Classical Greek Architecture: The Acropolis at Athens
I.
Classical Greek Architecture
A. Athenian Acropolis
1. Acropolis (High City): High plateau where temples and
treasuries of gods, and primarily Athena were located
a. Built over many years. Some buildings are
replacements for originals that were destroyed
(by Persians).
b. Miracle that any part of these buildings
survived.
i.
Parthenon used as temples for different
religions over the centuries
ii.
Parthenon was in pretty good shape
until the 17th C. CE when the Turks
(who controlled Greece at the time)
stored munitions there took a direct hit
from the Venetians, with whom the
Turks were at war.
iii. Architectural sculpture looted and
broken over the years.
iv.
All buildings on Acropolis are
decomposing due to car exhaust.
1. Sculptures that were left were
transferred to a new museum built
on the Acropolis to protect them.
c. Most prominent building is the Parthenon
2. Why was the Parthenon built?
3. Why is the Parthenon considered one of the world’s
greatest buildings?
4. How and when was the Parthenon damaged?
5. Why are many of the Parthenon’s sculptural
masterpieces in the British Museum in London?
6. Should the Parthenon Marbles (or Elgin Marbles) be
returned to Athens?
B. History
i. Parthenon built at the same time that Polykleitos was working.
ii. After decades of war, the alliance of Greeks defeat Persian
Empire
1. During war Persians sack Athens in 480 BCE
2. Many famous battles
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Classical Greek Architecture: The Acropolis at Athens
a. Thermopylae (movie 300)
b. Marathon
3. Athenians commanded Greek alliance navy.
Commanded by Themistocles, beat Persians in Battle of
Salamis, turning point in war
4. Spartans commanded Greek alliance army, final defeat
of Persians in Battle of Plataea (482 BCE)
iii. Greeks formed the Delian Alliance in 478 BCE for mutual selfdefense
1. Delian alliance HQ and treasury on Delos
2. Delos, sacred island
3. All Greek city-state had one vote: Athens “first among
equals.”
4. Athens commanded Navy: determined which city-state
gave funds and which gave ships
5. Treasury moved to Athens for “security” reasons.
6. Athenians start to use Delian treasure to embellish
Acropolis: Misappropriation of funds
a. Acropolis not built from “fruits of democracy.”
7. Rebuilding of Athens and its Acropolis
a. Athens was now at the peak of its power --- It is
during the Early – High Classical period
b. 150 – 200 cities paying money to Athens – It
became an empire
c. Eventually brings Athens into conflict with
Sparta
8. Pericles, elected 15 times by Athenian polis
(community) to serve as strategos (general)
a. Kresilas’ portrait of Pericles (ca. 429 BCE)
i.
Was originally full body. Surely had a
youthful perfect, god-like body. We
only have Roman herm copy of head
ii.
Pericles wears helmet. Had an
elongated head, can see through eyeholes in helmet. Kresilas both shows
and conceals imperfect head.
b. Pericles’ vision for Athens
i.
Honor Athena the Warrior-Maiden
(Athena Parthenos: Virgin)
ii.
Glorify Athens – make it a monument to
human achievement.
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Classical Greek Architecture: The Acropolis at Athens
C. Building the Parthenon
1. Chief architects were IKTINOS and KALLIKRATES
a. Built contemporarily with Polykleitos.
i.
Like Polykleitos, Parthenon seen as
apotheosis (raising to the level of
dividnity) of ideal solution to
architectural form and proportion in
Doric temple design.
ii.
Strict adherence to numerical
proportion based on diameter of column
iii. But has Ionic columns in back room
and Ionic frieze (over the in Antis
columns).
1. Shout out to Athenians’ mythical
Ionian roots?
2. Chief sculptor was PHIDIAS
a. He is credited with creating the 38 foot statue of
Athena Parthenos for the Parthenon
b. He was in charge of the themes to be depicted on
the exterior sculpture of the Parthenon
i.
