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The Ancient World 750BC-174AD 
Moving from the dawn of architecture to the dawn of civilization, the Greeks are seen emerging. ”Man is the measure of all things”(Stokstad, p.154) This was the base of Greek thought upon their emergence as a world power. Self-confident and able, Greece already showcased a backdrop of immense beauty with its mountainous land, olive trees, and grape vine covered hillsides, but there was a desire to surpass the beauty of nature itself . Using newer mediums such as stone and marble, the Greeks established standardized plans for simple rooms with columns, to massive temples with complex column and porch motifs. The Doric, Ionic and Corinthian orders emerged as standardized elevation designs which are widely seen and even used today. The Greeks also set forth highly stylized decoration as being very important, with their detailed pediments and sheer size of their works. With regards to the Greek people and their bigger is better attitudes, it begins to become more apparent how the general society is mirrored by its architecture. As opposed to crude assembling of materials, aesthetic inspiration was clearly indicated in the masterpieces of Hellenic Art. With so much importance devoted to rationalization, the orderly construction of the temples was an unevitable outcome, as Greek architects were guided by this principle. |