There is a strange familiarity that comes with ancient Greece. The stories of heroes, epic battles of Spartans, Trojan war and the peculiar theatrical masterpieces have been ever so ingrained in modern society and culture. We must consider though, how we have gained such a link to the culture of the past. One of the most notable factors for this connection comes from ancient Greek architecture and its unwavering influence on the principles and traditions of modern architecture.
According to the renowned 5th-century Roman architect, Vitruvius, 3 architectural orders, Doric, Ionic and Corinthian, were first introduced in the Greek classical period (480-323 BC) (Barletta, 2001). These orders are essentially the basis of western architectural practice. The intricate designs of the orders are almost like a decorative layer for the oldest building system, called the post and lintel. (see Figure 1) (Zucker et al., 2013) The oldest and simplest was the Doric order and it is believed to have originated around the 7th century BC, on mainland Greece. A Doric structure is comprised of several different layers. (Barletta, 2001) (see Figure 2) At the top of the building was the pediment, a triangular space. This space would often depict relief statues or sculptures that would tell tales of heroes and gods. (Pomeroy et al., 2020) Right below the pediment was the entablature which contained the upper layer, frieze. In this particular order, the frieze is decorated in the triglyphs, vertical lines of 3 with blank blocks called metopes between each triglyph. (Pomeroy et al., 2020) It is often said that the triglyphs had originated from a time when temples were built from wood and these would have been ends of the wooden beams of the roof.
Figure 1:representation of the basic "post and lintel" building system (Shively, 2012)
Figure 2: Diagram of the Doric order. (Classical art history, 2020)
Moving down the temple we have a simple Doric capital with a modest flare from the column attached to a square block of the entablature. Such a combination created a heavy and broad look, giving it a distinct sense of masculinity. (Zucker et al., 2013) Attacked to the capital are what are called the shafts or columns. At first glance, they appear to be plain but are actually much more complicated. These ancient architects are thinking of how to express the importance of the gods and their beauty through the structures of the temples. The design plays with our perception through varying widths of the column. It is the narrowest at the top below the capital and gradually increases in width until about 2/3 from the top. (Barletta, 2001) There it is the widest and then begins to decrease again all the way to the bottom. Such a technique creates an illusion of the pillars being much taller than they are, almost as if the building is reaching for the sky. Quite fitting for temples of the great Greek gods. The texture of vertical lines engraved into the shafts are known as flutes, giving them a livelier semblance. Many modern historians are quire baffled by the effort and detail put into these columns as that meant each piece of the shaft, known as the “drum” had to be modelled differently for each column. This technique was expensive. (Zucker et al., 2013)
At the base of the column, there is no decorative footing, instead, it is rooted to the bottom of the temple. A prime example of a Doric styled building would be the Parthenon, the famous temple of Athena Parthenos (mid-5th century). (see Figure 3) (Pomeroy et al., 2020) The temple was constructed out of marble but like the majority of the Doric structures, it had retained some elements of wooden versions of the past, most particularly in the frieze. (Pomeroy et al., 2020) Parthenon was of high importance within Greek architecture. It depicts various myths such as the birth of Athena, the goddess of wisdom, the creation of Athens, and even the battle between Athena and Poseidon, the god of the sea. The temple was not a place where its worshipers could gather but rather a storage unit for all things related to the cult. (Pomeroy et al., 2020)
Figure 3: The preserved temple of Athena Parthenos, the Parthenon (Britannica, 2020)
Moving on to the second style, the Ionic order. Contrasting the Doric order, this particular style is drastically more elegant, softer around the edges, and according to Vitruvius, more feminine. (Zucker et al., 2013) Let us take a look at a preserved example of this style, the Erechtheum temple (421-406 BC). (Pomeroy et al., 2020) (see Figure 4) This was a multi-purpose structure dedicated to Poseidon, Athena and Erechtheus, an Athenian king. (Pomeroy et al., 2020) The most distinguishing feature of an Ionic style is its capital. Unlike the Doric order, with the simplistic, clean-cut design, the Ionic capital has a more complex, scroll-like shape called the volutes. The columns themselves are much slimmer, feature a different variation of fluting and this time around have a base where the shaft meets the temple floor. (Zucker et al., 2013) Such features can be seen in the pillars of the Erechtheum.
