The Architectural Evolution of the Greek Temple

1447 Words3 Pages

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... ... middle of paper ... ...h D. S. Lapatin. Ancient Greece: Art, Architecture, and History. Los Angeles: J. Paul Getty Museum, 2004. Fyfe, Theodore. Hellenistic Architecture; an Introductory Study. Cambridge: UP, 1936. Martin, Roland. Greek Architecture. Milan: Electaarchitecture, 2003. Neils, Jenifer. The Parthenon: From Antiquity to the Present. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge UP, 2005. Pedley, John, G. Greek Art and Archaeology. Fifth edition. New Jersey: Pearson, 2012. Robertson, D. S. Greek & Roman Architecture. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 1969. Scully, Vincent. Architecture: The Natural and the Manmade. New York: St. Martin's, 1991. Shuter, Jane. The Acropolis. Chicago, IL: Heinemann Library, 2000. Taylor, William. Greek Architecture. New York: John Day, 1971. Tzonis, Alexander, and Phoebi Giannisi. Classical Greek Architecture: The Construction of the Modern. Paris: Flammarion, 2004.

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