GREEK ARCHITECTURE

PART 2

JOEL VIVERO RICO, FPIA, UAP

HSTAR 01
MODULE 6
FAMOUS GREEK STRUCTURES
TOP 10
MAGNIFICENT EXAMPLES OF
ANCIENT GREEK
ARCHITECTURE

The Greeks have ruled the

architectural world by
producing many outstanding
structures, and the Hellenic
people are said to have brought
heaven to earth through these
magnificent pieces which
include the great temples built
in the name of the Greek Gods.
Using a combination of creativity
and intellect, the Greeks produced
many public buildings of great
architectural value.
The Hellenistic period provided
some of the best and most
distinctive structures in the form of
temples, theaters, and stadia which
once were the main features of
ancient towns and cities
ACROPOLIS

The simplicity, harmony, and

perspective in Greek architecture
was the foundation of Roman
Architecture as well. Ancient Greek
architects strove for excellence and
precision which indeed are the
hallmarks of Greek art.
For more insight into this amazing
style of architecture, read on for the
top 10 best ancient Greek structures:

This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA

1. Temple of Olympian
Zeus,
Athens
The Temple of Olympian Zeus was
dedicated to “Olympian” Zeus. It’s
also known as the Olympieion or
Columns of the Olympian Zeus.
It is a former colossal temple at
the center of the Greek capital
Athens. The building of the Temple
began in the 6th Century by
Peisistratus but work was stopped
for unknown reasons. I
t was completed under the reign of
the Roman Emperor Hadrian in
131 AD, 638 years after the project
had begun.

This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY

2. Parthenon,
Acropolis

One of the most influential buildings in

Greek history, the Parthenon, stands on
top of the citadel of the Acropolis. It
was dedicated to the goddess of
wisdom and patron of the Athenians,
Athena. The Parthenon was initially
built as a celebration and thanks to the
gods for the Hellenic victory over the
Persians, but it also stands as an
enduring symbol of Athenian
democracy, ancient Greece, and
Western civilization. It has served many
roles over time, from a church
dedicated to the Virgin Mary in the final
decade of the sixth century to a mosque
after the Ottoman conquest in the early This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA
 3. Odeon of
Herodes Atticus,
Acropolis

Since ancient times, the theater has been a

significant part of Greek culture. The Odeon
of Herodes Atticus is a stone theater
structure on the southwest slope of the
Acropolis in Athens, Greece. The Athenian
magnate Herodes Atticus built the structure
in memory of his wife, Aspasia Annia
Regilla. It was a steep-sided theater which
had a three-story front wall and a wooden
roof made of expensive Lebanese cedar.
The theater played host to huge music
concerts and had a capacity of 5,000. It
regained its former glory in the 1950s when
the stage and seating areas were rebuilt using
Pentelic marble. The place has been the
venue for a variety of Greek as well as
international performances.
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-NC
 4. Temple of
Hera, Olympia
The ancient Archaic Greek temple,
dedicated to the queen of the Greek
Godesess, Hera, was built in 590 BC. The
temple was initially believed to have been
constructed from wood which was later
replaced by stone. One of the oldest temples
in Greece, it was solely dedicated to Hera
with another temple to Zeus built nearby.
Built following the aesthetics of Doric
architecture, the temple had 16 columns.
The beautiful House of Hera was destroyed
by an earthquake in the fourth century AD.
During the excavation process on the site of
the temple, a marble head of Hera was
discovered along with a statue of Hermes by
the sculptor Praxiteles. The statue now is
housed in the archaeological museum of
Olympia.
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND
 5. Temple of
Artemis, Corfu
The temple was built in the ancient city of
Korkyra on Corfu which is in the suburbs of
the modern-day city of Garitsa. It was the
first to be constructed from stone in the
Doric style. Built in 580 BC, the temple
measured 49m by 23.46m and was the
biggest temple of its time.
From examples found in the temple ruins, it
can be seen that the metope of the temple
was decorated with carvings of Achilles and
Memnon. Its magnificence and authenticity
have made it a landmark in ancient Greek
architecture.
The temple is also counted among the 150
masterpieces of Western architecture.

