Ancient Greece Architecture - Research Paper Example

The most distinctive characteristic of ancient Greek architecture is its temples. Ancient Greek architecture is best recognized for its temples. Many of them are situated all the way through the area, generally as ruins or remains but a lot are still to a large extent intact. The succeeding most significant form of structure that endured all throughout the Hellenic world is the uncovered, open-air theatre. The earliest among them dates all the way back roughly around 350 BC. Each Greek township had these kinds of theatre, which were used for communal and social gatherings and meetings as well as for theatrical presentations and shows.

The theatre was typically placed in a hillside right out of the town, and had rows of seats placed one above the other, in a half circle surrounding and around the middle area for the performance or presentation, the orchestra. Behind that was a building called the skene. This functioned as a dressing room for the performers, a storage room for props, etc. and as background scenery to the action happening in the orchestra. A couple of Greek open-air theatres have survived and remained nearly undamaged.

The best known among all is located at Epidaurus. The architect who designed this theatre was Polykleitos the Younger who was also a sculptor of athletes and the architect of Tholos. Aside from the theatre, there are also other architectural structures that are even now still in sight. One of them is the processional entry used for ceremonies. This gateway is called the propylon. A storied row of pillars called the stoa borders the agora, or the public square. The town building where the ruling body meets called the bouleuterion can also still be seen in some places.

Others include the public memorial, the massive mausoleums and the stadium as well. Towns in Greece with a population of significant size also had a gymnasium or palaestra. This was the public center for males. This included watcher/spectator sections, baths, lavatories, and clubrooms as well. There were other sport-associated buildings. One of the most significant in ancient Greece was the hippodrome, used for horseracing. Only bits and pieces of the hippodromes have lasted. The stadium used for for foot races were 600 feet in length.

A number of them exist in different places, which includes the ones in Olympia, Epidarus, Delphi and Ephesus. The 45,000-seating Panathinaiko Stadium which is situated in the Greek city of Athens, was repaired and restored back in the 1800s. It was later used in a number of Olympic Games, the ones held in 1896, 1906 and 2004 Olympic Games. Ancient Greek architecture is known for its greatly formal distinctiveness, equally of formation and ornamentation. Temples were frequently lifted up on elevated ground so that the sophistication of its magnitude and the effect of daylight on its exterior features might be observed from all perspectives.

Nikolaus Pevsner refers to these magnificent architectural structures, “placed before us with a physical presence more intense, more alive than that of any later building". The official terms of Ancient Greek architecture, in particular the dissection of architectural manner. Stylistically, the architecture of Ancient Greece is separated into three “orders”: the Doric Order, the Ionic Order and the Corinthian Order. The names of these orders reveal their origin. The Doric Order, th