . While building these brilliant pieces of art, concepts regarding laws and the natural world from philosophers were being incorporated in the structure. Pillars were often built in temples and various buildings in both Greek and Roman cultures. Doric, ionic, and Corinthian stand as the main three pillars built; each of them becomes increasingly more elaborate by order. For example, the Corinthian was the most intricate. Romans quickly developed a taste for this form of architecture and incorporated into theirs later on. The Romans however were very inventive, and began to develop the arch, vault and dome to add to what they emulated from the Greeks. Using these elements the Romans built what is known as the Coliseum, built over a 10 year span from around 70 AD to 80 AD. The Coliseum was said to hold 50,000 spectators and was used for entertainment
The notion of arête has been a prevalent idea in the history of Greece and Rome. Arête means excellence, excellence that is manifested in the outward form; and indeed, when one looks at what remains of ancient Greece and Rome, that is most likely the first thought that comes to mind: excellence. This idea of arête is perhaps most prevalent in pieces of literature written by names like Tyrtaeus, Pericles, Vergil, and Homer. Whether it be excellence of the empire, excellence of their gods, or excellence of oneself, their works always had the notion of excellence in mind. And these people inspired their audience, the commonwealth, to go about and spread the idea of arête to others, ensuring that their excellence had secured its place in history.
Both Walter Lee Younger and Beneatha Younger’s dreams in A Raisin in the Sun are an example of the message in Harlem by Langston Hughes because they are deferred once the money to make their dreams come true is stolen; for Beneatha it dries up, and for Walter, it explodes. Firstly, Beneatha Younger’s dream is to become a doctor, and to achieve her goal, she must go to medical school, which is why she needs the money that Mama got from her husband’s recent death from the insurance payout. However, her dream is crushed once Walter Lee loses the money. In the novel, she is expressionless, and her face dries up, just like her dream.
The seeking of arête can be seen as a universal code of virtue or as the heroes code in the Iliad by Homer uses this code to very condescending making the hero code so important to achieve arête. Homer demonstrate that in the beginning where if the army conquered a land the spoils are divided by the ranking membe...
The ancient Greeks developed a system of orders which were known as columns. There were three different types of columns and each had they own special twist, both structurally and appearance wise. The three orders consisted of the Doric order, Ionic order and the Corinthian order. One shocking fact was that the Romans used the Corinthian columns more than the Greeks did and they were the one that came up with them. Each order could be found in many different parts of ancient Greece. The columns were put into use by creating ancient temples. Since Greek life was mainly focused around religion, their temples were very big and beautiful (“Ancient Greece” 1).
The end of the Geometric period resulted in the beginning of the Orientalizing Period, dated between 700-600 BC. Within this time frame, Greek introduced a new innovation, the Peripteral Temple. For many years prior, a row of colonnade was used on the interior primarily to hold up the roof of the building. In contrast, columns are seen being used on the outside, creating a visual wall around the building exposing parts of the interior. With in the temple existed the megaron style, carried forward from Bronze Age homes. It was also in eastern influenced period, the first real stone temples, and terra cotta roof tiles came to exist to hold the weight on these new stone temples. The population grew drastically, introducing new techniques and styles, which blended to form designs with balance and symmetry. It was during this period, two major Greek designs were developed, the Ionic and Doric order. (Pedley, 2012: pg. 180) The Doric order, being the first and most simple, consisted of baseless columns placed closely together as the Greeks did not know how much weight the shortened columns could hold. Reason behind this was the lack of length in the columns were believed to hold less weight and therefore forced into being placed closer together. This closely set arrangement created a very bold statement in the Doric temple. The Capital, which sat on top of the concaved shaped shaft, was left plain but when grouped alongside others, suggested a bold harmony. In contrast, the Ionic order was less bulky and more delicate than the Doric order. The top of the capital is decorated with two scrolls, also known as volutes, which could have resembled a shell or animal horns. Above the capital, held room for a surrounding frieze depictin...
Have you ever seen or visited the Capital building, Washington or amphitheater of Arlinton, Virginia or Cabin John bridge of Washington aqueduct? If an answer is yes, then have you ever think that how we come up with this type of buildings? These all buildings’ basic structures are based on the Greek and Roman cultures’ architecture. Historical records of Western culture in Europe begin with Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome. Roman culture was very inspired from the Greece culture and they had used very basic ideas to build buildings and temples, to portrait sculpture. They modernized and improved their architectures and sculptures in decorative way and made a separate image in the world.
...on. It is important to understand the history and mechanics of Greek architecture in order to fully appreciate it. The ancient Greeks were very well known for their beautiful temples. They were able to devise several different ways to create beautiful buildings and implement those designs. The ancient Greeks set the architectural foundations for the rest of the world with their three orders. 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. The Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian orders serve a functional purpose, as well as lend so much beauty to structures. “All the world’s culture culminated in Greece, and Greece in Athens, all Athens in its Acropolis, all the Acropolis in the Parthenon” (Nardo, 61).
In Ancient Greece, religion dominated their life, so it is understandable that their architecture would be dominated by their religion. Before Greece became many different city-states, they had kings, and they would build a room called a megaron to show they King’s authority. A typical megaron is a single chamber with a fire pit in the middle with a throne off to the side. This room opened up into a porch (portico) that had four columns in the front. After there were no more kings these megarons turned into temples. The fire pit, which turned into some type of altar or a place to show a sacrifice for that god, was now outside in front of the temple. The altar was now outside so people could see you make these sacrifices to their gods. The first Greek temples were made out of wood and were long rectangular buildings with a porch all the way around which was supported by columns made from tree trunks. A Greek temple consists of five basic parts: the pediment, entablature, columns, base, and the cella, or the inner sanctum. The pediment is triangular and would have a type of sculpture or ornament known as acreteria on each corner. An entablature consists of three parts: the cornice, frieze, and architrave, which holds up the pediment. The columns are the support between the entablature and the base. The base usually consists of three steps. The cella is the inner sanctum, which has different rooms with more columns for support. Each temple would have a cella but they were not identical.
While houses, and stoas did have columns they were certainly not as ornate as columns on temples like the Parthenon. So to an ancient Greek the column would have been primarily associated with monumental temples. However, in Rome the collm j was used in a number of different buildings from, basilicas, to baths, to the emperor’s palace. The use of columns as decorations also began in Roman times as seen in buildings like the colosseum. In much more recent times, elements from both Greek and Roman architecture have been combined and used on numerous important buildings. Some of the most obvious examples of this are courthouses, which often have a very striking columnar faced emulating that of Greek and Roman temples. So through the study of ancient architecture one can understand why this architectural style means today, as well as what it means