This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA

 6. The Great
Theater of
Epidaurus
In terms of acoustics and aesthetics, this
ancient theater is believed to be the
perfect theater of all time, containing an
auditorium, a stage building, and an
orchestral area. According to the Greek
traveler and geographer, Pausanias,
Polykleitos the Younger was behind the
construction of this beautiful
symmetrical theater. The theater was
large enough to provide seating for
13,000 to 14,000 people. It not only
hosted singing, music, and dramatic
games but also included the worship of
the god of medicine, Asclepius.
The place was therefore used to heal
patients since it was believed that
witnessing a staged drama had a positive
effect on both physical and mental
health.
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA
7. Temple of
Apollo, Delphi
In the heyday of Delphi, the Temple of
Apollo was the most prominent
structure ever built, and its ruins date
back to the fourth century BC. It was an
imposing structure of the Doric order
and it underwent many turbulent
incarnations before falling into ruin.
The Temple of Apollo at Delphi was
first built by two prominent architects
Trophonios and Agamedes during the
seventh century BC.
It caught on fire during the sixth
century after which it was rebuilt and
given the name of the Temple of
Alcmeonidae in honor of the noble
Athenian family who took on its
reconstruction with funds donated from
all over Greece. The temple had six
columns in the front and 15 at the sides.
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY
8. Stoa of
Attalos, Agora
The architectural marvel, the Stoa of Attalos,
was constructed as a gift to Athens in return for
the education that Attalos received there. It
was built by King Attalos II of Pergamon who
ruled between 159 BC and 138 BC. Belonging
to the Hellenistic era, the Stoa of Attalos was
more elaborate and larger than the earlier
buildings of ancient Athens.
Measuring 115 by 20 meters (377 by 66 feet),
it was built from Pentelic marble and
limestone. The building is a skillful work
combining various architectural orders. The
Doric order, which undoubtedly dominated
Greek architecture, was used on the ground
floor for the exterior colonnade and was
combined with Ionic styling for the inner part
of the colonnade. The exterior colonnade on
the first floor was Ionic and the interior was
Pergamene. Each story comprised 21 rooms
lining the western wall and two corridors.
Stairs led up to the second story at each end of
the stoa.
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY
 9. Temple of
Hephaestus, Agora
A work of Doric and Classical
architecture, the Temple of Hephaestus is
a well-preserved ancient Greek temple.
Surviving the ravages of time, it stands
just as it was built in 415 BC.
Constructed two years before the
Parthenon, the temple overlooks the city
of Agora. It was dedicated to the god of
craftsmanship, metal-working, and fire,
Hephaestus, and was also called Theseum
and served as a shrine dedicated to the
hero Theseus. The building is made of
both Parian and Pentelic marble.
The dimensions of the temple from north
to south are 13.708m and east to west,
31.776m. It has six columns lying from
east to west (the shorter side) and 13
columns from north to south (the longer
side). The four columns at the corners are
counted twice.
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA
 10. Erechtheion,
Acropolis
This temple was built between 421 and
406 BC by the great architect Mnesicles.
The temple got its name from a shrine
dedicated to the Greek hero Erichthonius,
who was mentioned in Homer’s Iliad as a
great king and ruler of Athens. It is
believed that he is buried nearby. Phidias,
who also worked on the Parthenon, was
employed by Pericles as the sculptor and
mason for this great project.
The ancient temple is said to have
replaced the Peisistratid temple which
was situated in Athena Polis and was
destroyed in 480 BC by the Persians. The
temple was located on a hill and was built
from the marble taken from Mt.
Pentelikon and black marble from
Eleusis. It had carved doorways and
beautifully decorated columns.
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA
 CONCLUSION

These wonders of Greek

architecture have dominated our
view of ancient Greece as their
beauty and compelling history can
be seen by visitors even today. The
ancient Greeks were considered as
the cradle of civilization with art at
the heart of their accomplishments.
Though most of their historic
buildings have fallen into ruin,
these ruins continue to speak of
their great importance.

This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND

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This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-NC