In the history of the development of all European culture, the most important place is occupied by the art and culture of ancient Greece. On its basis, the classical canons of antiquity were formed.

In general, its cultural traditions were full of contradictions, because they were created in a society of slave-owning democracy. However, the works of ancient masters became the standard for the creators of many subsequent generations.

The first archaeological excavations at the beginning of the 18th century were carried out in the cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum, buried under volcanic lava Vesuvius. As a result of research, many unique examples of various works by masters of that era were discovered.

These are sculptures and relief images, dishes and household items, weapons and ancient tools. Among all the valuable specimens found, the surviving fragments of buildings attract special attention. They are of great interest to scientists in the process of studying the architectural appearance of the cities of ancient Greece.

Periods of development of ancient Greek architecture

The entire history of the development of architecture in ancient Greece can be divided into several periods:

• Homeric era(from the 12th to the middle of the 8th centuries BC) - the period of the origin and development of Hellenic architecture, a time of gradual decomposition of the clan system and the emergence of new class relations. Hellenic architecture was initially based on the traditions of Aegean culture, but later new, original features also emerged.

IN Bronze Age temples had not yet been built. And only at the beginning of the 8th century a temple appears, the design features of which are reminiscent of the megaron that arose earlier in. The main building material for the temple was unbaked brick, and the gable roof was made of wood.

Scientists gleaned most of the information about the appearance of buildings of that period from the works of Homer. In those days, houses were built from wood, which were fastened with metal sheathing for greater strength.

Another common type of building material was raw brick. Towards the end of the period, builders began to use fired tiles. This time was characterized by the construction of not only ordinary residential buildings, but also the first churches.

This period is notable for the formation of a special planning system, in which an important place is occupied by the colonnade surrounding the building on all sides. One of the earliest buildings of that period is considered temple of the goddess Hera on the island of Samos.

• Archaic period(from the 8th to the beginning of the 5th centuries BC) - characterized by the final formation of a slave state and the emergence of a city - a polis.

At the beginning of the Archaic period, the construction technique of wood and mud brick was also widespread. The only difference was in the use of terracotta cladding for finishing the temples. Subsequently, the most important and large-scale structures begin to be built from soft and easy-to-process limestone. At the end of the period, the most common material becomes .

During the 7th century BC, ancient Greek building art developed in several directions at once, which had significant differences.

During the archaic period, the first examples of monumental structures appeared, and also formed various types temples and other public buildings.

The emergence and development of orders takes place, which subsequently become the basic and most recognizable elements of ancient Greek architecture.

• Classical period(from 480 to 400 BC) - the reign of Pericles, which is characterized by a high level of development of architecture and all spheres of art.

An order system perfected to perfection is widely used. The appearance of buildings becomes more sophisticated, and the style of the architects becomes recognizable.

Athens becomes the main city with a proper street layout. In other cities, new residential areas are also being built according to a single plan.

During this period, the architectural appearance of a typical Greek house was formed, which consists of a courtyard surrounded by porticoes, the prototype of which was the megaron.

The classical period was characterized by the appearance of open stone theaters and halls for music - odeions. Public meeting buildings are taking on new forms large quantity people.

• The era of the decomposition of policies(IV century BC) - during this period, temples lose their advanced significance, however, secular architecture develops with greater intensity and the layout of residential buildings is improved.

The buildings acquire greater sophistication and grace thanks to the use of the Ionic and Corinthian orders.

• Hellenistic era(330s - 1st century BC) - the period of the emergence of the Greco-Eastern monarchies and the penetration of ancient Greek culture into Asia Minor and Egypt.

The Hellenistic era is characterized by confusion various styles and orders for purely decorative purposes. But at the same time, the former brevity, monumentality and recognition of the order system are lost.

However, this fact does not at all prevent the creation of large-scale urban ensembles, in the architecture of which peristyle is widely used - rows of columns surrounding courtyards and squares.

Order system

An order in architecture is a system for displaying the design of a structure in a certain form. With the development and establishment of the stylistics of various orders, the proportionality of the whole structure and its individual parts, composition and corresponding proportions are established. The forms of buildings are gradually improved, and Greek classics reaches the pinnacle of its development.

There were three main orders used in the architecture of ancient Greece:

• Doric
• Ionic
• Corinthian

The main difference between the architectural orders was primarily in the shapes of the columns and entablature, as well as in various decorative details and proportions.

At the same time, the layout of the building space was the same for all order systems. Both the Doric and Ionic orders were used in the construction of not only religious, but also secular buildings, as well as places of public visitation.

Each building is a single whole, created from individual architectural elements, among which are the following:

• Crepida- this is the foot of any building, a kind of foundation of the structure.
• Walls
• Columns various orders
• Entablature
• Roof
• Triangular pediment

Ancient Greek architecture used a system of columns and entablatures, or, as it is also called, a post-beam system. The best examples of buildings were temples, which were initially built from, and later from natural stone.

Doric order

The Doric order is the most massive of all, but at the same time it is distinguished by the simplicity of decorative details and the severity of finishing elements. The Doric order was formed in the 6th century BC. A striking example can be considered Temple of Hera at Olympia.

The dimensions of the individual parts of the structure and their proportional relationship are related to the length of the radius of the column at its base. This radius is called the module, and on its basis all subsequent proportions are calculated.

Later, with the development of construction technology, the columns became thinner, more elegant and taller. Accordingly, the distance between them increased, and the height of the entablature decreased.

A Doric temple was usually built on a three-stage high base. The steps of the crepida were not intended for people to climb. It was one of the characteristic elements of ancient Greek architecture. The height of the base steps was determined based on the overall proportions of the structure.

Columns without a base were installed on a three-stage base. They consisted of a three-part capital (hypotrachelia, echinus, abacus) and a fluted trunk, which had a slight thickening - entachis. The height of the column trunk was approximately 11 modules, that is, it was 11 times longer than the radius of the column at the base.

The entablature of the Doric order was also tripartite. The columns contained an architrave with a frieze, which consisted of triglyphs and metopes. It also supported a slightly projecting cornice. The roof was gable with a slight slope. The triangular-shaped pediment was usually decorated with sculptures.

For the compositional completeness of the Doric temple, the color of the structure was of great importance, which further emphasized its structural features.

The most famous surviving example of Doric buildings is Temple of Poseidon in Paestum in southern Italy and Temple of Hephaestus in Athens.

In terms of its architectural merits, the most significant structure is considered to be on the Acropolis of Athens.

Ionic order

The buildings of the Ionic order are characterized by greater lightness and grace. This is especially noticeable in comparison with the massive elements of the Doric order.

Ionic temples of the early period had large sizes and more luxurious decoration than the ponderous and austere Doric temples.

But the main thing distinctive feature can be considered appearance columns: they are much slimmer and thinner. In addition, they have a base, trunk and capital. The most luxurious form is characterized by a capital with volutes.