The themes would involve the triumph
of Greek civilization over the
barbarians (Persians)
3. Marble from Mount Penticlius
a. Marble transported from 10 miles away
b. 22,000 tons of marble
c. Took 2 days to transport a single block of marble
d. Cut at the site to fit the design without using any
mortar/concrete – all pieces held in place by
metal dowels and their own weight
4. Took about 9 years to build!
D. A Brief Tour of the Completed Acropolis
1. Temple of Athena Nike, Kallikrates – dedicate to
Athena as a goddess of victory - Ionic style temple, 427 424 BCE Parapet (embankment, protective wall)
decorated with reliefs depicting the Greeks beating the
Persians at the Battle of Marathon. Decisive battle.
CHRONICLES A SPECIFIC HISTORICAL EVENT
not just a repeating event with anonymous citizens.
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Classical Greek Architecture: The Acropolis at Athens
Different from Panathenaic ceremony depicted on the
Ionian frieze of the Parthenon.
2. Propylaia – porticoed (Portico = colonnade with roof
that is an entrance to a structure) gatehouse to the
Acropolis, to enter the Acropolis, you had to enter
through the Propylaia. Designed by Mnesikles, 437 –
432 BCE.
a. Functioned as the earliest museum – a gallery
built to house a collection of paintings for public
view
3. Bronze statue of Athena Promachos – Athena the
Defender
4. Erectheion – a temple dedicated to several gods and
goddesses including Athena
a. Erechtheus, early Athenian king
b. Housed original wooden image of Athena (object
of Panathenaic Festival).
c. Irregular shaped building in order to preserve
Posiedon’s trident mark and Athena’s olive tree.
As well as pre-existing shrines like tomb of
Kekrops (Athenian king).
d. Irregular shaped because of location – a small
hill was at the site = uneven ground.
e. Famous Porch of Maidens – CARYATIDS
(female-shaped columns)
5. Parthenon – dedicated to Athena Parthenos (Athena the
Virgin)
a. PURPOSE of the Parthenon and other Greek
temples – to house the statue of a god/goddess
Greek temples were not like temples and
churches today.
b. Cult statue of Athena in Parthenon made by
Phidias. Destroyed. Known through Roman
copies. Was chryselephantine (made of ivory
and gold).
c. Many of the structures of Greek temples derived
from structures that were invented in the process
of building the original (now destroyed) wooden
temples. In fact, when wooden columns in old
temples deteriorated they started to be replaced
with marble columns. There are historical
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Classical Greek Architecture: The Acropolis at Athens
documents of travelers seeing the last wooden
column of a temple.
i.
E.G. The metopes and triglyphs are an
echo of the wooden rafters (and the
spaces between) them that would hold
up the roof. The triglyphs are a stylized
representation of the end grain of the
wood rafter beam
d. Dimensions:
 228 feet long by 101 feet wide
 46 outer columns in peristyle
 Columns 34 feet tall, 55 tons each
 Base of 23, 028 square feet (about half a
football field)
e. VISUAL REFINEMENTS
 What does this mean? It refers to
adjustments made by the architects to make
the building look perfect to the eye.
 Slightly convexly curved stylobate (4 inches
on long sides, 2 inches on short sides)
 Was this to drain water from cella? Was this
to prevent the long base from appearing that
it was sagging in the middle?
 ENTASIS – swelling at the middle of the
columns, they bulge in the center
 Tall columns look to thin in the middle
without entasis
 Corner columns were made to lean in toward
center
 Counteracts the appearance of tall corner
columns looking like they are hanging
outwards
 Tracing imaginary lines from these columns,
they would eventually intersect about a mile
and half above the Parthenon.
f. Iktinos and Kallikrates relied on mathematics to
design the most perfect building for Athena
 Formula for the number of columns on
the long and short sides
 Y = 2X + 1 – standard for ideal Greek
temples for # of columns, 17 = (2 x 8) + 1
 Stylobate’s proportion is 9:4, 9 = (2 x4) +1
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Classical Greek Architecture: The Acropolis at Athens

Y = (2 x X) +1 is used for proportions of
cella, distance between columns vs.
diameter of columns.
g. Ceremonies were performed on an altar in front
of the temple – People did not worship in the
Parthenon
6. Sculpture of the Parthenon
A. Phidias was in charge of the project.
B. Statue of Athena in the CELLA (main hall) was 38
feet high.
i.
