Greek and Roman Art - Essay Example

?Early Greek Architecture: The Emergence of the Greek Temple Greek Architecture is considered as the base for modern multi-storey buildings. Greek’s had a well defined culture when most of the western world was still living in a savage state. The emergence of Greek temples is the beginning of structured architecture in the human history. Most of the Greek temples were simply used as houses of huge deities. The ancient Greek Temples have the origin of the Greek architecture within them. All other famous Greek architecture from palaces to common buildings like theatres took their inspiration only from the temples. The Greek Architecture is roughly divided into the Archaic Age, Classical age and the Hellenistic age. The period starting from 800-500 BC is known as the Archaic age (Pedly, 2007).. Structured temples with a rectangular shape centre and portico in the front started to appear in the Archaic Age. Excavations dating earlier to this age were found in Heroon at Lefkandi a village in Euboea Island (Catling et al., 1991). This structure was referred to as “Heroon” meaning the “Heroes Grave”. The mound is nearly 13.8 meters wide. The excavation here dated back to 950 BC. A cemetery like structure with the remains of a man’s ash and a women’s body were found here in 1960 (Lemos, 2009). The Lefkandi excavations are considered quite significant in the history of Greek Architecture because they provide ample insight into the late bronze and early ion age civilizations like Xeropolis (Lemos, 2009). Excavations carried out in Lefkandi in 2003 bought up several cemeteries in the area similar to the Heroon of Lefkandi. The structures of these cemeteries are the base of later Greek temples built in the Archaic age. There is a wooden veranda similar to the later days Greek temples Portico. The ashes of the man were stored in a bronze amphora with carvings depicting hunting scenes (Catling et al., 1991). The structure of the burial place resembled the Greek temples which started to appear after two more centuries. However, they were build using clay bricks and wooden timber instead of using stone blocks or iconic Greek marbles (Evley, 2006). Heroon at Lefkandi is not the only cemetery excavated from area. The people who lived in Lefkandi during this period are known as Xeropolis. The area surrounding Lefkandi is widely known as Old Eretria. These people who settled here should have live here from the early Bronze Age till the beginning of the Archaic period (Catling et al., 1991). They might have moved away from the area because of the Lelantine War. Another notable cemetery found close to the Heroon of Lefkandi is the cemetery for Toumba1. The building should have been erected around tenth century BC. The burial mound has a main entrance on the eastern side, three rooms and a wide corridor. Rows of wooden columns supported the roof and the building ends with an apsidal on the west (Catling et al, 1991). There is a row of post-holes on the walls facing north and south. There is a huge wooden veranda known as peristrasis. This veranda and the post-holes are found in early Greek temples constructed during the Archaic age too (Lemos, 2009). The people buried here are considered to be quite rich as several costly offerings starting from pots to jewellery were excavated along with the bodies. They should have been offered to the dead as a token of love and gratitude (Lemos, 2009). The Heroon at Lefkandi is considered as a prominent archaeological discovery due to various reasons. The Archaic period is often considered as the beginning of Greek architecture and civilization. But, the Lefkandi excavations proved civilizations and occupations dating back to two hundred years or before prevailed in the area. These excavations were the substantial proof for the culture of Late Helladic IIIC2 period which prevailed around 1075 BCE (Evley, 2006). Many more cemeteries constructed exactly in the style of later day Greek temples like Skoubris and Palia Perivolia was found in the area (Catling et al., 1991). The Etrsucan period ruins are very scarce to find. The three other sites found in Greece similar to the Lefkandi are Mitrou, Kalapodi and Elateia (Evley, 2006). Since the building materials they used like wood decayed quickly, very little is known about that time period. It is evident that monumental structures were usually constructed for the dead rather than for Gods or kings. The size and the richness of the cemeteries depended upon the power and influence of the dead person or clan in the society. Excavatoins from Toumba show various precious imported items buried along with the dead (Lemos, 2009). Xeropolis was a major Late Helladic IIIC settlement. The cemeteries excavated from here are a proof for the transitional age which existed from the Late Bronze age to the Early Iron age. The culture and style of people living in Archaic age are hugely influenced by their ancestors living in this transitional age. Researchers hope evidence for a well developed urban civilization might be found in the area in the future. The temples of the Archaic age borrow their origins and construction patterns heavily from this transitional age. The Lefkandi excavations are in fact a proof for ancient temples dated much before the Archaic age. They help in establishing the chronology of the relations the Greeks had with the east and the west (Lemos, 2009). The Archaic Age is actually considered as the most formative period for architecture in Greece as many civic buildings and temples started to appear. Stone was used instead of clay in the architecture. Marble was considered precious and used to create the statue of the Gods and certain important areas in the temples. The initial Archaic age temples had a small rectangular area with a portico in front (Pedly, 2007). Later, a false portico was added at the back for decorative purposes and to make the building symmetrical. The thatched roofs of the Lefkandi era were replaced with shallow sloped made out of stones. Each portico will have a 'Pediment' or a wide triangle gable at the top. The pediments serve as the icon of Greek architecture till date (Pollit, 1972). The temples usually had eaves extending around the whole rectangular area known as peristyle. The peripteral buildings built in this style had a 'colonnade' or a column supporting the roof(Pedly, 2007). Well protected walkways were laid out for the people passing around the structure. As time passed various improvements in the temple plan were made. Double peristyle buildings