In this case, the columns are not connected by rhythmic elements, as in the Doric order. Instead of a frieze, the Ionic entablature was trimmed with a belt decorated with bas-relief. All details of the Ionic order had a complex profile.

The Ionic order reaches its greatest flowering in Asia Minor, where examples of structures are of considerable size. A striking example is Temple of Artemis in Ephesus, which reached a length of 126 meters and had columns 18 meters high.

In Greece itself, buildings of the Ionic order are represented by small, elegant buildings. Among the surviving samples we can name Temple of Niki-Apteros and in the ensemble of the Acropolis in Athens.

Temple of Nike - Apteros
The Erechtheion is the last temple in the ensemble of the Athenian Acropolis

Corinthian order

The Corinthian order developed on the basis of the Ionic order and was finally formed only in Roman architecture. The main difference between the Corinthian order and the Ionic order was the presence of a capital with four sides decorated with a sculptural image of acanthus leaves.

Among the most significant examples of the Corinthian order in Greece is the capital Monument to Lysicrates in Athens. Another example of the use of the Corinthian order is the unfinished Athens Olympion.

Olympion - Temple of Zeus in Athens

Construction equipment

In the architecture of ancient Greece, the main building material was natural stone of various types. So, in early period soft limestone was used, which was easy to process. Limestone was used during construction in the 6th century BC. But in the ensemble of the New Acropolis, built by Pericles, there are already structures made of Pentelic marble.

It should be emphasized that, first of all, temples and public buildings were erected from stone. But residential buildings were usually built of brick - raw or baked brick.

In the process of laying walls of public buildings, it was also sometimes used, but later the outer side was lined with stone slabs.

Wood was usually used to construct roofs and ceilings. In the early period, temple columns were also made of wood. This could be observed in the example of the Temple of Hera at Olympia, where wooden columns were subsequently replaced by stone ones.

The stonework was done using a dry method without the use of mortar. At the same time, spikes or wooden dowels were used to strengthen the structure. The structure had to withstand tremors in the event of an earthquake, so the stone blocks were fastened together using many metal clamps.

The process of installing complex architectural elements was very labor-intensive. Some parts were made immediately solid - for example, capitals and slabs with sculptural elements. The remaining parts were processed only after they were installed. In this case, the final processing was carried out in the direction from top to bottom as the height of the construction scaffolding decreased.

However, from the point of view of professional architects, ancient Greek architecture, striking with the nobility and perfection of its forms, was very simple in its design. This system consisted of load-bearing building elements (walls and columns) that supported the load and supporting parts - beams, slabs and lintels.

The main material that the Greeks used in construction was stone. At the dawn of the heyday of ancient Greek temple architecture, soft stone or limestone was used.

The Acropolis in Athens was built from it in the 6th century BC. e. and other public buildings. A later version of the Acropolis, rebuilt by Pericles, included the use of marble.

Raw and burnt bricks were the main resource for the construction of residential buildings. The outside of the house was covered with stone slabs.

Wooden beams were used to construct the floors. Often, in the early stages of construction, the columns of religious buildings were also made of wood (Temple of Hera at Olympia).

Subsequently they were replaced with stone ones. They reinforced the masonry with veneers, tenons and metal staples.

The buildings of ancient Greece were human-oriented. Maintaining harmony in proportions, Hellenic masters created an artistic system of decoration and construction of buildings, consisting of a combination of load-bearing (supporting) and non-bearing (overlapping) elements (7th century BC). They called it a post-and-beam structure or order system.

Order system

There are three order types:

Doric;

Read also: Architecture and construction of houses in Poland

Ionic;

Corinthian.

The Doric appeared earlier than the others; the last to appear was the Corinthian order (Temple of Apollo in Bassae). All three orders were built according to the same compositional system. She divided the building into three parts:

Stereobate (base);

Column trunk (rack-mount structure);

Entablature (beam structure).

The column was also divided into three levels (from bottom to top):

Barrel (fust);

Capital.

The base was an intermediate link between the stereobat and the column trunk. The capital was supported by an entablature, which lay on the abacus.

Doric is the simplest order. He did without the base and decorative details. The Ionic tapered upward and ended with a currency capital. The Corinthian order was decorated with vertical slits in the column trunk (flutes) and had a lavishly decorated capital.

The entablature was also divided into three parts (from bottom to top):

Architrave;

The order system has become widespread throughout the world. Architects still use its principles.

It was this scheme that formed the basis of the ancient Greek temples, which were the dwellings of the gods. Initially, the Greeks settled their gods surrounded by nature.

Read also: Architecture and construction of houses in Spain

Altars were installed in natural grottoes and groves. With the advent of the temple, the sacred rites were transferred under its roof.

Ancient architects chose the most high places under construction. Their idea was to connect the building with surrounding nature.

The temple was erected on a stone foundation, surrounded by an even number of columns, and had a portico and a gable roof. A statue of a god was placed inside.

The first buildings were divided into several parts in plan:

Naos (main hall);

Pronaos (entrance portico);

Opisthodom (treasury).

Appearance prevailed over the internal premises, where only the priest was allowed. The main worship took place outside the walls of the temple - outside. The interior did not play any role.

According to the number and distribution of columns, temples were divided into the following types:

Temple in anta (one or two columns between the walls);

Prostyle (colonnade on the entrance facade);

Amphiprostyle (colonnade on both facades);

Peripterus (a colonnade surrounds the perimeter of the temple);

Dipter (double colonnade along the perimeter);

Monopterus (temple with a round plan).

The stone walls of ancient temples were actively painted with paints mixed with wax.

Introduction

Architecture of Ancient Greece

Types of Ancient Greek Temples

Temples in Doric style

Parthenon

Conclusion

List of sources used

Applications

Introduction

Thousands of years separate us from the ancient Greeks. The face of the world has changed beyond recognition, having repeatedly experienced the brutal breakdown of the old, bloody world wars.

However, even now, when man has stepped into space, the study of antiquity has not lost its relevance. Works of ancient art “still continue to give us artistic pleasure in in a certain respect serve as a norm and an unattainable example.”

When looking at the artistic masterpieces of that distant era through the centuries, we hear the solemn and hymn music of the beauty and greatness of the creator, who likened himself to the Olympian gods. The best monuments of ancient art have entered our lives as an integral part of world culture, as our heritage. For “without the foundation that was laid by Greece and Rome, there would be no modern Europe.”

The architecture of ancient Greece, covering mainly the 8th-1st centuries BC in its development, is divided into three periods: archaic, classical and Hellenistic.

The Archaic period (8th - early 5th centuries BC) coincides with the time of the final formation of the polis and the formation of the main types of religious and public buildings.

From the second period, covering the time from 480 to the end of the 4th century. we should highlight the time of the highest dawn of the policies (480-400), to which the name “classical period” is applied. The leading place in this era belongs to Athens, where, during the “golden age” of the reign of Pericles, the development of slave-owning democracy, and with it art and architecture, reached its highest point.

