The architecture of
Ancient Greece is the architecture produced by the Greek-speaking people (Hellenic people) whose culture flourished on the
Greek mainland and the
Peloponnese, the
Aegean Islands, and in colonies in
Anatolia and
Italy for a period from about 900 BC until the
1st century AD, with the earliest remaining architectural works dating from around 600 BC.
Ancient Greek architecture is best known from its temples, many of which are found throughout the region, mostly as ruins but many substantially intact. The second important type of building that survives all over the
Hellenic world is the open-air theatre, with the earliest dating from around 350 BC. Other architectural forms that are still in evidence are the processional gateway (propylon), the public square (agora) surrounded by storied colonnade (stoa), the town council building (bouleuterion), the public monument, the monumental tomb (mausoleum) and the stadium.
Ancient Greek architecture is distinguished by its highly formalised characteristics, both of structure and decoration. This is particularly so in the case of temples where each building appears to have been conceived as a sculptural entity within the landscape, most often raised on high ground so that the elegance of its proportions and the effects of light on its surfaces might be viewed from all angles.
Nikolaus Pevsner refers to "the plastic shape of the [
Greek] temple.....placed before us with a physical presence more intense, more alive than that of any later building".
The formal vocabulary of Ancient Greek architecture, in particular the division of architectural style into three defined orders: the
Doric Order, the
Ionic Order and the
Corinthian Order, was to have profound effect on
Western architecture of later periods. The architecture of
Ancient Rome grew out of that of
Greece and maintained its influence in Italy unbroken until the present day. From the
Renaissance, revivals of
Classicism have kept alive not only the precise forms and ordered details of
Greek architecture, but also its concept of architectural beauty based on balance and proportion. The successive styles of
Neoclassical architecture and
Greek Revival architecture followed and adapted
Ancient Greek styles closely.
History:
Historians divide Ancient Greek civilization into two eras, the
Hellenic period (from around 900 BC to the death of
Alexander the Great in 323 BC), and the
Hellenistic period (323 BC to 30
AD). During the earlier (
Hellenic) period, substantial works of architecture began to appear (around 600 BC). During the later (
Hellenistic) period,
Greek culture spread widely, initially as a result of
Alexander's conquest of other lands, and later as a result of the rise of the
Roman Empire, which adopted much of Greek culture.
Before the Hellenic era, two major cultures had dominated the region: the Minoan (c.
2800–1100 BC), and the
Mycenaean (c.1500–1100 BC). Minoan is the name given by modern historians to the culture of the people of ancient
Crete, known for its elaborate and richly decorated palaces, and for its pottery painted with floral and marine motifs. The
Mycenaean culture, which flourished on the
Peloponnesus, was quite different in character. Its people built citadels, fortifications and tombs rather than palaces, and decorated their pottery with bands of marching soldiers rather than octopus and seaweed. Both these civilizations came to an end around 1100 BC, that of Crete possibly because of volcanic devastation, and that of Mycenae because of an invasion by the
Dorian people who lived on the Greek mainland.
Following these events, there was a period from which few signs of culture remain. This period is thus often referred to as a
Dark Age.
The towns established by the Dorian people were ruled initially by an aristocracy, and later by “tyrants”, leaders who rose from the merchant or warrior classes. Some cities, such as
Sparta, maintained a strongly ordered and conservative character, like that of the Mycenae. The culture of
Athens, on the other hand, was influenced by the influx of
Ionian people from
Asia Minor. In the cultural diversity resulting from that influx, Athenian culture developed the art of logic, and with it the idea of democracy.
- published: 15 Mar 2016
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