The Ancient Temples and Their Architectural Features
The ancient temples were built to honor the gods and were thus a statement of the architectural prowess. A temple was often the most prominent landmark of any ancient city setting the bar for engineering. To seek the blessings of the gods, people regularly flocked the temples to offer sacrifice and prayer. Due to their immense importance to the community, most temples were large to accommodate the large numbers of worshippers. Different temples were built to serve different gods and thus varied in size as well as their symbolic meaning to the people. Despite the minor differences, temple construction in the ancient era adhered to the same style. This paper discusses the architectural features of the sketch above while comparatively analyzing the same with other ancient monuments such as the Treasury of Athens, the West Pediment Sculptures of the Parthenon and the Temple of Hera.
The Use of Marble in Temple Construction
The temple in the sketch above is built of marble. As the ancient cities grew in size and amassed more wealth, stone replaced wood in the construction of temples. Stone is a reliable construction material since it offers more structural strength that is required for large buildings. Moreover, the temples built with stone were more durable with some surviving for centuries. Marble was even better than the ordinary stone because of its superior aesthetic appeal regarding the color and texture. Also, marble could be easily carved to produce eye-catching sculptures and statues such as the West Pediment Sculptures.
The Design of the Temple: Columns and Interior
The tall columns that cover the entire length of the temple are reminiscent of the Temple of Hera. This particular layout is predictable for the Greek temples. The long string of columns is referred to as a colonnade. The columns in the sketch are twenty feet tall, a height slightly dwarfed by those in the Treasury of Athens. The column type chosen for the sketch is known as the Corinthian type. It has a total height nine times taller than the width. At the same time, it has a tree-like capital where it meets the roof of the temple. The general interior layout closely resembles that of the Temple of Hera. There is a section at the middle of the temple commonly known as the cella. The cella is encircled by high walls all around. Inside the cella, there is a colossal statue of the Greek god to whom the temple is dedicated. The statue is 18 feet in height in a sitting posture and is made of gold.
The Pediments and Entablature of the Temple
The temple sketch has a portico on the front side. On top of the portico is the triangular pediments just like that of the Treasury of Athens. The entablature is a term referring to the construction between the columns and the roofs. The entablature is made of three sections: the pediment, the architrave, and the frieze at the middle. The triangular pediment is the uppermost part of the entablature and is carved with an intricate sculpture of life-sized statues. The artwork on the pediment depicts the different gods engaged in a struggle just like that in the West Pediment. The architrave is the lower part and serves to provide support for the massive roof. On the other hand, the frieze is in the middle, and it is also decorated with sculptures.
The Symbolic Meanings of Greek Temples
Every inch of a Greek temple holds some vital symbolic meaning, key to understanding the intentions of their designers. The ancient people paid attention to every detail, making their art immersive, fascinating, and timeless. The orientation of the temple aligns with the rising sun in a way that it floods the interior with light every morning. The sun, the moon, and the star constellations occupied a significant position in Greek mythology, and the builders demonstrated it in the geographical alignment of the monuments. For instance, the calendars used in ancient Greece were lunar-solar. Some of the temples venerated Apollo, the sun god.
The Interior of the Temple as a Sacred Space
The entrance to the temple symbolically represents the door to the afterlife. Most worship and religious events occurred on the outside compound of the temple. However, the interior chambers were considered the realm of the gods. The most splendid decorations were therefore reserved for the interior of the temple. At the center, the statue of the god was an imposing sight made of exotic materials. As such, the whole temple represented an earthly residence of the god whom the worshipers venerated. Based on its symbolic heavenly status, every temple was tall in height and gigantic in size.
The Symbolism of Corinthian Columns and Pediments
The Corinthian columns of the temple are symbolic of the Tree of Life. The Tree of Life has been regarded as a platform for elevation to the spiritual world. When the temple is located on a hill, the numerous columns combine to create a feeling of a hill and a small forest with a thick canopy. The triangle of the pediment has both numerical and religious symbolism. The triangle symbolizes fullness or perfection. At the same time, it shows the knowledge of designers on fundamental mathematical concepts such as the Pythagoras theorem.
