Temples of the Ancient West: Greece and Rome

Question 1

Temple of Hera II (Poseidon)

Paestum, Italy

c. 460 BC

Answer 1

• Doric, peristyle collonade
• Small porch, or pronaos, at the front
• Hexastyle peripteral at the front
• Cell in the middle, cella
• Back room, opisthodomus
• Doric entablature
  
  • Triglyphs - vertical stone markings on architrave
  • Blank metpoes - space between triglyphs
  • Masculine, fluted columns

Question 2

The Acropolis PLAN

Athens, Greece

c. 479 BC

Answer 2

• Not about axis
• Able to circumambulate
• Oblique, picturesuqe view
• About anticipation, the ‘Panathenaic Way’
• Propylea
  
  • Gateway Temple

Question 3

Temple of Athena Nike

Athens, Greece

420 BC

Answer 3

• Ionic collonade
  
  • Soft volutes, more feminine
• Tetrastyle peripteral
• Frieze of Nike, celebrates victory
  
  • Assembly of the Gods
  • Victory over Persians in Battle of Platea
• Built during Peace of Nicias
• Statue of the ‘Winged Victory’ Goddess stood in the cella, or naos
  *

Question 4

Parthenon

Athens, Greece

437-448 BC

Answer 4

• Named after Athena Parthenos
• Contained Chryselephantine statue of Athena, by Phidias
• Stylobate contains three steps
• Exterior is octasyle peripteral, doric order
• Interior cella contains ionic columns
  
  • Frieze contains low relief sculpture

Question 5

Key components of the Greek Temple PEDIMENT

Answer 5

• Acroterion - sculptural element, based on a plinth at placed on the apex of a pediment
• Typanum - wall surface over entrance, containing sculptural relief
• Antefixae - sculptural elements on the corner of the pediment

Question 6

Key components of the Greek temple entablature

Answer 6

Question 7

The Erectheion

Athens, Greece

421-407 BC

Answer 7

• Dedicated to Athena and Poseidon
• Built of white marble
• Black limestone friezes with white marble relief
• Continuous frieze runs around exterior
• Assymetrical - largest part is East cella with Ionic portico
• Six caryatids (female figures), used as supporting columns
• Elaborate decoration
  
  • Gilted bronze, rosettes
• Example par excellence of egg and dart moulding
  
  • Within coffered ceiling
  • Ionic capitals
    *

Question 8

Choragic Monument of Lysicrates

Athens, Greece

334 BC

Answer 8

• Tholos of pentellic marble
• Surrounded by six, fluted corinthian columns
• Limestone stylobate of three steps
• Cupola contains laurel leaves, sculpted in low relief
• Frieze depicts adventures of Dionysius, God of Drama
• Corinthian style acroterion
  *

Question 9

Temple of Hercules, Forum Boarium

Rome

1st C BC to 2nd C

Answer 9

• Monopteros - circular collonade supporting a roof without any walls
• Extend directly upward, no entasis
• Fluted shaft
• Corinthian capitals

Question 10

Maison Carrée

Nîmes, France

16 BC

Answer 10

• Vitruvian architecture
• Corinthian, hexastyle peripteral
• Deep pronaos, almost 1/3 of the building
• Pseudoperipteral on the sides
  
  • Fluted columns are attached to the wall
  • Called ‘engaged columns’
• Cella originally contained a shrine
• Stands on high podium, flight of stairs lead to top
• Rich entablature

Question 11

Differences between Greek and Roman temples

Answer 11

• Roman temples usually raised on a podium
• Steps inset into the podium
• Arranged hierarchically within the surrounding space
  
  • Panathenaic way is organic, Forum is rigid
• Clear sense of frontality (specified front and back)
  
  • Rigidly delineated dimensions
• Used the composite order
  
  • Combination of Corinthian and Ionic
• Roman temple as multi-purpose building
  
  • Speaker’s podium, weights + measurements