The third period is the era of Hellenism (320s of the 4th century - 1st century AD) - the time of the emergence of the Greek-Eastern monarchies and the intensive expansion of Hellenic culture into the new cities of Asia Minor and Egypt, which became major centers of trade and cultural life. V. BC characterized by the growth of cities and the expansion of construction scales. From the middle of the century, monumental buildings made of stone, mainly soft limestone, began to appear. The main type of these structures were temples, which were not only places of worship, but also partly public buildings.

In the 7th century BC Various types of temples are developed, and a certain order is established in relation to parts of the building, a system of combining decorative and structural parts, called an order.

Built according to the rules of the order, the Greek temple was the most significant building in the city both in terms of its purpose and the place its architecture occupied in the entire ensemble of the city. The order temple was a kind of pinnacle in Greek architecture; it had a tremendous impact on the subsequent history of world architecture.

1. Architecture of Ancient Greece

The structures of ancient Greek architecture can safely be called huge works of jewelry art, in which there was nothing secondary for the master.

The Greeks brought the processing of architectural buildings and all decorative details, without exception, to the highest degree of perfection and refinement, and enriched them with sculpture. The architecture of Ancient Greece has always amazed me with its strict silhouette, harmony and proportionality. simple shapes and clear lines that conveyed to her aspiration upward, into the infinitely blue sky. She is so solemnly emotional. So sunny and airy. Despite the monumentality of some temples, they do not overwhelm with their size, but evoke a feeling of peace and spiritual flight.

The main room of the Greek temple is a solid stone volume - cella. It is installed on a stepped base - a stereobat and is surrounded by columns around the perimeter. The columns support a horizontal beam ceiling - an entablature with a gable roof resting on it, which forms a triangle on the narrow side - a pediment. The entablature consists of three horizontal beams arranged in order from bottom to top: architrave, frieze, cornice. In the cella there was a statue of the god to whom the temple was dedicated. You could get to it through the door on the east side. The lighting inside the temple was natural - through the grating at the entrance (from there one entered the temple sunlight).

The proportions of the building and its picturesque image were determined by the architectural order - one of the greatest inventions of Greek architects. This is the order of the relationship between the support, load-bearing and supported parts of the building, which is an architectural and artistic system of post-beam construction. The support may exist in the form of a podium, a multi-stage stereobat, or it may be absent or be designed differently. The supporting system is a wall or column. Carried - an entablature located on top.

In the architecture of Ancient Greece, there were three orders that differed in style: Doric, Ionic, Corinthian. The first two arose during the archaic period.

The Doric order is the strongest and heaviest. The column has no base and stands directly on the stylobate. Her proportions are usually squat and powerful. At a height of one third, the column has a uniform thickening, which creates a feeling of elastic resistance to the weight of the entablature. The column consists of a trunk tapering upward, cut with flutes, which were made, apparently, in order to enliven the monotony of its smooth cylindrical surface and so that their perspective reduction from the sides of the column would allow the eye to better feel its roundness and produce a play of light and shadow. The capital completed the trunk of the column. The capital consisted of an echinus - a round stone pillow and an abacus - a low slab that absorbed the pressure of the entablature. The Doric column is usually compared with the image of a hero, and the order itself symbolizes his strength. Columns of this order were placed mainly at the bottom of the architectural structure.

The Doric order architrave is smooth. The frieze is decorated with triglyphs and metopes. Triglyphs, in their origin, go back to the projecting ends of wooden beams and are divided into three stripes by vertical grooves. Metopes - square-shaped rectangular slabs - fill the spaces between the triglyphs. The surface of the metope is usually decorated with relief decoration, which in the architecture of ancient Greece had the character of a plot scene, but was later reduced to a decorative motif. The entablature ends with a cornice.

Examples of the Doric order are the temples of Hera in Olympia, Apollo in Corinth, and Demeter in Poseidonia.

In the Ionic order, all forms are lighter, more gentle and graceful. The column of this order represents the grace of a woman. It is taller, slimmer and more proportional than the Doric, has a base, covered with flutes in more, and they are cut into it much deeper, separated from each other by small smooth spaces and do not reach the very top and bottom of the column, ending in a rounding. The capital of the Ionic column consists of two graceful curls - volutes.

The architrave is divided horizontally into three stripes, which makes it seem lighter. The frieze is decorated with a ribbon of continuous relief that encircles the entire entablature. The cornice is richly decorated.

The buildings of the Ionic order are the temples of Artemis in Ephesus, the temple of Hera on the island of Samos, as well as the temples of the sanctuary at Delphi.

In Greek architecture there was another order - the Corinthian, which arose later than others and was particularly light. The Corinthian column is thinner and slimmer than the Ionic, although it is very similar to it, however, the capital and abacus are completely different. She can be compared to the image of a beautiful girl. The column is crowned by a lush basket-shaped capital with a floral ornament of acanthus leaves and spiral tendrils of grapes at the corners; the abacus has the shape of a square with cut off corners and arched sides; in the middle of each of these sides there is a rosette. In multi-story buildings, columns of this order were placed on top.

Examples of the Corinthian order are the temple of Apollo in Bassae, the temple of Zeus in Athens (Fig. 1).

There was a warrant common system rules and aesthetic norms, but the ancient architects used them creatively when building each temple. Therefore, the composition of Greek temples was different and order stylistic elements were used specifically in each type of structure.

2. Types of ancient Greek temples

The simplest and earliest type of temple was the distil, or "temple in the antas." It consists of a sanctuary - cella, rectangular in plan, the front facade of which is a loggia with a central opening. On the sides the loggia is limited by side walls, which are called anta. Between the antas along the front pediment, two columns were placed (that’s why the temple was called “distile”, i.e. “two-columned”).

The second, also relatively simple type of temple is the prostyle. It is similar to the ante style, the only difference is that the prostyle has not two, but four columns on the facade.

The third type is amphiprostyle. It's like a double style - porticoes with four columns are located on both the front and rear facades of the building.

The fourth type of temple is the peripterus. This is the most common type of temple. It is surrounded by columns on all sides, along the perimeter. Usually there are six columns on the front and rear facades, and the number of side ones was determined by formula 2 ? + 1, Where ? - the number of columns on the front facade.

Sometimes on the side facades there were not one, but two rows of columns. This type of temple is called a diptera.

There was another type of temple in Greece - a round peripterus, where the sanctuary - cella - had a cylindrical shape, and the entire perimeter of the temple was surrounded by a ring of columns (Fig. 2).

3. Temples in Doric style

The early buildings of the Doric style include the Temple of Hera in Olympia (late 7th - early 6th century BC). It had a cella strongly elongated from west to east, framed on all sides by relatively low columns, which created the impression of a single, squat building. The number of columns was: on the main facade - 6, on the side ones - 16. The columns were at first wooden and gradually, over the centuries, as they deteriorated, they were replaced by stone ones.

Within the cella (naos) there were two rows of columns, the latter being connected through one to the side walls enclosing the cella. This design arose as a result of the desire to further strengthen the load-bearing structure of the building when converting it to a new building material at that time - stone.

