Greek and Roman Architecture art 101

Greek and Roman Architecture

Greek architecture was based  on building beautiful buildings to worship the Greek gods, and the majority of these buildings where ,in fact,   temples. Although the Roman architecture worshiped the Roman gods, the most stunning buildings were those for social gathering.

Up until the 7th century, Greek architecture was built from wood and mud. The buildings very well-known know today were made largely of limestone. The Greeks extracted the limestone and cut it in large blocks so it would be easier for the builders to work with the material. Moreover, the periods shown in these buildings are Classical, Hellenistic, and Roman.

Additionally, some buildings were made of marble but the cost of this rock was too high. For this reason, marble was more popular to build sculptures rather than buildings.

The main styles of Greek architecture are Ionic and Doric. The Doric style was predominant in Greece and Italy. The Ionic style differed with the Doric style because   the Doric style is more formal whereas the Ionic style is more decorative. The Pantheon in Greece is an example of the Doric style.

Roman architecture is considered to use more advanced designs as well as more complex engineering, and it uses three types of columns.

The most common type of columns is made in the Doric style; these columns are plain with the only purpose to support heavy structures. Moreover, the Ionic style was used to decorate the ends of the columns. The Corinthian style is considered superior than the other columns because it has more meticoulous details.

Roman architecture employed the use of arches quite often, resulting in a stunning architectural work. The use of arches led to the elaboration of the dome, for example, the Coliseum in Rome, Italy.

Greek and Roman architecture showed an advanced engineering and architectural techniques of the era, which also represented their religious beliefs.