Representations of Classical Greek Monuments : An Exploration of the Visual Culture

Architecture Styles and Background Information

Ancient Greek architecture showcases the intricate precision and detailed workmanship of Greek culture by laying the foundation of classical architectural standards, and thus have remained as some of the most visited destinations of the world. Ancient Greek architecture can be categorized as Doric, Ionion, and Corinthian orders. Orders can be defined as a combination of a specific style of column with or without an entablature or a base; an entablature is made of the moldings and bands lying horizontally on top of the columns, commonly divided into the architrave, frieze, and cornice. Usually on top of each column is a capital, which forms the topmost layer of the column and widens the surface area of the column to support the load on top, most often an entablature.  Most of the remaining monuments were built with Pentelic marble from the nearby Mt. Pentelicus. It was famous for its fine-grained, white appearance, along with the traces of oxidized iron that give the marble a softer, honey color. The marble was used for all three different architectural orders. 

The Doric order features fluted columns, thinner at the top, with no base. Fluting refers to a decorative technique in architecture resulting in shallow grooves usually in a parallel or semi-parallel pattern frequently seen on columns. Also, the capitals are composed of a flat slab called the abacus, and a cushion-like, simple slab called the echinus. On top of the capital lies the entablature, and its three parts. The architrave in this style is normally undecorated expect for a narrow band with attached pegs. The frieze is composed of alternating series of three bars, called triglyphs, and stone slabs decorated with relief sculptures, called metopes. The triangular portion of the wall on top of the buildings often featured sculptures. One of the best examples of the Doric order can be found at the Temple of Athena Aphaia in Aegina, estimated to be built around 500 to 480 BC, pictured below. 

The Ionic order showcases columns with more vertical flutes supported by the bases and capitals with two volutes, spiral scroll characteristics in decorations, on top of leafy ornaments. They have narrow abacuses and the entablature only consists of three horizontal bands with a distinct frieze carved with relief sculptures continuously arranged around the whole building. This gave way to the third order of Ancient Greek architecture, the Corinthian order. Although it was developed in the late Classical period, it was more popular in the Hellenistic and Roman periods. Corinthian capitals were the main distinguishing factor with bell-shaped echinuses adorned with acanthus and fern leaves, spirals, and palmettes and small volutes at the corners, allowing viewers the same perspective on all sides. 

All the different techniques and characteristics of the ancient Greek architecture are highlighted in the Greek temples. The temple incorporates a rectangular shape with one or more rows of columns on each of the four sides. The vertical structure of the temple featured the main characteristics of each order: fluted columns, fancy capitals, and sculptured pediments. While the upper portion of the temple usually comprised of mud, brick, and timber, the columns were carved of local stone such as tufa or limestone, or marble. Carved stone was then often polished to provide water resistance and a brighter finish. Besides the intricate details in the actual building, the ancient Greeks made a concerted effort to erect temples in prominent locations and to make the buildings look perfectly in harmony and straight from a distance by thickening lower parts and corner columns and by having the columns lean inwards ever so slightly. Furthermore, the architect of the temple participated in every single aspect of the construction, from choosing the stone and overseeing the extraction, to having expert carvers give the blocks of stone the final shape and finally raising the temple. The stones were carved in a way that would hold them in place with no mortar, although metal clamps were embedded to reinforce the structure against natural disasters. The temples became the joint effort of architects, carvers, workmen, metalworkers, sculptors, and painters. Such effort and refinements in the work put in indicate the importance of these temples, not only as functional places of worship, but also as an element of artistic collaboration and the city landscape. 


Photo Credits to Google Images and Original Photographs 

Sources: 
https://www.ancient.eu/Greek_Architecture/
https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/grarc/hd_grarc.htm

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