The Athenian Golden Age

430 Words1 Page
bulb-icon

Recommended: Ancient Greece and Roman Empire architecture

In Athens the 5th century BC was most known as the Golden Age. In this time the athenians advanced in sculpture and architecture. Architecture definitely was one of the most things that advanced during the golden age. With examples like the acropolis which was one of the most impressive remains in Greece. On the acropolis was a building named The Parthenon which was dedicated to Athena parthenos. The Parthenon building was located at the top of the acropolis.The temple was created in 447 and completed around 438 B.C. The temple had a 40 foot high statue of the person it was dedicated to, Athena. The statue was carved from wood and ivory and had gold plating covering the all 40 feet of it. The temple itself had suffered a great amount of damage during the 18th century when a battle was fought it Greece. Another amazing structure in Greece was The Erechtheum. The Erechtheum was built several decades after The Parthenon and was built on …show more content…

Early statues from the 7th century b.c started off looking a lot like cult statues that ancient Egyptians made. Almost every state made was made to look like a young man. Many people believed that these early sculptures were used as grave markings or offerings to the gods. Somewhere after 500 B.C the Greek sculptures were made a lot more realistic looking. They also made sculptures of human beings to have more perfect features while sculptures of gods are more irregular and have a lot more individualistic features. Some of the most known sculptures in the 5th century b.c were Phidias, Polycitus and Myron. Phidias was most known for making the 60 foot high statue of Zeus for the temple of Olympus. He had also made the statue of Athena in The Parthenon. While both Polyclitus and Myron were famous for their figures made out of bronze that were made to look like athletes. While none of the original sculptures d survived, most of them were known through Roman copies of

Show More
Related

  • Athens in the 5th century B.C.E: Athenians’ Golden Age

    691 Words  | 2 Pages

    Athens’ victory over Persia led to its Golden Age that had a tremendous influence on today’s world. The win led to the period of Athens’ great prosperity due to a strong government, economy and military. Athenians’ had a great love for their city-state at the time due to it being the central of Greece, and this led to their numerous cultural achievements. Both architecturally and literately, Athens’ Golden Age sis the foundation of the present-day’s culture.

    Read More

  • Altar of Zeus: New Style to Old Ideas

    1290 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...the Athenian Parthenon’s in some ways its powerful imagery has caused it to be acknowledged it as one of the most wonderful examples of Hellenistic art and architecture.

    Read More

  • Destruction of the Athenian Golden Age

    711 Words  | 2 Pages

    Road to self-destruction Many circumstances led to the end of the Athenian golden age. Ironically, the formation of the Delian league marked the beginning stages of the end of the Athenian golden age. The same league that would prove instrumental in pulling up Athens from state to empire, eventually played a role in its destruction. Athens' harsh treatment towards other weaker states served as an instigator for hatred and resentment.

    Read More

  • Explain The Three Major Shifts In Ancient Greek Architecture

    884 Words  | 2 Pages

    The archaic sculptures were shaped in like human form with facial expressions that we called archaic smile. This sculptures were made for public memorials, as offerings to temples, and as markers for graves. The classical sculptures saw changes in the style, function of sculpture, and dramatic changes in the way the Greeks started to depict those sculpture in realistic human forms. The poses of these statues were more naturalistic. These sculptures show expression of humility. The Hellenistic sculptures were influenced by the people culture. The Greeks express more energy and power in their sculpture. We can see that in each period, there is a different shift. The way these sculptures changes in each period are

    Read More

  • Athena Parthenos: The Goddess of Wisdom

    861 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Greek believed the human body was the measure of all things, therefore the artists created sculptures in a very detailed fashion which made them very life-like although the size of

    Read More

  • Propaganda and National Pride in Building the Parthenon

    2500 Words  | 5 Pages

    == == = == Sculpture of the Parthenon Viewtech

    Read More

  • Fallen Warrior Essay

    1270 Words  | 3 Pages

    Ancient Greek sculptures, as a whole, were not necessarily portraits, but instead resembled wide ranges of people, as stated by Hurl, Estrelle on chapter 1. Ancient Greek sculptures, according to, were really close to nature due to the sculptures nailing the look of the human form

    Read More

  • Idealism In Ancient Greek Art

    1248 Words  | 3 Pages

    Perhaps one of the most defining and easily identifiable aspects of the ancient Greek culture was the immortalization of humans and gods in sculpture. Sculpture had existed in the world for thousands of years before the ancient Greeks made their stake in the art, but the Greeks added an entirely new set of aspects to their sculptures. Unlike the Egyptian and Mesopotamian sculpture centuries earlier, the Greeks set forth not just to capture the image of a man but to capture that which made him a man. The Greeks set in place three base tenants to display the tone of a sculpture. Through the use of Humanism, Realism, and Idealism the ancient Greeks were able to capture humans and gods forever in marble.

