No doubt, the art and architecture of the ancient Greeks had a serious impact on the next generations. Their majestic beauty and harmony became a model, as well as a source of inspiration for later historical eras. The ancient temples of Greece are monuments of Hellenic culture and art.
The periods of formation of Greek architecture
The types of temples of ancient Greece are closely related to the time of their construction. There are three eras in the history of Greek architecture and art.
- Archaic (600-480 BC). The times of the Persian invasions.
- Classics (480-323 years BC). The heyday of Hellas. Campaigns of Alexander the Great. The period ends with his death. Experts believe that it was the diversity of many cultures that, as a result of the conquests of Alexander began to penetrate into Hellas, led to the decline of classical Hellenic architecture and art. The ancient temples of Greece also did not escape this fate.
- Hellenism (up to 30 BC). The late period ended with the conquest of Egypt by the Romans.
The dissemination of culture and the prototype of the temple
Hellenic culture penetrated into Asia Minor, Sicily, Italy, Egypt, North Africa and many other places. The most ancient temples of Greece belong to the archaic era. At this time, the Greeks began to use such building materials as limestone and marble instead of wood. It is believed that the prototypes for the temples were the ancient dwellings of the Greeks. They were rectangular structures with two columns at the entrance. Buildings of this type over time evolved into more complex forms.
Typical design
Ancient Greek temples, as a rule, were built on a stepped base. They were windowless buildings that surrounded the columns. Inside was a statue of a deity. Columns served as a support for floor beams. The ancient temples of Greece had a gable roof. As a rule, twilight reigned in the internal room. Only priests had access there. Ordinary people could see many ancient Greek temples only from the outside. It is believed that this is why the Hellenes paid so much attention to the appearance of places of worship.
Ancient Greek temples were built according to certain rules. All sizes, proportions, ratios of parts, the number of columns and other nuances were clearly regulated. The ancient temples of Greece were built in the Doric, Ionic and Corinthian styles. The oldest of them is the first.
Doric style
This architectural style developed back in the archaic period. It is characterized by simplicity, power and a certain masculinity. He owes his name to the Doric tribes, which are its founders. Today only parts of such temples are preserved. Their color is white, but before the structural elements were covered with paint, which crumbled under the influence of time. But the cornices and friezes were once blue and red. One of the most famous buildings in this style is the temple of Olympian Zeus. Only the ruins of this magnificent structure have survived to this day.
Ionian style
This style was founded in the same regions of Asia Minor. From there it spread throughout Hellas. Ancient Greek temples in this style are more harmonious and elegant, when compared with Doric. For each column, its own foundation was created. The capital in its middle part resembles a pillow, the corners of which are twisted into a spiral. In this style, there are no such strict proportions between the bottom and top of structures, as in Doric. And the connection between the parts of buildings among themselves has become less pronounced and more shaky.
In a strange irony of fate, time practically did not spare the monuments of architecture of the Ionic style on the territory of Greece itself. But they are well preserved outside. Several of them are located in Italy and Sicily. One of the most famous is the temple of Poseidon near Naples. He looks squat and heavy.
Corinthian style
During the Hellenistic period, architects began to pay more attention to the splendor of buildings. At this time, the temples of Ancient Greece began to supply Corinthian capitals, richly decorated with ornaments and floral motifs with a predominance of acanthus leaves.
Divine right
The art form that the temples of ancient Greece had was an exclusive privilege - divine right. Before the Hellenistic period, mere mortals could not build their homes in this style. If a man surrounded his house with rows of steps and decorated it with gables, this would be considered the greatest insolence.
In Dorian state formations, priests prohibited the copying of cult styles. The ceilings and walls of ordinary dwellings were built, as a rule, of wood. In other words, stone structures were the privilege of the gods. Only their cloisters were to have sufficient strength to withstand time.
Sacred meaning
Ancient Greek stone churches were built exclusively of stone because they were based on the idea of separation of principles - the sacred and the secular. Residences of deities were to be protected from everything mortal. Thick stone or marble walls served their figures as reliable protection against theft, desecration, accidental touches and even curious looks.
Acropolis
The heyday of ancient Greek architecture began in the 5th century BC. e. This era and its innovations are strongly associated with the rule of the famous Pericles. It was at this time that the Acropolis was built - a place on a hill where the greatest temples of Ancient Greece were concentrated. Photos of them can be found in this material.
The Acropolis is located in Athens. Even by the ruins of this place, one can judge how grand and beautiful it once was. A very wide marble staircase leads to the hill . To her right, on a dais, stands a small but very beautiful temple to the goddess Nika. People fell into the Acropolis through gates with columns. Passing through them, visitors found themselves in a square crowned with a statue of Athena (goddess of wisdom), who was the patroness of the city. Further, the Erechtheion temple was very complex in construction. Its distinguishing feature is a portico that protrudes from the side, and the ceilings were supported not by a standard colonnade, but by marble female statues (caritaids).
Parthenon
The main building of the Acropolis is the Parthenon - a temple dedicated to Athena Pallas. It is considered the most perfect building created in the Doric style. The Parthenon was built about 2.5 thousand years ago, but the names of its creators have survived to this day. The creators of this temple are Kallikrath and Iktin. Inside it was a sculpture of Athena, which the great Phidias sculpted. The temple was surrounded by a 160-meter frieze, which depicted the festive procession of the inhabitants of Athens. His creator was also Phidias. The frieze depicts almost three hundred human and about two hundred horse figures.
The destruction of the Parthenon
Currently, the temple is in ruins. Such a magnificent building as the Parthenon might have survived to this day. However, in the 17th century, when Athenians besieged Athens, the Turks in the city built a powder warehouse in the building, the explosion of which destroyed this architectural monument. At the beginning of the 19th century, the British Elgin took most of the surviving reliefs to London.
The spread of Greek culture as a result of the conquests of Alexander the Great
The conquests of Alexander led to the fact that Hellenic art and architectural styles spread over a large territory. Outside Greece, the largest centers were created, such as Asia Minor Pergamum or Egyptian Alexandria. In these cities, construction activity has reached unprecedented proportions. Naturally, the architecture of Ancient Greece had a huge impact on the buildings.
Temples and mausoleums in these areas, as a rule, were built in the Ionian style. An interesting example of Hellenic architecture is the huge mausoleum (tombstone) of Tsar Mausoleum. He was ranked among the seven greatest wonders of the world. An interesting fact is that the construction was led by the king himself. The mausoleum is a burial chamber on a rectangular high base, surrounded by columns. Above it rises a step pyramid of stone. She is crowned with an image of a quadriga. According to the name of this building (mausoleum), other grandiose funerary structures are now called in the world.