First half of the 6th century BC dates back to the temple of Hera (I) at Paestum. An odd number of columns, nine on the main façade of this building, and a tela divided by one row of columns along the axis of the structure are typically archaic features. The shape of the columns is peculiar: their upper diameter is much narrower than the lower one, the bulky capitals have an unusually large projection.

The well-preserved temple of Hera (II) at Paestum (late first quarter of the 5th century BC) is a large hexastyle (six-column) peripterus built of rough limestone (6x14 columns).

The temple's outline in plan is already approaching the monuments of classical times. Its proportions are harmonious, the details are distinguished by the richness and accuracy of the design. At the same time, the structure still contains archaic features (emphasized heaviness of the entire structure).

One of the highest achievements of Greek architecture is the Temple of Zeus at Olympia, built by the architect Libo between 468 and 456. BC e. The Doric peripter with 6X13 columns (their height is 10.5 m, the lower diameter is 2.25 m) is distinguished by extremely harmonious proportions. In the temple, complete aesthetic and visual balance was achieved between supporting and overlapping architectural elements. The details are sharpened with unusual perfection and are characterized by amazing fidelity to the design. The Temple of Zeus at Olympia is the highest achievement in the development of the Doric peripterus. The famous pediment sculptures are of particular interest in this truly classical building. Within the cella was a statue of Zeus by Phidias.

4. Parthenon

architecture Greece temple Parthenon

The Parthenon, or temple of the goddess Athena, is the most significant structure of Ancient Greece. It was the main temple of the ancient Greeks. The Parthenon is one of the most important buildings in the ensemble of the Athenian Acropolis (Fig. 5).

The temple was built in 447-438 BC. under the leadership of two talented architects - Iktin and Kallikrates. But according to the testimony of someone who lived BC. According to the ancient Greek historian Plutarch, during the construction of the Acropolis, the head and leader of all the artists was Phidias.”

The Parthenon is a Doric peripterus with elements of the Ionic order (Fig. 3). It stands on a stylobate (69.5 m long and 30.9 m wide) - three marble steps, the total height of which is about 1.5 meters, and was covered with a tiled roof. On the side of the main (western) façade, more frequent steps were cut, intended for people. The temple has 8 columns on the facades and 17 on the sides (including the corner ones). This is one of the Ionic features of the Parthenon: for the Doric peripter, the usual ratio was 6 to 13. The height of the columns is 10.4 m, they are composed of 10-12 drums. The diameter of their base is 1.9 m, at the corner columns - 1.95 m. The diameter narrows upward. Twenty flutes are carved on each column. The plan of the Parthenon is based on the known ratio of length to width, which is determined by the diagonal of the quadrangle.

The interior (59 m long and 21.7 m wide) has two more steps (total height 0.7 m) and is amphiprostyle. The facades have porticoes with columns that are just below the peristyle columns. The eastern portico was pronaos, the western - posticum.

The cella, located to the east, was 29.9 m long (19.2 m wide), which was 100 Greek feet. Therefore, it was often called hecatompedon (one hundred foot temple). Two rows of Doric columns (9 in each) ended at the wall in a transverse row with three additional columns and formed three naves, the middle of which was significantly wider than the other two. It is believed that on the architrave of the first tier of columns there was a second one that supported the ceilings. In the central nave stood a statue of Athena Parthenos by Phidias. A hypephre was built above the statue. (Figure 4).

In the opisthodome (19.2 m long and 13.9 m wide), called the Parthenon (this name later spread to the entire temple), there were four tall columns, most likely Ionic. Two small doors led from here to the side aisles of the cella. Initially, gifts to the goddess were kept here. In 464 BC. e. The treasury of the Delian League was transported here. For a long time, the state archive was also located in the opisthodome.

Conclusion

And so all that remains is to summarize everything that has been said above. As follows from the work itself, the development of Greek architecture occurred during the reign of Pericles or, in other words, during the “classical period.”

Here we trace repeated changes in the styles of construction of buildings and temples. The transition from a heavy style to a lighter, more elegant, relaxed one.

We can also learn here about how the restoration of the Acropolis took place in the classical period, what temples it included, “walk” through it in a solemn procession, “seeing” the location of all the majestic temples built in honor of Greek Gods. Learn about the most majestic and honorable temple of that time, the Parthenon.

In this work, I tried to more or less reveal all the stages of the formation and transformation of architecture in Ancient Greece, examining this in detail on some buildings and temples of that time.

List of sources used

1.Dmitrieva N.A. Brief history of art / N.A. Dmitrieva - M.: Art, 2005. - 370 p.

2.Kolobova K.M. Ancient city Athens and its monuments / K.M. Kolobova. - St. Petersburg: Neva, 2001. - 250 p.

.Lurie S.A. History of Greece / S.A. Lurie. - St. Petersburg: St. Petersburg University Publishing House, 2003. - 434 p.

.Lyubimov L. The Art of the Ancient World / L. Lyubimov. - M.: Education, 2000. - 385 p.

.Sokolov G.I. Acropolis in Athens / G.I. Sokolov. - M.: Amphora, 2000. - 126 p.

.Gnedych P.P. History of Art: In 3 volumes / P.P. Gnedych. - St. Petersburg: Publishing house. A.F. Marx, 1897. - T.1.

Applications

Tutoring

Need help studying a topic?

Our specialists will advise or provide tutoring services on topics that interest you.
Submit your application indicating the topic right now to find out about the possibility of obtaining a consultation.

Erechtheion

The history of architecture and culture of ancient Greece is divided into three periods.

1. Ancient period– archaic. Having repelled the Persian invasion and liberated their lands, the Persians were able to create freely. 600-480 B.C.

2. The heyday is a classic. Alexander the Great conquered vast territories from different cultures, the eclecticism of these cultures was the reason for the decline of Greek classical art. The heyday came after his death. 480-323 BC.

3. Late period- Hellenism. This period ended in the thirtieth year BC with the conquest Ancient Egypt the Romans, which was under Greek influence.

The art of Ancient Greece undoubtedly had a huge influence on subsequent generations. For later eras of cultural development, majestic beauty, tranquility, and harmony became the source and model.

Greece is a country with a great architectural past, in which much attention was paid to the construction of temples. In the construction of ancient temples, back in the archaic era, the Greeks replaced wood with white marble and yellowish limestone. Such material not only looked noble, but was also distinguished by its centuries-old strength.

Parthenon

The image of the temple was reminiscent ancient dwelling Greeks, which in its shape was similar to a rectangular structure. Further construction continued the well-known logical scheme - from simple to complex. Very soon the layout of each temple became individual. But some features still remained unchanged. For example, the stepped base of the temples remained unchanged. The temple was a room without windows, which was surrounded by several rows of columns, and inside the building there was a statue of a deity. The columns supported the gable roof and floor beams. The people were not allowed to enter the temple, only the priests had the right to be present here, so everyone else admired its beauty from the outside. This feature served to give the temple external harmony and beauty.

