- Greek life was dominated by religion, so it is not surprising that Greek temples were the biggest and most beautiful. They had political purpose, because they were built in order to celebrate political power and pride, or to offer thanksgiving to the patron of a city for his success in wars.
- The Greeks developed 3 architectural systems, called orders, each one had its own characteristics, proportions and details. They were: Doric, Ionic and Corinthian. The Doric style is sturdy (strong) and its top is plain, the Ionic style is thinner and more elegant, and the Corinthian style is rarely used in the Greek world, but is often seen on Roman temples.
- The common materials used in the Greek architecture were: wood, used for supports; unbaked brick, used for walls and public buildings; terracotta, used for decoration. Architects used these materials to construct five types of buildings: religious, civic, domestic, funerary and recreational.
- Before starting the Classical period, the Greeks had begun to lay out cities in a grid-like pattern, with streets regularly intersecting at right angles, and houses by blocks. The carefully planned civic spaces had become common in the Greek city-states.
- The Parthenon is one temple that is very famous and beautiful, but also very basic in its construction. It was built between 447 and 438 BC; it was the fist building to be constructed on the known Acropolis. It is called “octostyle peripteral” because it has 8 columns in the front, and it has in the back a chamber also called the Parthenon.
BY: Carolina Angel and Eugenia Robledo 10A
