Hi atom14x7,
Thank you for a very interesting question. You asked for a first-hand
account of Ancient Greece architecture - around the 4th Century BC.
You'll see I've provided you with much architectural information
regarding that time period.
There isn't a lot of information about everyday life in ancient
Greece, because the routines and activities of ordinary people weren't
written down.
A Glimpse of the average day in Ancient Greece
http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/ancientgreece.htm
["Everyday Life in Ancient Greece, 4th Century BC," EyeWitness to
History www.eyewitnesstohistory.com]
"Centered within a lose collection of city-states (often at war with
one another), ancient Greek culture reached its pinnacle during the
fourth century BC - an era described as its "Golden Age." Art,
theater, music, poetry, philosophy, and political experiments such as
democracy flourished. Greek influence stretched along the northern rim
of the Mediterranean from the shores of Asia Minor to the Italian
peninsula.
In Athens, society was male-dominated - only men could be citizens and
only upper-class males enjoyed a formal education. Women had few
political rights and were expected to remain in the home and bear
children. Fully one quarter of the population was made up of slaves,
usually prisoners captured during the many clashes that extended Greek
influence overseas. These slaves provided much of the manpower that
fueled the burgeoning economy, working in shipyards, quarries, mines,
and as domestic servants.
Most homes were modest, windowless and wrapped around a courtyard.
Furniture was rare. People spent the majority of the day out of doors
enjoying the mild Mediterranean climate. The Greek diet was also
modest, based largely on wine and bread. A typical day would start
with bread dipped in wine, the same for lunch and a dinner of wine,
fruits, vegetables and fish. Consumption of meat was reserved for
special occasions such as religious holidays.
[*****The following describes a first-hand account of a Greek
aristocrat and his activities on a typical morning.*****]
A Glimpse of the average day in Ancient Greece
Xenophon was a pupil of Socrates. Here, he describes the manner in
which the ideal Greek aristocrat would pass the hours of a typical
morning. Xenophon uses a literary device in which the story is
supposed to be told by Socrates who is speaking with a friend by the
name of Ischomachus. Socrates has asked his friend to describe how he
spends his day. Ischomachus responds:
"Why, then, Socrates, my habit is to rise from bed betimes, when I may
still expect to find at home this, that, or the other friend whom I
may wish to see. Then, if anything has to be done in town, I set off
to transact the business and make that my walk; or if there is no
business to transact in town, my serving boy leads on my horse to the
farm; I follow, and so make the country road my walk, which suits my
purpose quite as well or better, Socrates, perhaps, than pacing up and
down the colonnade [in the city]. Then when I have reached the farm,
where mayhap some of my men are planting trees, or breaking fallow,
sowing, or getting in the crops, I inspect their various labors with
an eye to every detail, and whenever I can improve upon the present
system, I introduce reform.
After this, usually I mount my horse and take a canter. I put him
through his paces, suiting these, so far as possible, to those
inevitable in war, - in other words, I avoid neither steep slope, nor
sheer incline, neither trench nor runnel, only giving my uttermost
heed the while so as not to lame my horse while exercising him. When
that is over, the boy gives the horse a roll, and leads him homeward,
taking at the same time from the country to town whatever we may
chance to need. Meanwhile I am off for home, partly walking, partly
running, and having reached home I take a bath and give myself a rub,
- and then I breakfast, - a repast that leaves me neither hungry nor
overfed, and will suffice me through the day."
References:
Davis, William Stearns, Readings In Ancient History (1912); Freeman,
Charles, The Greek Achievement (1999).
=================================================
Architecture in ancient Greece:
http://www.ancientgreece.com/art/art.htm
"Greek life was dominated by religion and so it is not surprising that
the temples of ancient Greece were the biggest and most beautiful.They
also had a political purpose as they were often built to celebrate
civic power and pride, or offer thanksgiving to the patron deity of a
city for success in war."
