Architecture
Greek life was dominated by religion and so it is not surprising that the
temples of ancient Greece were the biggest and most beautiful. They
also had a political purpose as they were often built to celebrate civic
power and pride, or offer thanksgiving to the patron deity of a city for
success in war.
The Greeks developed three architectural systems, called orders, each
with their own distinctive proportions and detailing. The Greek orders
are: Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian.
Doric
The Doric style is
rather sturdy and its
top (the capital), is
plain. This style was
used in mainland
Greece and the
colonies in southern
Italy and Sicily.
Ionic
Corinthian
The Ionic style is
The Corinthian style is
thinner and more
seldom used in the
elegant. Its capital is
Greek world, but often
decorated with a scroll- seen on Roman temples.
like design (a volute).
Its capital is very
This style was found in elaborate and decorated
eastern Greece and the
with acanthus leaves.
islands.
During the Classical Greek architecture period, it was made
up of three different orders that are most commonly seen in
their temples. These three orders were the Doric, Ionic, and
Corinthian. The orders are also known for their columns
style. The Corinthian order was not used as widely as the
Doric of Ionic. The reason being, is that the Corinthian order was
fancier than the others, and had a lot more detail. Thus, information
dealing with this order is very little, and some is not worth putting up.
The most basic order for their temples would be the Doric order. Doric
architecture was known for being used by the Spartans. Of the three
columns found in Greece, Doric columns are the simplest. They have a
capital (the top, or crown) made of a circle
topped by a square. The shaft (the tall part of
the column) is plain and has 20 sides. There is
no base in the Doric order. The Doric order is
very plain, but powerful-looking in its design.
Doric, like most Greek styles, works well
horizontally on buildings, that's why it was so
good with the long rectangular buildings made by the Greeks. There
are many examples of ancient Doric buildings. Perhaps the most
famous one is the Parthenon in Athens, which is probably the most
famous and most studied building on Earth. Buildings built even now
borrow some parts of the Doric order. The of Doric temples were
similar to those of the Ionic order in lay out and design.
The final order would be the Ionic order. Their columns were more
slender than those of the Doric order. Ionic
shafts were taller than Doric ones. Their
dimensions were eight to nine meters high,
instead of four to five. The shafts also had a
special characteristic: entasis, which is a little
bulge in the columns make the columns look
straight, even at a distance [because since you
would see the building from eye level, the
shafts would appear to get narrower as they
rise, so this bulge makes up for that - so it
looks straight to your eye but it really isn't !] .The columns had a
molded base which was placed under them and then sculpted figures
on the lower part of the shaft were added. They also had flutes, which
are lines carved into them from top to bottom. At the top of these
shafts, were rectangular blocks of stone, which were carved in the
shape of hair or other wave and line shapes. The frieze is plain. The
bases were large and looked like a set of stacked rings. Ionic capitals
consist of scrolls above the shaft. The Ionic style is a little more
decorative than the Doric.
The Foundations
of Greek
Architecture