Architectural Advances of the Greeks

The Greeks have unfluenced how we live and how we build things very much in today's culture. They have invented so many different varieties of buildings that people use today. (ONLINE BOOK 1: wikipedia!)


When the Greeks first started building houses, they were very simple and small. Most of the houses that they built were shaped circular, oval, apsidal, or rectangular. To put together the house, they used mud bricks or stones in the mud with reeds or brush to help. Most of the houses, being small, had only one or two small rooms.


During the classical architectural period for the Greeks, they built in only three orders. These three orders were Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian. These different styles consisted of mostly the columns on the buildings and temples. The Doric style was the simplest one of the three. The comumn is very sturdy and the peak or top of the column is very plain and simple. It is also the widest column of the three. This style was used in mainland Greece and the colonies in southern Italy and Sicily. The Ionic column is the skinniest column of the three. It is a very elegant column that was skinny. The peak was shaped more like a scroll than anything else. The Ionic style column was used mostly in eastern Greece and the islands. The Corinthian style column was the most decorated column of the three. The column in general was very fancy and decorated. The peak of this column was very elaborate and decorated with acanthus leaves. The Corinthian style column was used in the Greek world, but often seen on Roman temples.


"The Parthenon was one of the worlds greatest buildings. Its position is part of its splendor, It has 3 qualities that make it of high quality. It was made from the finest marble, the portions were subtly modified to give an illusion of lightness. The steps were slightly thicker that others and the columns leaned slightly inwards. It was the most richly carved temple ever built. Its sculptures represented the climax of classical revolution in art."(Freeman,Charles.P.258) The Parthenon in Athens is the most famous surviving temples in Ancient Greece. It is also one of the most famous buildings/temples in the world. The Parthenon has been on the Acropolis of Athens for about 2,500 years and was built by the Greeks to give thanks to the city's goddess, Athena. They built the Parthenon to give thanks to Athena for the salvation of Athens and Greece in the Persian Wars. (BOOK SOURCE 2 Freeman, Charles. P. 258)


Some of the buildings and temples that were built by the Greeks were made out of mud and reed, so not many of those stand today. They were not sturdy enough to stand, but today, we have some ground plans that have helped us today to visualize what the temples and buildings looked like before they fell. We have an idea today of what the buildings looked like when they were build of mud and reed.

Book Sources

Book Source 1: Wikipedia
Book Source 2: Freeman, Charles. Egypt,Greece,and Rome.Civilizations of the Ancient Mediteranean. New York. Oxford University Press. 2004