They adopted the notion of monumentality as well as a variety of design features and ornamentation from the Egyptians, such as fluted columns, palmettes, spirals, rosettes, lotus plant iconography, and so on. The oldest Greek temples were nothing like classical marvels like the Parthenon. They were simple structures with no internal decoration or sculpture except for some incised work on the walls of caves where ancient builders found space.
The Greeks took inspiration from many different sources when designing their temples. Some of the most important factors that determined how a temple was decorated included the class of the building, who it was for, and the wealth of its owner. Temples served several purposes for the Greeks including places of worship, houses for gods, and schools for philosophers. Sometimes more than one purpose was incorporated into one structure. For example, the Temple of Hephaestus at Athens was used for both worship and learning.
Classical Greek temples were built using local limestone and marble, with some wood used as a material for roofs and floors. The quality of construction varied depending on how wealthy the city-state was willing to spend money on them. Limestone is a soft rock under pressure; therefore, buildings made of this material need to be maintained by periodically re-pointing the stones in order to preserve their shape over time. Marble is a harder stone and does not require re-pointing but it can also wear away over time if it is exposed to weather conditions.
Greek architecture had a significant impact on the Romans. The Greeks created marble temples to house their gods. The Romans used Greek designs into their own public structures. They eventually learned to employ concrete to build even greater monuments, like as Rome's Pantheon.
Greece also influenced Roman culture through literature. Many ancient writers including Homer, Plato, and Aristotle lived in Greece. Their ideas changed how people thought about life and society. Greek philosophers such as Socrates developed their own form of reasoning called "dialectic". This method of debate continued to influence Western philosophy until Karl Marx.
In addition to influencing European culture, Greece has had an important role in the history of America. In 1453, Christopher Columbus visited the island of Santorini. He believed it to be another India because of all the stories he had heard about gold mines there. It wasn't until years later that he was told about the ruins.
Many more explorers have gone beyond what we know as America. In 1513, Amerigo Vespucci mapped out what would become America. In 1819, Napoleon sold America to Joseph Bonaparte for $20 million dollars.
These are just some of the ways in which Greece has affected both Europe and America. Greece has been known as a land of beauty and sculpture for many centuries.
A Greek temple was generally built to contain a cult statue or symbol. Religion did not compel people to worship within the temple, and temples were essentially memorials to the gods. The huge columns are the most prominent elements of the Greek temple. The word "colossus" comes from these columns.
Inside the temple, priests performed rituals for the benefit of the community. They may have offered food and drink, made prayers, or given blessings. Sometimes they played music. Pilgrims came to pray before an idol, or totem, that was housed in the temple.
People went to Greek temples to make offerings, ask for help, praise the gods, etc. The main act of worship involved giving something of value (a sacrifice) and praying. There were two types of sacrifices: burnt offerings and sin offerings. Only priests could offer burnt offerings, so they would go to a temple priest and offer their own blood as an expression of gratitude for being allowed to serve God. Everyone else had to offer sin offerings - animals or parts of animals - to cover their sins. These sacrifices reminded everyone that we are all sinful and need forgiveness from God.
People also went to Greek temples to seek guidance or answer questions about health, love, life, etc. Priests were able to give advice or perform miracles because the gods wanted them to have power over people's lives.
Ancient Greek temples (Ancient Greek: naos, romanized: naos, lit. "dwelling") were buildings designed to host god statues within Greek sanctuaries in ancient Greek religion. They are the most important and ubiquitous form of building in Greek architecture.
Greek temples were usually built of stone or marble, although some were also made of wood. They often included a cella (lit. "room"), which was often used for religious purposes, such as housing a statue of the deity. The term "temple" originally referred only to those buildings that contained a cella and was not applied to other types of structures, such as stoas (porticos) or tholos (storage rooms). However, because many other types of buildings performed similar functions, such as churches or mosques, they too are now called temples.
Temples generally had three main sections: the cella, the antron (an area where offerings were deposited), and the pronaos (an area before the entrance, where people would make an offering by placing money or food on a stand). There were various kinds of cells within the temple structure, including those with one opening (ostia), two openings (diagonally opposite each other), or no openings at all (closed up inside). There were also cells without any openings but attached to larger structures through flanges (such as the cella of the Capitoline Jupiter).
The towering pillars associated with Greek architecture were not only ornamental. The Parthenon's pillars were built to support the thick marble roof that formerly sat above this colossal edifice. Because it was so hot, it formed a very powerful three-dimensional shape known as a dome.
Domes were originally used for religious purposes. The Greeks believed that their gods lived on high places, so the temples were built with this idea in mind. The Romans used domes too, but they used them for civil buildings such as theaters and arches.
There are two types of domes commonly used in architecture: the hemispherical dome and the oculus (or "eye") dome. Hemispherical domes are shaped like a ball because they are based on a circle. This is the most common type of dome and it can be made from concrete or brick. It can also be covered with material such as tile or metal sheeting. The walls of the hemicycle should be thick enough to withstand the weight of the dome itself; however, for aesthetic reasons they are usually not as strong as those of an enclosed structure.
Hemicycles were often used as temple roofs because they provide excellent coverage for rain and sunlight. They are also very energy efficient since there are no windows to admit heat during the day and cold at night.
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