See photo - The Temple of Apollo at Didyma:
The Greeks built the Temple of Apollo at Didyma, Turkey (about 300
BC). The design of the temple was known as dipteral, a term that
refers to the two sets of columns surrounding the interior section.
These columns surrounded a small chamber that housed the statue of
Apollo. With Ionic columns reaching 19.5 m (64 ft) high, these ruins
suggest the former grandeur of the ancient temple.
See photo - The Temple of Athena Nike:
part of the Acropolis in the city of Athens. The Greeks built the
Temple of Apollo at Didyma, Turkey (about 300 BC). The design of the
temple was known as dipteral, a term that refers to the two sets of
columns surrounding the interior section. These columns surrounded a
small chamber that housed the statue of Apollo. With Ionic columns
reaching 19.5 m (64 ft) high, these ruins suggest the former grandeur
of the ancient temple.
See photo - Corinthian Order:
- most ornate of the classic orders of architecture. It was also the
latest, not arriving at full development until the middle of the 4th
cent. B.C. The oldest known example, however, is found in the temple
of Apollo at Bassae (c.420 B.C.). The Greeks made little use of the
order; the chief example is the circular structure at Athens known as
the choragic monument of Lysicrates ( 335 B.C.). The temple of Zeus at
Athens (started in the 2d cent. B.C. and completed by Emperor Hadrian
in the 2d cent. A.D.) was perhaps the most notable of the Corinthian
temples.
=================================================
THE MONUMENT OF THE EPONYMOUS HEROES
The statues of the ten heroes after whom the 10 tribes of Attica were
named (4th century B.C.) were placed here. It was a highly frequented
place. All public announcements were posted on the pedestals of those
statues.
See photo: http://mkatz.web.wesleyan.edu/medea_lecture/eponymous_heroes.htm
A reconstruction of the Monument as it would have looked in the fourth century BCE.
The statues represented the heroes of the ten eponymous tribes
(phylai) created by Cleisthenes in 508 BCE.
The tripods on either end presumably reflect the role of the Delphic
Oracle of Apollo in the selection of the heroes.
We know the names of the heroes from Pausanias, who also reports that
they gave their names to the Athenian tribes in obedience to an
oracle.
The ten heroes were: Hippothoon, Antiochos, Ajax, Leos, Erechtheus,
Aigeus, Oineus, Akamas, Kekrops and Pandion
=================================================
Greek Art and Architecture (second drawing on left - click on drawing)
http://www.emory.edu/ENGLISH/DRAMA/GreekArt.html
"The Greek theater reached its most famous and most familiar
architectural form only in the Hellenestic period (roughly, mid-fourth
to mid-first century B.C.)--ironically, some time after its chief
poets were dead. It is a curious but suggestive irony that the "golden
age" of theater occurred well in advance of the golden age of theater
building. This is a sketch of the groundplan for the Theater of
Dionysos in the 4th century B.C.; you can see that the architecture
here creates a directional relationship between actors and viewers,
and that this stage allows for more elaborate scenic backgrounds."
[edit]
last photo on left (click on photo)
"Theater at Epidaurus, the most perfectly preserved of all ancient
Greek theaters. Built at about mid fourth-century B.C., it is thought
to be typical of Hellenistic theater architecture. Theaters were built
during this period at an unprecedented rate: twelve were built in
Attica alone, and others were constructed in Asia Minor, Africa, and
Italy.The stage here is raised, and the orchestra remains fully
circular."
================================================
Greek Art and Architecture
http://encarta.msn.com/text_761561691___30/Greek_Art_and_Architecture.html
"Perhaps the most grandiose example is a late 4th-century bronze
krater found at Derveni in northern Greece. The Derveni krater
(Thessaloníki Museum, Greece) is adorned with cast-metal statuettes on
its shoulders, repoussé (raised metal) reliefs of mythological figures
on the body, and an abundance of other ornaments around the rim and
handles, demonstrating that not all Greeks believed in the motto
nothing in excess."