Temple plans. 1 Temple in Antakh. 2 Forgiveness. 3 Amphiprostyle. 4 Peripter. 5 Dipter. 6 Pseudodipterus 7 Tholos.

Greek temples vary in their compositions, each using stylistic elements in a specific way.

1. Distill - “temple in the antas.” The earliest type of temple. It consists of a sanctuary, the front façade is a loggia, bounded at the edges by side walls (antes). Two columns were installed along the front pediment between the antas.

2. Forgiveness. It is similar to the ante, only on the façade there are not two, but four columns.

3. Amphiprostyle or double prostyle. On both facades of the building there are porticoes with 4 columns.

4. Peripter. Most common. Columns surround the entire perimeter of the temple. There are six columns on both facades, the side ones are determined by the formula “2p + 1”. P – number of columns on the front facade.

5. Dipter. A type of temple with two rows of columns on the side facades.

6. Pseudodipterus. Same as Dipter, only without the inner row of columns.

6. Round peripterus or Tholos. The sanctuary of such a temple has a cylindrical shape. The temple is surrounded by columns along the entire perimeter.

In Greek architecture, there were different types of columns and friezes, called orders.

The earliest is Doric, associated with the culture of the Dorians who lived in mainland Greece. In the Doric order, powerful and short, tapering upward columns with flutes end in a capital with a square abacus and have no base.

The Ionic order developed in island and Asia Minor Greece. Ionic columns, thinner and more elongated, rest on a base and end with a capital carved from a rectangular block. The capital is formed by two scrolls (volutes). Most of the temples that have come down to us use the Doric and Ionic orders.

The Corinthian order appeared in Athens in the 5th century BC. e. The column is crowned with a lush capital, representing climbing acanthus shoots. This warrant was received wide application in the Hellenistic era.

Doric order with painting.

In construction, exceptional attention was paid natural conditions, the greatest artistic fit of the building into the surrounding landscape. The noble forms of architecture of Ancient Greece amaze in our time. Although from a constructive point of view everything was very simple. Only two elements were used: the load-bearing part (beams, lintels, slabs) and the load-bearing part (walls and columns).

Many different structures of a public nature were erected: palestras, stadiums, theaters, residential buildings. Theaters were built on hillsides, the audience stage was made across the slope, and the stage area was located below. Residential buildings were built in such a way that a small rectangular courtyard was created in the center.

Acropolis.

Acropolis. Athens.

Acropolis at night

The Acropolis is a sacred city where every ruin speaks of a beauty that transcends even time. A wide marble staircase leads up to the hill. Near it, on the right, an elegant small temple was erected to the goddess of victory Nike. Its outline resembles a precious box. To get to the main square, you must pass the gate with columns - the Propylaea.

Plan of the Acropolis.

Here stands the statue of the goddess of wisdom Aphrodite, the patroness of the city. Further on, it is not difficult to notice the complex and unique plan of the Erechtheion temple. With its famous portico, where instead of columns female statues - caryatids - are used. Can't be ignored main temple The Acropolis Parthenon, which was dedicated to Athena. It was built in the Doric style and is rightfully considered the most perfect structure built 2 thousand years ago. Callicrates and Iktin are the creators of the temple. The statue of Athena, on which the sculptor Phidias worked, the marble friezes that surrounded the temple with their 160-meter ribbon, the amazing relief of two hundred horses and three hundred human figures were the main images in the festive procession of the Athenians.
The Parthenon fell into ruins more than 300 years ago during the Venetian siege of Athens in the 17th century. The Turks established a gunpowder warehouse in the temple. The surviving reliefs of the temple were taken to London in the 19th century by the Englishman Elgin. Now housed in the British Museum, they represent only part of the story of the glorious history of the Acropolis's architectural past.

Architecture of Ancient Greece…

Architecture

(Latin architectura, from Greek architeckton - architect, builder), architecture, the art of designing and building objects that design the spatial environment for human life and activity. Works of architecture - buildings, ensembles, as well as structures organizing open spaces (monuments, terraces, embankments, etc.). The planning and development of cities and populated areas constitute a special field of construction art - urban planning. Therefore, architecture plays an important ideological role, being a figurative embodiment of the social, philosophical, religious and artistic ideas of people.

The ideological and artistic features of ancient humanism were especially clearly reflected in the buildings of the classical period of the development of ancient Greek architecture. V century BC e. in Athens. Imbued with a humanistic spirit, the architecture of Ancient Greece had a profound impact on the subsequent development of world architecture. In Ancient Rome, the leading buildings were those that glorified the power of the state and the personality of the emperors. Large ensembles and individual buildings arose, designed for huge masses of people: forums, amphitheaters and theaters, baths, covered markets, basilicas. (churches) Five- and six-story buildings - insulas and country villas - spread. The construction of engineering structures - bridges and aqueducts - has reached great perfection. Arched and vaulted structures were widely used, making it possible to create floors of large spans. Particular attention was paid to the layout and decoration of the interiors.

Renaissance architecture in Western and Central Europe is characterized by an appeal to the ancient heritage. Public buildings, palaces, villas, temples are clear, harmonious buildings and architectural ensembles. The classical order was widely used (architects F. Brunelleschi, L. B. Alberti, Michelozzo, D. Bramante, Michelangelo in Italy). A new type of palace appeared - a palazzo with a closed symmetrical courtyard. The theory of architecture developed (Alberti, G. Vignola, A. Palladio, etc.). In the XVII-XVIII centuries. the harmony and completeness of spatial compositions are replaced by complex systems of merging spaces, plasticity and sculptural volumes of buildings of Baroque architecture, the dynamic rhythms of which included decorative sculpture and illusionistic painting (buildings by Italian architects L. Bernini, F. Borromini, C. Maderna, etc.). Garden and park construction has received widespread development. The Baroque style spread to Italy, Spain, Germany, Austria, the Czech Republic, Poland, and other countries Latin America. In France in the 17th century. Classicism became the dominant trend. The rationalistic worldview underlying it was expressed in the rigor and geometric composition of buildings and palace and park ensembles (Versailles). French architects (L. Levo, F. Mansart, A. Le Nôtre) used the order mainly as a decorative motif. In the XVII-XVIII centuries. classicism spread widely in Great Britain (architects I. Jones, K. Wren, the Adam brothers), and from the last third of the 18th century. - and in other European countries. In the architecture of Great Britain and the Netherlands, with the development of capitalist industry, new types of buildings appeared - industrial buildings, port facilities, exchanges, etc. In Russia at the turn of the 17th-18th centuries. Peter's reforms served as an incentive to expand civil engineering and strengthen the secular principle in architecture. Numerous public, administrative, industrial and commercial buildings, city and extensive country palaces and residences with regular parks were built ( cm. Petrodvorets). A new capital, St. Petersburg, was built and developed, the layout of which combined the principles of regularity and picturesque development, characterized by simplicity and rationality. From the middle of the 18th century. in Russian Baroque architecture (architects V.V. Rastrelli, S.I. Chevakinsky, D.V. Ukhtomsky) solemn monumentality, rich plastic and color decoration of facades are combined with clarity of plans and volumetric composition. In the last third of the 18th century. Baroque gives way to classicism (architects A.F. Kokorinov, V.I. Bazhenov, M.F. Kazakov, I.E. Starov). Ceremonial monumental city ensembles in the Empire style were created (architects A. D. Zakharov, A. N. Voronikhin, J. Thomas de Thomon, K. I. Rossi, V. P. Stasov, O. I. Bove). In the architecture of Western European countries in the middle and second half of the 18th century. After a short outbreak of the decorative and elaborate Rococo style, classicism received further development.