with extended walkways were created. Circular structures replacing the rectangular central area also started to appear. They were known as Tholos. Even multi-storey temples were built with a peristyle for each level (Pollit, 1972). The modern day temples are usually used as gathering grounds of congregational worship. They are well equipped to hold large group of people who visit the temples or churches regularly. But, the ancient temples were not intended for this purpose. The ancient Greek temples served as secluded homes of the mighty Gods, where regular offerings from the community were made mostly by the selected priests. Though the temples were built of stone or marble, the statues of the gods were made of bronze or other costly materials. The Athena statue from Parthenon was made by mixing gold with ivory (Pedly, 2007). The basic layout of the temple was based on the Megaron3, a model that has been in prevalence from the Bronze Age. The rectangular room in the middle is called the 'naos' (Pedly, 2007). There will be walls or 'antae' projecting from the room framing the entire porch area. An 'adyton' or a sacred area was present to the rear of the building which was used mostly by the priests. The whole building will be constructed on a stepped platform known s 'stylobate' (Pollit, 1972). The style of the ancient Greek temples is classified into the Ionic and the Doric roughly based on the style of the pillars or columns. Cronithian and Aeolic styled columns were also found. Such styles flourished during the Classical age ranging from 500 to 330 B in Greece (Pollit, 1972). The Dorics style consisted of a 'triglyphs' (Three stone carved bars) and 'metopes' ( Stone blocks with or without carvings) placed alternatively under the pediments on a huge stone structure known as the 'architrave' (Pedly, 2007). The Small carvings, stone panels were found on these structures. There columns or huge massive pillars with little decoration held them in place. They had an abacus or a square shaped stone on the top to hold the architrave in place. Triglyphs, metopes and architrave together forms the 'Frieze' (Pedly, 2007). Temples using the Doric structure were found in South Italy, Sicily and West Greece. Parthenon, the temple built to hold the enormous statue of Athena is the crown jewel of the Doric period architecture. The temple serves as an embodiment of the Doric style Greek architecture. The temples belonging to the Ionic order were built around 550 to 450 BC. The Ionic style emerged from the Asia Minor. This style developed around a hundred years later than the Doric style. The columns supporting the pediments will be highly decorated with beautiful carvings. Every column or pillar will have a base, the middle part and the upper Entablature. The base will contain a convex 'torus' and a cylindrical 'spira' (Pedly, 2007). The middle part had intrinsic flute carvings with many grooves. The Entablature was carved with beautiful motifs and coloured brightly. The ancient Greek temples had strict rules regarding how many columns to use and where. The number of columns on the short side and long side of the rectangle were often on a particular proportion (Pollit, 1972). Even the carving of the flutes of the columns had distinct rules. Certain Pediments which developed during the Ionic ages had wonderful life sized statues depicting scenes from the mythology carved out of marble or other precious materials. Terracotta figures and tiles were used in the roof for decorative purposes. The Archaic period did not have many master carpenters, but there were no scarcity for them in Ionic period. They used various techniques to replace the thatched roof and create long sloping roofs capable of providing protection as well as holding the weight of the heavy sculptures (Pollit, 1972). Their exclusive details serve an inspiration for modern day sculptures and artists all over the world. Following the temples many public libraries, administrative buildings and commercial complexes also were built in the same style. Most of the buildings served as an extension of a huge open space where various activities from training for war to learning an art were practised. The buildings in the ancient Greek culture were used to safeguard precious art crafts and important things. The activities of the people centred on the area surrounding the building. The Greek temples evolved over many centuries to attain their peak during the Ionic age. The Hellenistic age which followed the Archaic age and the Classical age saw massive dwindling of the unique Greek architecture. The Hellenistic age4 which started around 330 BC and lasted till 27 BC was the declining period of the Greek architecture in general (Pollit, 1986). The temples build during that time also lost their old charm. Influences from various countries architecture and culture mingled with the Greek art. Hellenistic age is known as a diffusion period for the Greek architecture. Structures like the Library of Alexandria were built during the era, though no major temple structure was created (Pollit, 1986). Conclusion What started from a mound for dead people built out of clay developed into a science form capable of building huge temples which withstand the test of time till date. The temples of ancient Greece are as marvellous as the modern contemporary structures build using the latest technologies. The old world charm and the magnificence of the Old Greek temples are worth exploring as many more secrets are hidden under their beautiful mythological structures. The undiscovered temples will say many more stories than the known ones. Further excavations should be carried out constantly to unearth the pre-historic temples belonging to the Iron Age to bring out many more ancient wonders. References 1. R. W. V. Catling, Irene S. Lemos, P. G. Calligas, L. H. Sackett. Lefkandi II. The Protogeometric Building at Toumba. 1991. 2. I. S. Lemos. Early Excavations at Lefkandi: The Protogeometric Building and the Cemetery Of Toumba. 2009. http://lefkandi.classics.ox.ac.uk/newexcavations.html (12th March 2013). 3. D. Evely, J. Crouwel, D. Evely, E. French, J. Musgrave, M. Popham, D. Reese, H. Sackett, E. Schofield And S. Sherratt. Lefkandi IV: The Bronze Age: The Late Helladic IIIC Settlement at Xeropolis. The British School at Athens, 2006. 4. Pedley, J.G. Greek Art and Archaeology. 6th ed. New Jersey: Englewood Cliffs, 2007. 5. Pollitt, J.J. Art and Experience in Classical Greece. New York, 1972. 6. Pollitt, J.J. Art in the Hellenistic Age. Cambridge, 1986. Read More