Ancient Greek Architecture

(This is the second page; click here for the first page)

In the Classical period, there are more temples, bigger and with new design ideas: the Parthenon is built in the 440's BC. People begin to build in the Ionic style. Democracy prevents the Greeks from building palaces or big tombs, because politically all men are supposed to be equal, and so it would look bad to have a big palace even if you could afford it. Instead, the Greeks build public buildings: gymnasia, and stoas, where men can meet and talk.

By the 300's BC, in the Hellenistic period, there are some new architectural types. Less time is spent on temples. The new form is the theater, and many theaters are built all over the Greek world. Also, there is new interest in town planning at this time: streets begin to be laid out in straight lines, instead of just developing naturally.
With the conquests of Alexander the Great, architecture becomes an important way to spread Greek culture and show who is in charge in the conquered countries.

On the other hand, once the Romans conquer Greece, around 200 -100 BC, they too use architecture to show that they are in charge, and suddenly there is a lot of building in the Roman style. Corinthian architecture became more popular. About 400 AD, the Greeks convert to Christianity, and begin to build churches and monasteries.

During the Middle Ages, parts of Greece were taken over by the Normans, who built castles, and other parts were still controlled by the Byzantine Empire, and built in a more West Asian style. Finally, in 1453 AD, the Byzantine Empire was taken over by the Turks, and Islamic mosques began to be built in Greece.

To find out more about Greek architecture, check out these books at Amazon.com or in your library:

Make This Model Greek Temple (Usborne Cut-Out Models Series), by Iain Ashman (1998).

An Ancient Greek Temple, by John Malam, Mark Bergin (2001).

Ancient Greek Homes (People in the Past Series-Greece), by Haydn Middleton (2002).

Greek Art and Archaeology (3rd Edition), by John G. Pedley (2002) This is NOT a children's book, but it has a lot of good information and is pretty readable. Plus, the author is really an expert in this field.

Greek Architecture (Yale University Press Pelican History of Art 1996), by A. W. Lawrence, R. A. Tomlinson. A standard college textbook.

Here's a link to a Greek Architecture crossword puzzle.

First page about Greek architecture
Doric order
Ionic order
Corinthian order
The Parthenon
Main Greeks page
Main architecture page