The architecture of ancient Greece, covering mainly the 8th-1st centuries BC in its development, is divided into three periods: archaic, classical and Hellenistic. They were preceded by periods of Cretan-Mycenaean culture in southern Greece and the islands Aegean Sea. (III millennium - XII century BC) and the so-called Homeric period (XII - VIII centuries BC) - this is the time of the decomposition of the clan system and the emergence of early class relations, which led to the VIII - VII centuries . BC e. to the formation of ancient slave states. The Archaic period (8th – early 5th centuries BC) coincides with the time of the final formation of the polis and the formation of the main types of religious and public buildings. From the second period, covering the time from 480 to the end of the 4th century. we should highlight the time of the highest dawn of the policies (480-400), to which the name “classical period” is applied. The leading place in this era belongs to Athens, where, during the “golden age” of the reign of Pericles, the development of slave-owning democracy reached its highest point, and along with it, art and architecture.

The third period is the era of Hellenism (320s of the 4th century - 1st century AD) - the time of the emergence of the Greek-Eastern monarchies and the intensive expansion of Hellenic culture into the new cities of Asia Minor and Egypt, which became major centers of trade and cultural life.

If we talk about architecture itself, then in Ancient Greece it developed quickly and in many ways. In the growing Greek cities, residential stone buildings, fortifications, and port structures were created, but the most important and new things appeared not in residential and commercial buildings, but in stone public buildings. It was here, and primarily in the architecture of temples, that the classical Greek architectural orders took shape.

A rectangular plan, a strict and majestic structure, rising on three steps of a basement, surrounded by a strict colonnade and covered with a gable roof - this is what comes to mind as soon as we say the words “architecture of Ancient Greece”. And indeed, the Greek temple, built according to the rules of the order, was the most significant building in the city both in terms of its purpose and in the place its architecture occupied in the entire ensemble of the city. The order temple reigned over the city; it dominated the landscape in cases where temples were built in some other important locations, for example, in places considered sacred by the Greeks. Because the order temple was a kind of pinnacle in Greek architecture, and because it had a tremendous impact on the subsequent history of world architecture, we turned specifically to the features of the order buildings, sacrificing many other types and directions of architecture and construction of Ancient Greece. So, let us remember right away - the order in Ancient Greece did not belong to mass architecture, but to architecture that was of exceptional importance, possessing an important ideological meaning and associated with the spiritual life of society.

Architecture of Ancient Greece

As mentioned above, the architecture of Ancient Greece mainly covers the 8th - 1st centuries. BC e. and receives its highest development mainly in the so-called “classical period” and in the archaic, in principle, this period will be discussed in this essay, but first let’s turn to more early times and let's see how things stand there.

Architecture (Homeric period XI – VIII centuries)

Some ideas about the architecture of the Homeric era are given by: the epic, the few remains of the most ancient buildings, terracotta models of temples found during excavations of the so-called sacred sites. The paucity of archaeological data does not allow us to recreate the architectural appearance of cities of that time. In certain places of the “Iliad” and “Odyssey” there are descriptions of ancient sanctuaries - sacred groves and caves with primitive altars; a description is given of a residential estate grouped around a courtyard (“aule”), divided into male and female halves and including special premises for slaves; The main room of the residential building was a “megaron” adjacent to the courtyard - a rectangular hall with a fireplace in the center, a hole for smoke to escape in the ceiling and an entrance portico formed by the protruding ends of the longitudinal walls (“antes”) and pillars between them.

Megaron was the original architectural type in the development of the Greek temple. Judging by the excavated fragments of buildings, the construction technology of the Homeric era is noticeably inferior to the Mycenaean and Cretan ones. The buildings were erected from clay or mud brick (rarely from flagstone) on foundations made of rubble, fastened with clay mortar; elongated in plan, they ended in a curved apse. In the 9th – 8th centuries. BC e. They began to use a wooden frame to strengthen the stertsa building (Temple of Artemis Orvali in Sparta), which contributed to the transition to rectangular plans. Clay model of a temple from the 8th century. BC e. from Heraion near Argos indicates the development of a two-layer roof and the appearance of a ceiling and pediments; the pillars form an independent portico. Later, a portico appears around the entire temple, protecting the mud-brick walls from the rain (1st temple of Hera in Heraion near Samos, now Tigani, building in Hermon).

The description in the Odyssey of the palace of Alcinous allows us to guess the aesthetic views of that era, when architecture had not yet been separated from crafts, and ideas about beauty from admiration for craftsmanship, according to Homer, shining, like the reflection of the sun, on all products of human labor. This radiance makes the fairy-tale palace “radiant,” at the sight of which Odysseus’s heart began to beat faster; it enchants not so much with the specific means of architecture, but with skillful metal parts and paneling, wood carvings, paintings, decorative fabrics; The traveler is attracted by a rich house, a skillfully irrigated garden, the coolness of the premises, and the thoughtful organization of the entire estate, filled with the creations of human hands.

Architecture (archaic VIII - VI centuries)

At that time, the city was usually located around a fortified hill, the “acropolis,” on the top of which there was a sanctuary with a temple dedicated to the patron god of the polis. At the foot of the acropolis there were living quarters; their layout took shape spontaneously; artisans of each profession settled in separate settlements. The center of the lower city was the Agora shopping area - a place for political meetings of citizens.

In connection with the emergence of new forms of public life, various themes of public buildings are emerging; Among them, the leading place belonged to temples.

Along with temples, other types of public buildings developed: “bouleuterium” - a house for the meeting of the community council; “Prytanei” is a house with a sacred community hearth, intended for official receptions and ceremonial meals. “Sta” porticoes appeared early, open in front, and often on other sides, which served as a place for rest and walking. Public buildings also included “leskhs” (a kind of clubs), fountains, theaters, and stadiums. Entire complexes of buildings were allocated for “palaestres” and “gymnasiums” - schools for the physical and general education of youth. Most public buildings were freely located around the agora.

The beginning of the search for more durable than previously known, more impressive and meeting the requirements of the new era of architectural forms marks the temple of Apollo Terepios in Hermon and the temple of Hera in Olympia.

These temples testify more to the search than to the successes of archaic architecture. His greatest achievements were associated with the creation and consistent application of order principles. The order represents a special type of architectural composition, the characteristic features of which are three-part structure (stereo, columns and entablature), a clear division of parts into supporting and supporting parts, and an increase in the complexity of construction from the bottom up. The order arose as an important element of the architecture of a public building.

