New Temple To Their Goddess Of Victory example essay topic

Different Buildings in the Acropolis The Erechtheum temple is from the middle classical period of Greek art and architecture, built on the Acropolis of Athens between 421 and 405 BC. The Erechtheum contained sanctuaries to Athena Poli as, Poseidon, and Erechtheus. The requirements of the several shrines and the location upon a sloping site produced an unusual plan. Furthermore old pieces of art were kept in the cella like the ancient wooden statue of Hermes, the xoanon, which was blessed by Cecrops, a folding-chair made by the father of arts Daedalus, and several trophies from the Persian wars as the suit of armour of Masistius and the sword of Mardonius, both Persian generals during the battle of Plataea. The altars of Zeus Hyp atos, of Poseidon and Erechtheus, of Hephaistos, of the hero Bouts, of the Thyechoos, and the very ancient xoanon of Hermes, all had to be accommodated harmoniously. Lastly the room, which would have to be found for the sacred olive and the sanctuary of Pandrosos which included the altar of Zeus Herkeios.

The architect succeeded by subtle and ingenious use of the differences in level to produce an astonishing temple which satisfied the requirements of all these cults. He respected the traditions and at the same time introduced striking innovations. The resulting building may appear complicated at first sight, but it bears the mark of true genius and contains more original feature than any other structure in the Greek world. It consists of three almost independent sections (the main temple, the north extension and the porch of the caryatids) with three separate roofs, and is built at four different levels.

Ionic columns of three different dimensions and proportions are used, and, following an old Ionian custom, use is also made of cora i as supports for the entablature - the famous caryatids. The Erechtheum is the finest expression of the Ionic order, yet the building loses none of the compact severity of classical Attic architecture. The Erechtheion was built in ca. 420 B.C. in the Ionic order. It has a pro stasis on the east side, a monumental propyl on on the north, and the famous porch of the Caryatids on the south.

The main temple was divided into two sections, dedicated to the worship of the two principal gods of Attica, Athena and Poseidon-Erechtheus. A relief frieze, bearing a representation possibly of the birth of Erechtheus, decorated the exterior of the building. The Propylaea, located at the west end of the hill, is a roofed entrance structure into the sacred precincts of the Acropolis. It was designed by the renowned architect Mnesicles, and constructed between the years 437 BC and 432 BC. However, the construction was ended during the Peloponessian wars, and the building never reached completion for unknown reasons. The Propylaea, which can still be seen today was built during the age of Pericles, and was supposed to replace an earlier one built under the administration of Pisistratus in 530 BC.

It comprises a central building and two lateral wings. The colonnades along the west and east sides had a row of Doric columns while two rows of more slender Ionic columns divided the central corridor into three parts. The Doric columns recall those of the Parthenon, although they are much more severe. Flanking the central gate-hall are two chambers. The north one was used as a painting gallery, while the south chamber, although never completed, was most likely intended as a sculpture gallery and as an entrance to the temple of Nike. The Doric architecture of the building forms a perfect combination with the Ionic columns, which flanked the Sacred Road, which was used during the Panathenaea.

The walls of the north wing were decorated with painted panels or wall paintings and that is why it was called the "Pinakotheke". More decoration could be found on the ceiling of the Propylaea which had coffers with painted decoration and a perforated sima around the roof. Two large colonnades flanked the back of the central hall. The fundaments of these colonnades were discovered only several years ago. Unlike the Propylaea of Pisistratus are the current Propylaea completely built with white Pentel icon marble. The worship of Athena Nike on the Acropolis was very ancient.

To the south of the Propylaea, on the right as one ascends the sacred rock, there existed an ancient bastion, where an altar was set up in 566 BC, the year in which the Great Panathenaic festival was instituted, and a small ports temple was built in the period of the Persian Wars (490-480 BC). In 448 BC the Athenians decided to erect a new temple to their goddess of victory, designed by Kallikrates. The size of the temple was imposed by the confined space, but the architect succeeded in creating a small temple in which architectural grace did not entail the sacrifice of grandeur, and elegance was achieved without the loss of tectonic stability. It is a small amphiprostyle Ionic temple which rises gracefully on the edge of the rock, where the Athenians worshipped the goddess of victory expressing their hopes for a new triumph in the war of those years when they were fighting desperately for victory on land and sea against the Spartans and their allies. The representations on the frieze of the temple of Athena Nike recalled the historical battle of Plata iai where the Greeks decisively defeated the Persians, and of a meeting between the gods Athena, Zeus and Poseidon. A later build balustrade with small female figures in shine-through peplos covers the Pyr gos, the bastion on which the temple was build.

When the temple was completed in the turmoil of the Peloponnesian War, the Athenians added a protective parapet, which was composed of marble slabs. It was but an expression of the Athenians' determination and hope for final victory. Those of the slabs that have survived are now in the Acropolis Museum. Another sign that the Athenians were determined to win the exhausting war with Sparta is the statue in the cella of the temple. It shows the Athena as Nike Apter us, the goddess of victory without wings.

Most likely the Athenians had taken away the wings of the goddess of victory in the hope that she would stay in Athens after the first successes against Sparta. In August, the Athenians celebrated the anniversary of their protectress. Every fourth year a magnificent festival, the Panathenaea, was held. The four-day festival began with dancing, singing and a torch race, and included athletic games and musical competitions, but a great procession was the central feature of the Panathenaea. The people gathered at dawn at the foot of the Acropolis for the procession. At the head of the procession was the peplos, the ritual gift to the goddess.

The destination was an antique statue of Athena atop the Acropolis. Behind this peplos, which was displayed on a special wagon, walked the women who had woven this sacred garment, young women carrying sacred objects, sacrificers with animals, priests, cavalry units and other civic personalities.