Chapter 5: Greece

Continued

Greek Temples

Many early temples did not survive because they were constructed of wood and mud brick.
Later temples were built using limestone and marble
Archaic temples were inspired by the Egyptian columnar halls (hypostyle halls)
Figural sculpture played a major role-to embellish, to narrate the story of the deity, or as votive offering
Carved columns and moldings added to the sculpture of the temples.
Temples were elevated above the city on an acropolis-the citadel or high fortified area of an Ancient Greek City.
Differences between Greek Temples and later religious shrines
Altar was outside the temple at the east end, facing the sun.
Temple proper housed the so called cult statue-the image of the god or goddess of the temple.
It was the house of the God or Goddess, not their followers.

The temples reflected the ideal of perfect form by approaching the proportion of 1:2 with its sides. This interest in proportion, according to the Greeks, was reflective of cosmic order

VOCABULARY

DORIC

Formulated on the Greek mainland and was preferred by western colonies
Fluted (vertical channels) shaft, flutes meet in sharp ridges (arrises)
Top of shaft marked with several horizontal lines (necking)
Capital has two parts: Echinus (lower) is convex, abacus (upper) is a flat square block.
Entablature has 3 parts: architrave (epistyle)-the main weight bearing element, the frieze which is divided into triglyphs and metopes, and the cornice-a molded horizontal projection hat with the two slopping (raking) cornices forms the pediment.

IONIC

Order of choice of Aegean Island and eastern colonies
Fluted columns are slimmer and rise from molded bases. Flutes are flat (Fillets).
Echinus is small and supports a bolster ending in volutes (scrolls)
Architrave is divided with three horizontal bands (fasciae)
Frieze is left open for continuous relief sculpture.

Temple of Hera I (Basilica)