The Doric order developed on the basis of the construction experience of the Dorian tribes that inhabited the Greek metropolis. It is found already in the first structures built of stone, both in the metropolis (the ancient temple of Athena Pronaia and the ancient tholos in Delphi) and in the Dorian colonies (the temple of Artemis in Kerpira, the temple of Apollo in Syracuse). At first, Doric buildings had many local features. Over time, the differences in plan were erased. The sharp fluctuations in the proportions of the columns, which were initially quite significant, also disappeared. Ceramic cladding fell out of use, meaningless in stone structures, but sometimes used according to tradition (the Iloyan treasury at Olympia).

Examples of established archaic Doricism are the temple of Athena on the island of Aegis, the treasury of the Athenians in Delphi, the temple of Apollo in Corinth, the “basilica” and the temple of Demeter in Paestum.

An important element of archaic architecture was decoration: sculpture that filled the fields of metols and pediments, and the painting of facades (with wax paints on the finest marble plaster or directly on stone). In Doric temples, the backgrounds for sculpture were painted blue or red. Mutuli, triglyphs and reguli - in blue, the lower surfaces of the cornice, tenia, under the capitals - in red. The main, “working” parts of the building (architrave, column) were not painted. The coloring emphasized the design and at the same time gave the architecture a festive, majestic character.

Light in proportions, the decorative and graceful Ionic order was formed in the rich trading cities of island and Asia Minor Greece, which were influenced by the culture of the East. The structural prototype of the Ionic entablature was a flat adobe roof combined with the ceiling, laid along a continuous slope of small timber. The high ionic strength and the teeth located on top of the architrave find their prototype in this design. The Ionic order is found for the first time in large Asia Minor dipters of the mid-6th century BC. e., built of limestone and marble. Among them, the most famous is the Temple of Artemis (architects Chersifon and Metagenes) in Ephesus.

In the 6th century BC. e. Greek architects also achieved great success in creating architectural ensembles. The most important type of ensemble, along with the support and the acropolis, was the sanctuary. The ensemble of the sanctuary at Delphi, whose main features were determined in the 6th century BC. e., an important element of the architectural image is the landscape environment. The composition of the sanctuary was designed for the perception of a person who, as part of a solemn procession, ascended along the zigzags of the illuminated road, framed by treasuries and motif statues; at one of the turns, unexpectedly large and therefore especially impressive masses of the main temple, standing on a high terrace, appeared before his eyes.

Greek orders.

In the ancient Greek order, there is a clear and harmonious order, according to which three main parts of the building are combined with each other: the base - the stereobat, the load-bearing supports - the columns and the supporting structure - the entablature. The Doric order (which arose at the beginning of the 7th century BC) had three main parts (see above). It is characterized by a column dissected by flutes converging at an acute angle, standing without a base and completed with a simple capital, an architrave in the form of a flat beam and a frieze of alternating triglyphs and metopes. The Ionic order (developed in the middle of the 6th century BC) differs sharply from the Doric by a slender column standing on the base and completed by a capital with two volute scrolls, a three-part architrave and a ribbon-shaped frieze; The flutes here are separated by a flat track.

Both the Doric and Ionic orders were used in ancient Greece in a wide range of buildings - from the small galleries of residential buildings to the grandiose porticoes of temples.

But in addition to the Doric and Ionic orders, there were others in Ancient Greece. Here are some of them.

The Corinthian order is similar to the Ionic order, but differs from it in a complex capital decorated with floral patterns (the oldest Corinthian column is known in the temple of Apollo in Bassae, now Vassa in the Peloponnese, built around 430 BC by the famous architect Ictinus).

The Aeolian order (known from several buildings of the 7th century BC - in Neandria in Asia Minor, in Larissa, on the island of Lesbos) has a thin smooth column standing on the base and completed with a capital, large volutes and petals of which reproduce plant motifs.

The origin of the ancient Greek order and its features have been studied in great detail. There is no doubt that its source is wooden pillars mounted on a pedestal, which carry wooden beams covering them. The gable roof of stone churches follows the wooden truss structure. In the form of the ceilings, in the details of the Doric order, one can discern their origin from buildings from large forests. The lighter Ionic order was influenced by the techniques of constructing roofs from small logs. The capitals of the Aeolian order demonstrate a local construction technique, according to which the beams were laid on the fork of the branches of a tree trunk. In Ancient Greece, a strictly ordered plan of the temple, built according to the rules of orders, quickly developed. It was a peripterus temple, that is, a temple surrounded on all sides by a colonnade, inside of which there was a sanctuary (cella) behind the walls. The origin of the peripterus can be traced back to buildings close to the ancient megarons. The closest thing to the megaron is the temple “in the antas,” that is, the temple where the ends of the walls protrude on the front side, between which columns are placed. This is followed by a prostyle with a portico on the facade, an amphiprostyle with two porticos on opposite sides and, finally, a peripter. Of course, this is only a diagram of historical development: in Greece, temples of different types were often built simultaneously. But one way or another, the oldest example was a residential building - a megaron, and in the 7th century. BC peripteric temples appeared (the temple of Apollo Thermios, otherwise Fermose, the temple of Hera in Olympia, etc.). In the temples of this time, raw brick and wooden columns were still used, which were eventually replaced by stone ones. Together with the creation of stone structures, ancient architects “from the field of shaky and unstable eye calculations worked their way up to establishing strong laws of “symmetry” or proportionality of the building’s constituent parts.” This is how the Roman architect of the 1st century wrote about it. BC Vitruvius, the author of the only fully preserved ancient treatise on architecture, from which we can reliably judge the views of that era on architecture. Of course, taking into account the fact that the orders were formed six hundred years before the birth of this treatise. All these “strong laws” were entrenched in the stone architecture of Ancient Greece for centuries, and if we count those eras when the order was again revived in architecture, then for millennia.

Architecture ( classical Greece in the 5th century BC)

The development of orders in Ancient Greece was associated mainly with the formation of the main types of public buildings and, above all, temples. In connection with the idea of ​​the temple as the dwelling of a deity, its initial composition was formed under the influence of an ancient residential house - a megaron with a portico in front of it and a statue inside the room. The simplest type of temple is an ant temple. It consisted of a rectangular hall - cella and an entrance portico with two columns located between the projections of the longitudinal walls - anta. The development of the temple in the antas is the prostyle, in which the four-column portico is extended in relation to the antas, as well as the amphiprostyle - with two end porticos on opposite sides. Finally, during the archaic period, a peripterus was formed, with a colonnade on four sides.

