Advances in Ancient Greek Archiecture

The Greeks were known for their extravagant architectural design. Not only were the Greeks' designs beautiful and extremely detailed, they are the inspiration of many buildings, today. The most common materials used in Greek architecture were wood, unbaked brick, limestone, bronze, and marble. These building materials were used in the construction of religious, civic, domestic, funerary, and recreational buildings.(Nardo,28)

Most of the knowledge we have of Greek architecture, comes from 550-500 B.C., which is also known as the late archaic period. During this period, temples were built in numbers. There were three different types of architecture created during this time: Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian.

An example of a Doric style building is the Parthenon in Athens. The Parthenon is a temple, dedicated to the Greek goddess Athena. In 447 B.C., when the Athenian empire was at the height of its power, construction of the Parthenon began. The Parthenon was finally completed in 432 B.C. The Parthenon is a symbol of great power of Pericles,the Athenian politician.(Nardo,10)

The Erechtheum, an Ionic temple built in the middle classical period of Greece, sat upon the Acropolis of Athens. The construction time of the Erechtheum was about 16 years (421-405 B.C.). In this enormous temple, there were sanctuaries dedicated to Athena, Poseidon, and Erechtheus.

The Corinthian style of building, was used on temples and on the Roman capital. One temple it was used in was the temple of Zeus. This was not the only temple Corinthian order was used in, but perhaps the most notable. Corinthian order came into full bloom in the fourth century B.C. Corinthian order was the least used of all other orders used in Greece.

These are some examples of the advances in ancient Greek architecture.


Nardo, Don. Lost Civilizations:The Ancient Greeks. San Diego Ca: Lucent Books, 2001.

Nardo, Don. Living in Ancient Greece. Farmington Hills MI: Green Haven Press, 2004