Ancient Greek Architecture: The Architecture of Ancient Greece

The influence of Greek culture over the course of world history has been significant.
Almost everything, but especially the architecture of the globe, contains some element of Greek
inspiration. Because Greece did not have a single sovereign at the time, its people concentrated
on constructing temples for their gods. The earliest examples of architecture were simple and
modest, but with time they developed into elaborate works of art. The inhabitants of Greece over
the course of time, from the Archaic period until the Hellenistic period, established a type of
formula for their architectural structures as well as their works of art.

The ancient Greek architects aspired to achieve the same level of accuracy and superior
craftsmanship that are characteristic of Greek art as a whole. The first known examples of
ancient Greek architecture date back to approximately 800 BCE, when the region surrounding
Delphi began to acquire a sacred significance. The architecture of ancient Greece had a huge
impact on the architecture built throughout the world over the course of the past two millennia,
particularly in Ancient Rome (Hemingway, 2003). Given that the Romans borrowed and
absorbed numerous Greek methods and aspects into their own practice, it is safe to say that
Greek architecture had a significant impact on Roman architecture and that this effect was
pervasive. Even if Greek architecture served as a major source of inspiration for Roman building,
there are still numerous distinct contrasts between the two, most notably in the materials used.
Despite the fact that the Greeks built a wide variety of structures, the temple is widely considered
to be the most iconic "Greek" edifice. (Becker, 2015) According to what was written by Coleen
Hemingway for the Metropolitan Museum of Art, "the Greek temple best exemplifies the goals
and methods of Greek Architecture."

As a direct consequence of this, public bathhouses and gymnasiums were just as

widespread in ancient Greece as movie theaters are now. Homer makes frequent references to the
love of bathing that the Greek people had throughout the Iliad. Homer and many of the other
Greek writers tell us that the Greeks favored a variety of many different types of baths, including
hot water tubs as well as air heated baths. This is despite the fact that there were periods in Greek
history when bathing consisted of nothing more than a quick plunge into cold water. It is
generally agreed that the citizens of Sparta in ancient Greece were the ones responsible for
coming up with the concept.

Throughout the course of human history, there have been a number of important
architectural movements. The final movement, and maybe the one that will last the longest, is
that of classic Greece. Even though the architecture of ancient Greece has been admired,
imitated, and replicated for centuries, its beginnings are somewhat surprising to someone who is
not familiar with the history of the region. Despite the fact that this architecture has been
admired, imitated, and replicated for centuries. It is important to understand the history and
mechanics of Classic Greek architecture in order to fully appreciate the form, function, and
beauty of Classic Greek architecture. "Ancient Greek architects strove for the precision and
excellence of workmanship that are the hallmarks of Greek art in general.

Bibliography:
Mark Cartwright. (January 2013). Greek Architecture.
https://www.worldhistory.org/Greek_Architecture/
Colette Hemingway. (2013). Architecture in Ancient Greece.
https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/grarc/hd_grarc.htm