The development of the peripterus and other types of temples in the archaic and classical eras gives the most vivid idea of ​​changes in the order composition and the formation of the characteristic features of Greek architecture. The peak of development was the temples of the Athens Acropolis, which was created in the 5th - 4th centuries. BC and dominates the city and its environs. Destroyed during the Persian invasions, the Acropolis was rebuilt on an unprecedented scale. During the third quarter of the 5th century. BC e. sparkling, white marble buildings were erected: the Parthenon, the Propylaea, the temple of Nike Apteros (“Wingless Victory”). The Ereikhtheion building, which completes the ensemble, was built later.

The builders of the Parthenon, Iktikus and Kallikrates, managed to achieve true harmony. The columns of the temple are the same height as the columns of the Temple of Zeus in Olympia, but the heavy proportions of the “severe” style have been replaced by harmony and grace. The influence of Ionian traditions was reflected in the appearance of a frieze on the outside of the western part of the structure. The architect Mnesiccletus, the creator of the majestic gate leading to the Acropolis, the Propylaea, also sought to combine both styles: Ionian columns are side by side with Doric ones. On the contrary, Ionian features predominate in the architecture of the beautiful miniature temple of Athena the Victorious. Also in the spirit of Ionian traditions, the Ereikhtheion was built, located very picturesquely.

All these wonderful creations of Athenian architects are located on the Acropolis. The main sanctuaries of the Athenians were located on the Acropolis hill, and above all the Parthenon - the temple of Athena, the goddess of wisdom and patroness of Athens. The treasury is also kept there. In the Propylaea building, which served as the entrance to the Acropolis, in its two extensions - wings - there is a library and an art gallery.

Greek architects knew how to perfectly choose places for their buildings. The temple was erected where nature itself seemed to have prepared a place for it, and at the same time its calm, strict forms, harmonious proportions, light marble columns, and bright colors contrasted the temple with nature and asserted the superiority of the intelligently created man-made structure over the surrounding world.

The Acropolis embodied the idea of ​​the power and greatness of the Athenian state and at the same time, for the first time in the history of Greece, expressed the idea of ​​pan-Hellenic unity.

The meaning of the planning of the Acropolis can only be understood by imagining the movement of solemn processions on days of public celebrations. The road led up to the ceremonial gate - the Propylaea. The Doric colonnade of the Propylaea is two unequal, but mutually balanced wings of the building; adjacent to the right, smaller wing is the temple of Nike Apteros (“Wingless Victory”), which began construction in 449 as a monument in honor of the victory of Athens over the Persians. This temple is not large in size, harmonious and clear in form, as if separated from the general massif of the hill, it was the first to meet the procession. Slender Ionic columns on each of the two short sides of the temple give the building features of grace. From the Propylaea, the main temple of the Acropolis, the Parthenon, built on the highest platform of the Acropolis, is visible from the corner. The large building of the Parthenon is balanced by the elegant and relatively small temple of Erechtechon, standing on the other side of the square, which set off the sublime severity of the Parthenon with its free asymmetry. Parthenon- the most perfect creation of Greek classical architecture and one of the highest achievements of architecture in general. This monumental, majestic building towers over the Acropolis, just as the Acropolis itself towers over the city and its surroundings. The Parthenon is the largest temple in the ensemble of the Acropolis and the entire Greek metropolis. Inside it has two large halls - rectangular and square, the entrances to which were located on opposite sides. The eastern rectangular hall with a statue of Athena in the back was divided into three parts by two-tiered colonnades of the Doric order. The square hall served as a treasury and was called the Parthenon.

The type of Greek temple, which many generations worked on to create, received its most perfect interpretation in the Parthenon. In its basic forms it is a Doric peripterus with eight columns on the short sides and seventeen on the long sides. But it organically includes elements of the Ionic order: elongated columns, a lightweight entablature, a continuous frieze encircling the building, made of squares of Pentelic marble. The coloring emphasized the structural details and formed a background against which the sculptures of the pediments and metopes stood out.

The majestic clarity and strict harmony of the Parthenon seems to be opposed by the grace and freedom of composition of the Erechtheion - an asymmetrical building built on the Acropolis by an unknown master in 421 - 406. BC e. Dedicated to Athena and Poseidon, the Erechtheion is distinguished by a picturesque interpretation of the architectural whole, a contrasting comparison of architectural and sculptural forms. The layout of the Erechtheion takes into account the unevenness of the ground. The temple consists of two rooms located on different levels. It has porticoes of various shapes on three sides, including the famous cor (caryatids) portico on the south wall.

With its dissected and picturesque forms, the Erechtheion paves the way for art later than the classics, sometimes more tragically excited, sometimes lyrically refined, but less valuable and heroic than the high classics. In addition to the Acropolis of Athens, during the archaic and classical periods, many other ensembles emerged, including temples, sanctuaries and public buildings (the sanctuary of Zeus in Olympia, the complex of temples in Poseidonia, etc.). But already from the 4th century, temples began to lose their leading importance and buildings and complexes for secular purposes began to develop more and more, forming as elements general structure cities. It is especially worth highlighting the shopping and entertainment complexes, combined with the natural landscape. Stadiums were built in natural depressions, sometimes reaching significant sizes (Athens, Olympia), theaters used mountain slopes to build a natural semicircular theater with a round platform - an orchestra, where the choir usually performed. There was a rectangular stage adjacent to the orchestra.

Architecture (Hellenistic era).

For the plastic arts of the 3rd – 1st centuries. BC e. were by no means periods of decline. An example is the famous sculptural group of Laocoon, a masterpiece of Hellenistic sculpture. The group was created in the first half of the 1st century. BC e., that is, when Greek poetry was already overwhelmed by creative sterility.

The Ionian order reigned in the sacred architecture of the Hellenistic era. The few Doric buildings were distinguished by slender columns and light floor beams - this, like the appearance of some other elements, indicates the decomposition of the old Doric style, which only in the Greek West still preserved ancient traditions. If the Doric order was not widespread in sacred architecture, then in secular construction it was often resorted to, as can be seen from the colonnades of the porticoes.

The triumph of the Ionian order is evidenced by the monumental temple of Didymaion in Miletus: the temple was surrounded by a double colonnade consisting of 210 Ionian columns. The Ionian style won not only in life, but also in the theory of architecture. The architect and theorist of this art, Hermogenes, who worked in the middle of the 2nd century, worked especially ardently for him. BC e. and created a new architectural formula - pseudo-dipter: a building surrounded by a double colonnade, and the inner row of columns was half hidden in the wall of the building. This form, the last creation of the Ionian style, was embodied in the great temple of Artemis Leucophryene at Magnesia; later the pseudodipterus was widely adopted by the Romans both in practice and in theory. In addition to rectangular buildings in the Hellenistic era, round monuments increasingly appeared, continuing the traditions of the 4th century. BC e. Of the surviving monuments of this type, most noteworthy are the Arsinoeion on the island of Samothrace, the trochaic monument of Thrasyllus, and buildings in Olympia and Eretria. The most outstanding was the creation of Sostratus of Cnidus - a sea lighthouse raised more than 100 meters high on the island of Pharos near Alexandria. The lighthouse of Alexandria was considered one of the seven wonders of the world, but has not survived to this day.