1. The Ancient Greek Temple

3. What did temples look like?
Usually rectangular….
Sometimes round….
Caution: This temple is Roman and is just to give you an idea….

4. number of columns at front
How big were they?
It depends!
Plans based on even numbers:
Temple of Zeus, Athens: 108m long x 17m tall
technical term
number of columns at front
distyle
2 columns
tetrastyle
4 columns
hexastyle
6 columns
octastyle
8 columns
decastyle
10 columns
Temple of Athena Nike, Athens: 8m long x 7m tall

5. What parts make up a Greek temple?

6. Pediment – the roof of the temple and the decoration at the front
Entablature – made up of various parts for structure and decoration
Columns
Base – slightly curved (although it didn’t look it!) so that rain water might run off

7. COLUMNS
Greek columns were made up of several different pieces. The four most important parts of the column are highlighted in red.

8. TYPES OF COLUMN

9. ENTABLATURE

10. PEDIMENTS (triangley bits)
Often decorated with dramatic sculpted scenes, usually of the gods and goddesses.

11. METOPES (stripey bits)
Little squares often filled with sculpted decorations. Sometimes these sculptures showed scenes from mythological stories.

12. FRIEZE
Long strips of sculpted decoration that ran around the top of the inside layer of the temple. Perhaps the most famous example are the Parthenon friezes in the British Museum.