    Read More

  • The Parthenon

    1400 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Parthenon is an amazing Greek temple that was built 2,500 years ago. Even the architects of today have numerous questions about how it was constructed and how it has held up through its eventful past. The Parthenon's detailed appearance is not its only meaningful quality. The Parthenon was constructed as a temple to the goddess, Athena, and as an icon of the Greek people themselves. The Parthenon represents the Greek ideals of humanism, idealism, and rationalism.

    Read More

  • Essay On The Parthenon

    722 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Parthenon was built during the Golden age in Athens, Greece. The Parthenon is made of mainly columns; there is a 9:4 ratio. It was almost destroyed in war; the ruins that remained were dedicated to Athena. The purpose of the Parthenon was to house the statue of Athena, made of ivory and gold, and also Athena’s treasure. The ratios and the equations used to make the Parthenon were used as a sign of the harmony in the natural world around us. The mathematical harmony in the world shows how we can work with the world rather than destroy to make it what we want. The Parthenon also has no straight lines. The columns of the Parthenon are angled going up getting smaller the higher they get. This was done so that you could get the best lighting

    Read More

  • Compare And Contrast Greek And Roman Sculpture

    713 Words  | 2 Pages

    Ancient Greek sculptures were the mix of Egyptian and Syrian styles. In 800 to 300 B.C., Greek sculptures had a powerful inspiration throughout the centuries. The Greek sculpture was divided into seven periods: Mycenaean, Sub-Mycenaean or Dark Age, Proto-Geometric, Geometric, Archaic, Classical, and Hellenistic (Collins 1). Greek sculptures were created by using marble, bronze, stone, and limestone, but bronze was in most demand. The most common production to make Greek sculpture is the lost-wax method. First, the sculptors would make clay inside the core, almost the size of a figure which was then coated in wax. Then, they would replace the melted wax with bronze. When the bronze became solid, the sculptors would remove the clay. Finally, the sculpture would be polished and added with other decorations. Most Greek sculptures were in a freestanding of a human form because Greeks saw beauty in human body form. Early Greek statues were rigid and straight, but later on, the Greek adopted more natural relaxed pose: knees and arm bent, and head turned. Greek artists captured the human pose in a way never seen before with concerns in proportion, pose, and perfection of the human body (Cartwright 1). Most of these statues are signed by artists, so there are six famous sculptors in Ancient Greece. The f...

    Read More

  • How Did The Parthenon Influence The Pantheon

    612 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Parthenon was built to house the goddess Athena, but was first used as a treasury. There is some symbolism to its location as the acropolis on which the temple is sited, was also the place other temples had been, but the Athenians rebuilt after the Persian wars and the Parthenon was according to this week’s reading from Reed College, one of those structures built ‘to commemorate their victory and in gratitude to heaven’ (n.d, Reed College)

    Read More

  • Greek Architecture

    2000 Words  | 4 Pages

    Throughout history, there have been several significant architectural movements. The last, and perhaps most enduring movement is that of Classic Greece. Although for centuries, the architecture of ancient Greece has been admired, mimicked, and replicated, its beginnings are somewhat surprising to one unfamiliar with the history of the region. It is important to understand the history and mechanics of Classic Greek architecture in order to fully appreciate its form, function, and beauty. “Ancient Greek architects strove for the precision and excellence of workmanship that are the hallmarks of Greek art in general. The formulas they invented as early as the sixth century B.C. have influenced the architecture of the past two millennia” (metmuseum.org).

    Read More

  • Greek Architecture

    1561 Words  | 4 Pages

    The Greek culture has had a huge impact on the history of the world. There is something Greek in almost everything, especially in the world’s architecture. Greece no longer had one king, so they focused on building temples for their gods. Architecture began small and plain but evolved into impressive pieces of art. As time passed from the Archaic period to the Hellenistic period, the people of Greece developed a type of formula for their buildings and their pieces of art.

    Read More

  • Compare And Contrast Greek And Roman Art

    2107 Words  | 5 Pages

    Even the few sculptor’s names known to us, usually by chance, from the imperial period are Greek names and seem to confirm the assumption that these artists’ work should be regarded simply as a late phase of Greek art” (Hanfmann, 12). The Greeks were the first western culture to figure out how to accurately depict the human form which they did through the use of geometric ratios. It is also widely accepted that it was even Greek artists who first made marble portraits for the Romans as the Romans originally had no skill with the stone. “It was certainly at first Greek artists who were entrusted by eminent Romans with the execution of portraits of themselves and of important personalities in the Roman state, just as it was Greeks who depicted Aemilius Paulus victory at Pydna and later were largely responsible for the portraits of the emperors” (Kahler 16). The Romans mainly used terracotta for their sculptures and it was only when Augustus reigned that the marble quarries at Carrara were opened and marble was used on a large scale. The Romans inherited the use of realistic proportions, the sense of movement (contrapposto), and the overall beauty of Greek sculptures. A great example of Roman sculpture that was clearly carved by a Greek artist who was familiar with the Hellenistic styles of Greece, is the Relief of the Wedding of Amphitrite and Neptune. It “shows a mythological

    Read More

More about The Athenian Golden Age

Open Document