Figure 4: Erechtheum temple, on the Acropolis at Athens (Britannica, 2020)
The last order and most elaborate is the Corinthian order. It is the most decorative of the 3 orders and once again different in its capital. It presents not only the volutes of the Ionic order but also intricate plants called the acanthus leaf. (Zucker et al., 2013) The temple of Apollo Epicurious located within Bassae in the Arcadian mountains is one of the earliest examples of such a style. (Craven, 2019)
When walking downtown in almost any big city of the United States or Canada, the influence of ancient Greek architectural techniques is difficult to miss. The way the Greeks designed any structure has embedded itself deep into the modern practice and can be seen in the neoclassical and federal architecture and most recently, the Greek revival and Beaux-Arts style.
Around the late 18th century, a new form of architecture referred to as Neoclassical emerged. It was a style of linear simplicity combined with a revival of Greco-Roman themes. (Niell, 2014) One of the more famous examples of this style is the Irish House of Parliament building, the bank of Ireland. (see Figure 5) From the elaborate capitals of the columns, the structure is styled in the Corinthian order. It also has a pediment as most Greek temples albeit devoid of any relief sculptures. Buildings as such are spread out through America, Canada, and the vast majority of Europe.
Figure 5: Parliament House-bank of Ireland (1785) (UCD digital library, 2020)
During the time of the founders in America, many buildings were decidedly modelled after those of ancient Greece and Rome. This particular style was referred to as Federal and lasted between 1780 and 1830. Once again, there was the use of the columns and pediments. At the time of this style, Thomas Jefferson, aside from being one of the founding fathers and a 3rd president of America, was also an architect and designed the campus of the University of Virginia in the Greco-Roman inspired style. (see Figure 6) The columns holding up the small bridge are styled in a Doric order as the capitals are rather simplistic. The shafts lack the fluting design unlike most columns from ancient Greece and have a mixture of Ionic order with an added base footing at the bottom of the column.
Figure 6:Doric styled columns at the University of Virginia, designed by Thomas Jefferson in Federal style (Bunny, 2018)
Sometime during the middle of the 19th century, Greek revival architecture became widespread throughout America. This particular style used mainly the Doric order, including a pediment. An example of such a style is the Second Bank of the United States. (see Figure 7) The building contains a pediment without any relief sculptures and a frieze. The columns are of Doric order with a fluting design.
Figure 7: Second Bank of the United States (1818-1824) designed by William Strickland (Bunny, 2018)
The latest architecture technique is known as the Beaux-Arts, which is “fine arts” in French. This style was developed in the late 19th century and is a beautiful mixture of the Corinthian order and the Baroque style. It was designed to show that the owner of the building was of wealthy, upper-class background. An example of such is the Parisian Opera House built by Garnier. (see Figure 8) The impressive mass of the building, the vast relief sculptures, intricate capitals of the columns and the striking sculptures adorning the roof express an incredible sense of wealth, authority, and elegance.
Figure 8: Paris Opera House by Garnier, designed in Beaux-arts style (Ontario architecture, 2020)
References
Barletta, B. A. (2001). The origins of the Greek architectural orders. Cambridge ; New York: Cambridge University Press.
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Craven, J. (n.d.). The history of corinthian columns. Retrieved November 26, 2020, from ThoughtCo website: https://www.thoughtco.com/what-is-a-corinthian-column-177504
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Parthenon | definition, history, architecture, & facts. (n.d.). Retrieved November 28, 2020, from Encyclopedia Britannica website: https://www.britannica.com/topic/Parthenon
Pomeroy, S. B. (2020). A brief history of Ancient Greece: Politics, society, and culture (Fourth edition). New York: Oxford University Press.
Shively, D. (2012, August 22). Cea blog - drew: 1. 1. 1 history of civil engineering and architecture. Retrieved November 28, 2020, from CEA BLOG - DREW website: http://ceablogds.blogspot.com/2012/08/activity-111.html
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