Fully armored.
ii.
Chryselephantine
iii. Flesh composed of ivory
iv.
Dress and armor were made of thin
sheets of gold. Total amount of gold was
2,500 pounds
v.
Athena’s eyes glinted with gems
vi.
Athena’s right hand held aloft a
crowned Nike (Victory): over Persians.
vii.
On her helmet is a sphinx flanked by
two winged griffins
viii. On her breastplate is an ivory Medusa
ix.
On shield exterior was a high relief of
Greeks battling the Amazons (allies of
Trojans): Amazonomachy.
x.
On interior: gigantomachy
xi.
On thick soles of sandals:
Centauromachy
C. Doric metopes
i.
South Side
a. Battle of the Lapiths and Centaurs
 Theseus of Athens played
major role
 Centaur triumphant over dead
Greek.
 Tough battle (just like with
Persians).
 ALLUSION TO GREEKS
BEATING PERSIANS
D. East Pediment:
i.
The birth of Athena
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Classical Greek Architecture: The Acropolis at Athens
a. Witnesses to Athena’s birth
 Left side, Helios, horses, and
Dionysos or Herakles. Famous
sculptures from pediment –
Three goddesses, Chariot
driver Helios; Look at how
they were arranged to conform
to the shape of a pediment.
 Right side, three goddesses,
Hestia, Dione, and Aphrodite
 East = Sunrise. Helios is
energetic. Moon (Selene) in far
right corner worked all night
and is weary.
b. Herakles/Dionysos and three
goddesses are relaxed organic forms.
Phidian school understood mechanics
of muscles and bones as well as
rendering clothed forms. Three
goddesses clothes create a unified flow
between the forms.
E. West Pediment
i.
Contest between Athena and Poseidon to
determine which would be city’s patron
diety.
a. Athenians are judges of the two gods’
merits – arrogant?
F. Ionic frieze – The exterior wall of the cella contains
a continuous Ionic frieze – 525 feet long
i.
Scholars agree the frieze is a depiction of the
Panathenaic festival that took place every 4
years.
ii.
First time people were included on a god’s
temple: Athenians thought very highly of
themselves.
a. Procession starts in marketplace and
ended on Acropolis where a new
peplos was placed on an ancient
wooden statue of Athena. Probably
looked a lot like Lady of Auxerre and
was housed in the Archaic temple
razed by Persians.
b. Procession begins on west (rear) of
temple; proceeds in parallel lines
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Classical Greek Architecture: The Acropolis at Athens
down north and south sides and ends
over center of east side.
c. Upper part of frieze is higher out than
lower part to make more legible from
the ground (optical effects).
d. Frieze shows procession accelerating
and then decelerating.
e. Olympian deities are only spectators,
not participants.
G. What does this choice of subject tell about Athens?
7. Lord Elgin and the Elgin/Parthenon Marbles
a. A British nobleman and ambassador to the
Ottoman Turks
b. Brought marble works of art (a caryatid, statues
from the pediment of the Parthenon) to Britain
to “protect them” from further damage.
c. Brought back 247 feet of the frieze
d. Decorated his property with them
e. Sold them to the British Museum
f. When Greece won its independence from the
Turks, it demanded its marbles back.
g. The British Museum will not return them despite
Greece’s repeat demands.
h. A new Acropolis Museum was built in Athens
with a major empty area for the hopeful return
of the marbles.
i. The British Museum calls them the Elgin
Marbles. Others call them the Parthenon
Marbles.
j. The word elginism means to take valuable
cultural objects away from their original site.
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