Greek Architecture

Another style of this time period was Chinese Architecture.

Around the eighth century BC, the Greek culture changed so that the people started to build larger temples than before, up to thirty meters in length. The new temples featured a portico, called a cella, that went around a closed hall. The roof tiles were made of terra-cotta, but later almost all materials were replaced by dressed stone.

Circa mid-seventh century BC, the Doric Order began. The Doric Order was a kind of formula for buildings. Columns were plain and sturdy with no base and a simple capital. The stone blocks of a building used gravity, carefully fitted joints, metal clamps and dowels to hold together. The walls were dressed when finished and the columns were fluted then, also. Arches were not commonplace in temples, but used more in tombs, bridges and fortifications. The Greeks knew how to make arches by corbelling and with a true arch.

In 447 BC, construction in Athens began for a new temple. Set atop the acropolis, the Parthenon was to be the most magnificent temple in all of Greece. The columns were made the same height as the ones at the Temple of Zeus in Olympia, the most revered temple at the time. The Parthenon differed in many ways from Zeus’s temple. First, it was much larger and made of white marble, a new building material. There was a lot of sculpture and the Greeks demonstrated highly sophisticated skills by taking measure to combat the optical illusions of tall objects. The floors were sloped and the columns were larger at the top and sloped inwards. In addition, the cella layout was changed for the first time in 150 years. A horseshoe of columns was made around the statue traditionally placed in the center in stead of a boxed room.

The Ionic Order started around the same time as the Doric, but the rules were more lax about how things should look. Generally, Ionic columns were a little more fancy. They were more slender, the capitol had scrollish ornaments and the base was simple. Another version of the Ionic column, called Corinthian, appeared later in Greek architecture. It had a simple base, and a double row of carved acanthus leaves on the capitol. Also, many temples had decorated mouldings on some of there edges. The temple of Athena at Prienne (c. 350 BC) and the Erechthcian at Athens (420 - 405 BC) are excellent examples of the Ionic Order.

Most Greek cities had amphitheatres. The Semi-circle of sloped seats was always assisted by the land as it faced a circular orchestra area where the most important part of theatre performed, the chorus. The amphitheatres were usually uncovered and later on, the orchestra was raised for better viewing. The theatre was a very important part of Greek life. Actors had a high status and so the place where they performed was very high quality.

The typical Greek house was kind of shaped like a donut. There were independent rooms that all faced an inner courtyard, that in turn, opened to an outer courtyard where servants lived and farm animals were housed. The houses were typically made of mud, brick and wooden posts to support of the wooden roof. In more expensive houses, the main dining are sometimes resembled a miniature Doric temple.