History Structures Gallery Links
Greek architecture deals with the preoccupation of proportion and scale related to the mind. It is not considered monumental. In fact, it is distinctively known for its simplistic form and incredible refinement.
Architecture was a sacred, public event that was considered a significant achievement. Its roots are planted in Egyptian ideals and models. Greece developed a style with precision and symbolism that led to a revival of architecture distinctly its own. They created a system of values celebrating human aptitude which went on to influence the basis of western civilizations (Bettella 12). The Greeks were largely shaped by the land on which they developed and the incessant warfare that inevitably occurred .
The Greeks were incredibly religious. They believed that their gods encompassed a human figure and were gifted with phenomenal power. Plato explained, “whatever the Greeks acquire from foreigners is finally turned by them into something nobler.”-“Epinomis” (Anonymous). About 8oo BC, Greece was suddenly introduced to drama, science, democracy, philosophy and literature which reflected on the art, design and architecture. The Greeks began to seek the ideal human form and beauty which allowed the individual to emerge.Within 500 years the Greek sculptures and art became much more realistic and refined compared to their earlier works which resembled Egyptian hieroglyphics. This Greek era was the first era in which people signed their work and took credit for it.
The most famous buildings in Greece are the temples made of stone or marble. They built their temples strictly as religious places. These monuments were not constructed to accommodate many people but only to house a god or goddess and his or her images for worship. Only high priests were permitted in the temples (Crystalinks). Greek temples were built for worshipping only from the outside so the exterior was made to look its best.
In order to accomplish incredible beauty and perceive the idea of an important shrine, the Greeks created decorative columns. Greeks loved the land and the water and how they worked together. When the Greeks began to construct the magnificent temples for their gods, they looked for a natural geographic uplifted ridge that overlooked the water. The famous Athenian Acropolis is perfectly located upon a limestone rock centered in Athens Greece. The Acropolis includes many famous Greek buildings built in archaic form during the 5th century BC, including the Parthenon and the Erechtheon.