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Greek Architecture

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Submitted By dameekkiab
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Pages 3
Greek Architecture
Katisha Baker
ART/101
Shahara Godfrey, Ph.D.
March 10, 2013

Greek Architecture
Greek architecture began to be revitalized during the 7th century. Initially, Greek architecture was constructed from wood and mud. The buildings we see today are made largely of limestone. The three periods expressed in these later building are Classical, Hellenistic and Roman. Limestone was quarried and cut into large blocks dressed to fit the need of the builders. Some buildings were constructed from marble. However, this material was prohibitively expensive. Marble was used for sculpture. The main styles of Greek architecture are Ionic and Doric. The Doric style dominated in most of Greece and in Italy. The Doric style is the more formal of the two, with the Ionic style being more decorative and relaxed. A shining example of Greek architecture in the Doric style is the Parthenon. Roman architecture, which is considered to be more advanced in its design and engineering, uses three types of columns. Their most common type is made in the Doric style. It is plain and was used when very heavy structures required support. The Ionic style was, again, employed when more decorative ends were being met. The third type is the Corinthian style column. It has finer details and is considered superior in many ways to the other two types. Roman architecture also employed the use of arches. These were stunning and baffling in their day. The use of arches led to the development of the dome. A good example of Roman architecture is the Coliseum in Rome. Both Greek and Roman builders had exceptional engineering and building techniques for their age. Each gives us a legacy that is still a mystery in many ways.
The Greeks thought of their Gods as having the same needs as human beings, they believed that the Gods needed somewhere to live on Earth. Temples were built as the gods' earthly homes. The basic design of temples developed from the royal halls of the Mycenaean Age. A Mycenaean palace consisted of a number of buildings often more than one story high, grouped around a central courtyard. It was brightly painted, both inside and out. In each palace there was a large hall called a megaton, where the king held court and conducted state business. Little remains of the megaton at Mycenae. This reconstruction is based on the remains from other palaces, which would have been similar. The Romans took and borrowed a lot of things from the Greek culture. For example, they took the Greek Gods and renamed them. They also took the styles of Greek temples, but they changed them some. The temple was rectangular, with a gabled roof, with a frontal staircase giving access to its high platform. They used mainly the Corinthian style, but they also made combinations, for instance the Corinthian-Ionic style. The Romans also added a lot of details and decorations to their temples. The Romans also made what became the very common round, domed temple. The main temple of a Roman city was the capitalism. The Pantheon, the famous temple in Rome, was a sample for some of the modern day cathedrals and churches. The Classical Period Temples became much larger and more elaborate. Parthenon, one of the most famous structures ever, was created during that period.

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