The ancient temples of Greece are a stony story in stone. The main types of temples of Ancient Greece

No doubt, the art and architecture of the ancient Greeks had a serious influence on the next generations. Their majestic beauty and harmony became a model, as well as a source of inspiration for the late historical eras. The ancient temples of Greece are monuments of Hellenic culture and art.

Periods of the formation of Greek architecture

The types of temples of Ancient Greece are closely related to the time of their construction. There are three periods in the history of Greek architecture and art.

• Archaic (600-480 BC). The times of the Persian invasions.
• Classics (480-323 BC). The heyday of Hellas. The campaigns of Alexander the Great. The period ends with his death. Experts believe that it is the diversity of the many cultures that, as a result of Alexander's conquests began to penetrate Hellas, led to the decline of classical Hellenic architecture and art. The ancient temples of Greece, too, did not escape this fate.
• Hellenism (until 30 BC). The late period ended with the conquest of Egypt by the Romans.

The spread of culture and the prototype of the temple

Hellenic culture penetrated into Asia Minor, Sicily, Italy, Egypt, North Africa and many other places. The most ancient temples of Greece refer to the archaic era. At this time, Hellenes began to use building materials instead of wood, such as limestone and marble. It is believed that the prototypes for the temples were the ancient dwellings of the Greeks. They were rectangular structures with two columns at the entrance. The buildings of this type evolved into more complex forms over time.

Typical construction

Ancient Greek temples, as a rule, were erected on a stepped base. They were buildings without windows that surrounded the columns. Inside was a statue of a deity. The columns served as a support for the beams of the ceiling. The ancient temples of Greece had a gable roof. In the inner room, as a rule, the twilight reigned. Only the priests had access there. Many of the ancient Greek temples ordinary people could see only from the outside. It is believed that this is why the Greeks paid so much attention to the external appearance of the religious buildings.

Ancient Greek temples were built according to certain rules. All sizes, proportions, proportions of parts, number of columns and other nuances were clearly regulated. The ancient temples of Greece were built in Doric, Ionian and Corinthian styles. The oldest of them is the first one.

Doric style

This architectural style developed during the archaic period. He is characterized by simplicity, power and a certain masculinity. His name is due to the Doric tribes, who are his founders. Today, only parts of such churches are preserved. Their color is white, but before the structural elements were covered with paint, which under the influence of time crumbled. But the cornices and friezes were once blue and red. One of the most famous buildings in this style is the Temple of Olympian Zeus. Until now, only the ruins of this majestic structure have reached.

Ionic style

This style was founded in the eponymous regions of Asia Minor. From there he spread throughout Hellas. Ancient Greek temples in this style are more slender and elegant, if compared with the Doric. For each column, its base was created. The capital in its middle part resembles a pillow, the corners of which are twisted into a spiral. In this style there are no such strict proportions between the bottom and the top of the structures, as in the Doric. And the connection between the parts of buildings among themselves became less pronounced and more shaky.

By a strange irony of fate, the time practically did not spare the architectural monuments of the Ionic style on the territory of Greece itself. But they are well preserved beyond its borders. Several of them are in Italy and Sicily. One of the most famous is the temple of Poseidon near Naples. He looks squat and heavy.

Corinthian style

During the Hellenistic period, architects began to pay more attention to the splendor of the buildings. At this time, temples of Ancient Greece began to supply Corinthian capitals, richly decorated with ornaments and plant motifs with a predominance of acanthus leaves.

Divine Right

The artistic form that temples of Ancient Greece had had was an exclusive privilege - a divine right. Before the Hellenistic period, mere mortals could not build their homes in this style. If a man surrounded his house with rows of steps, decorated it with pediments, it would be considered the greatest insolence.

In the Dorian state formations, priests forbade the copying of cult styles. The ceilings and walls of ordinary dwellings were built, as a rule, from wood. In other words, stone structures were the privilege of the gods. Only their monasteries had to have sufficient strength to withstand time.

Sacred meaning

Stone ancient Greek temples were built entirely of stone because they were based on the idea of dividing the beginning - the sacred and the worldly. The abode of the deities had to be protected from everything perishable. Thick stone or marble walls served their figures as a reliable protection against theft, desecration, accidental touches and even curious glances.

Acropolis

The flourishing architecture of Ancient Greece began in the 5th century BC. E. This era and its innovations are strongly associated with the reign of the famous Pericles. It was at this time that the Acropolis was built - a place on a hill where the greatest temples of Ancient Greece were concentrated. Photos can be viewed in this material.

The Acropolis is in Athens. Even on the ruins of this place one can judge how grand and beautiful it once was. A very wide staircase of marble leads to the hill. To her right on the dais stands a small but very beautiful temple to the goddess Nike. People entered the Acropolis itself through a gate with columns. Passing through them, the visitors found themselves in the square, crowned with a statue of Athena (the goddess of wisdom), who was the patroness of the city. Then there was a very complex Erechtheion temple. Its distinctive feature is the portico, which protrudes from the side, and the ceilings were supported not by a standard colonnade, but by marble female statues (caritaids).

Parthenon

The main structure of the Acropolis is the Parthenon - a temple dedicated to Athena Pallas. It is considered the most perfect structure, created in the Doric style. Parthenon built about 2,5 thousand years ago, but the names of its creators have reached our days. The creators of this temple are Callikrat and Iktin. Inside was the sculpture of Athena, sculptured by the great Phidias. The temple was girdled with a 160-meter frieze, depicting a festive procession of the inhabitants of Athens. His creator was also Phidias. On the frieze, almost three hundred human and about two hundred horse figures are depicted.

Destruction of the Parthenon

At this time, the temple is in ruins. Such a majestic structure as the Parthenon, perhaps, would have survived to the present day. However, in the 17th century, when Athens was besieged by the Venetians, the Turks in the city were setting up a gunpowder in the building, the explosion of which destroyed this monument of architecture. At the beginning of the 19th century, the Briton Elgin took most of the surviving reliefs to London.

The spread of Greek culture as a result of the conquests of Alexander the Great

The conquests of Alexander led to the fact that Hellenic art and architectural styles spread over a large territory. Outside of Greece, major centers have been established, such as the Little Asian Pergamum or the Egyptian Alexandria. In these cities, construction activities have reached unprecedented scale. Naturally, the great influence on the buildings was rendered by the architecture of Ancient Greece.

Temples and mausoleums in these areas, as a rule, were built in the Ionic style. An interesting example of Hellenic architecture is the huge mausoleum (tombstone) of King Mausolus. He was numbered among the seven greatest miracles of the world. An interesting fact is that the building was led by the king himself. The mausoleum is a burial chamber on a rectangular high base, surrounded by columns. Above it stands a stepped pyramid made of stone. It is crowned with the image of a quadriga. The name of this structure (mausoleum) in the world is now called other grandiose funerary buildings.