The Parthenon.Balance, symmetry, and order formed the canon of art in ancient Greece The art of ancient Greece has exercised an enormous influence on the culture of many countries from ancient times until the present, particularly in the areas of sculpture and architecture. In the West, the art of the Roman Empire was largely derived from Greek models. . The ancient Greeks This an alphabetical list of ancient Greeks. These include ethnic Greeks and Greek language speakers from Greece and the Mediterranean world up to about 200 AD. : Top - 0–9 A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Related articles A believed that such elements were inherent in nature. The Greeks loved learning, debate, and physical beauty, and believed that these were reflections of knowledge of the divine. The Parthenon was the temple dedicated to the goddess Athena, the patron god of Athens, and the god of wisdom. It is an example of the high point in the development of the Greek temple Greek temples differed from their Roman counterparts in that the colonnade formed a peristyle around the whole structure, rather than merely a porch at the front; and also in that the Greek temple was not raised above ground level on a high podium, but rather stairs on either end. form. Greek temple design had evolved over the centuries out of the megaron megaron In ancient Greece and the Middle East, an architectural form consisting of a porch, vestibule, and large hall with a central hearth. The megaron was found in all Mycenaean palaces and also in houses. of a Mycenaean (pre-Classic Greek culture; flourished c. 1500-1100 BC) house. The megaron was a rectangular hall with a frontal porch supported on columns or piers. The typical Greek temple plan had evolved by the seventh century BC. The Parthenon sits on the Acropolis acropolis (əkrŏp`əlĭs) [Gr.,=high point of the city], elevated, fortified section of various ancient Greek cities. The Acropolis of Athens, a hill c.260 ft (80 m) high, with a flat oval top c. in Athens. Most Greek cities had an acropolis (meaning "high city" in Greek). It was usually a rise on which the city's most important temples were built. The Acropolis in Athens was the site of the legendary battle between Athena and Poseidon for possession of Athens as its protector. The distances between the columns of the Parthenon vary mathematically so that when viewed from a distance, the symmetry of the whole is visually preserved. It is an example of the post-and-lintel construction technique: two upright members supporting a horizontal one. It is also a prime example of the Doric order Doric order, earliest of the orders of architecture developed by the Greeks and the one that they employed for most buildings. It is generally believed that the column and its capital derive from an earlier architecture in wood. in Greek architecture. The Greek orders varied in complexity of decoration, the Doric being the simplest. Elsewhere in the World In China, during the Late Chou Period (c. 771-256 BC), literature, scholarship and art flourished. Ceramics, bronze casting and lacquer lacquer, solution of film-forming materials, natural or synthetic, usually applied as an ornamental or protective coating. Quick-drying synthetic lacquers are used to coat automobiles, furniture, textiles, paper, and metalware. arts were perfected. Questions Do you think the ancient Greeks considered this to be a beautiful building? Why do you think this? What architectural feature is repeated? Can you find buildings with similar features in your community? What kinds of building are they? Karl Cole is curator of Davis Art Slides, a division of Davis Publications, Inc. in Worcester, Massachusetts. |
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