=================================================
Click on Regal Corinthian
http://www.marbleclassics.com/architectural-column-pillar-greek-roman.htm
Corinthian, from the 4th Century B.C.
=================================================
HELLENISTIC: Apulian Gnathian Squat Lekythos, ca. 340-330 b.c.
http://www.northnet.org/mwcsart/greek1.htm
"This style of pottery appeared around the middle of the 4th century
b.c. in the southern Italian region of Apulia. It takes its name from
the site of Egnazia where the style may have originated, although
various centers must have produced this type of pottery. The style is
characterized by black-glazed surfaces with polychrome decoration in
red, white and yellow comprising mostly floral and bird motifs. A
similar style, called West Slope, appeared in Athens around the end of
the 4th century b.c."
=================================================
Greek Architecture By Miles Sandgathe
http://www.pleasanthill.k12.or.us/Schools/High/Departments/Scholars%20Presentations/Pages/outline_miles.html
Corinthian Order
"The long civil wars during the late 5th and 4th centuries B.C.
eclipsed monumental architecture in mainland Greece, although old
temples were repaired and some innovative building was done in the
peloponnesian cities and sanctuaries of Argos, Epidaurus, Nemea, and
Tegea.
The Corinthian column, probably first used by Ictinus in the temple of
Apollo, was used for interior colonnades and for the exterior of
circular monuments called tholoi. According to legend the sight of
Acanthus leaves growing from a basket on a grave column inspired the
design."
======================================================
Corinthian
http://ah.bfn.org/a/DCTNRY/c/corinthorder.html
======================================================
See Drawing and photo - Corinthian
http://www.cmhpf.org/kids/dictionary/ClassicalOrders.html
=================================================
Ancient Greece - Author: Ana
http://www.gotessays.com/essays/280/index.php
GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATION
"The Ancient Greek civilization was located on today?s Greek land,
Ionian Islands, Asia Minor, South Italy, and Sicily. It is surrounded
by mountains and in the north by water. The Ionian and the Aegean
seas, together with natural islands and bays, gave the Greeks the
opportunety to develop their maritime commerce and their rich culture.
The mountains, which surrounded Greece, gave us the picture of its
political character.
From early times, the Greeks lived in independet settlements, and they
were isolated from one another. Later, this settelments grew up into
poles or city-states.
The Mediteranien Sea moderates Greeks climate cooling air in summer
and warmth in winter period. Summers are generaly hot and dry, and
winters are mild and rainy in costal regions. In mountain region
winters are stronger.
THE GREEKS EVERYDAY LIFE
THE CLASSICAL PERIOD (479-323 BC)
By the end of the Persian war, the Classical period started. This was
the period when the city of Athens had the greatest political and
cultural power principles of democracy established, the Parthenon
was built, and philosophical schools of Socrates and Plato were
founded. During the late 5th century BC century, the war between
Athens and Sparta took place. After many years of fight, Sparta
finally won, and took controll over the Greek land. That event
destroyed democracy and started to return tyranism.
In the first half of the 4th century BC, another war took place in the
Greeks land: the war between Athens, Sparta and Thebes. At the end,
peace was finally established when Sparta took overall control, backed
by Persia. In the second half of the 4th century BC, Phillip II and
his son Alexandar the Great took control over the Greek world. Finally
the Classical periods ends at the same time as the Alexandar the Great
died in the age of 32 (323BC).
THE HELLENISTIC PERIOD (323-31BC)
When the Alexandar the Graet died (323BC) the land was split into
three portions. The first portion was ruled by Antigonid dynasty, and
it spreaded throughout the mainland of the Greece. The Seleucids ruled
the second portion, and it consisted of the eastern empire, and the
third, the Ptolemies governed the largest portion of the territory
the land of ancient Egypt. In this time the greatest advances were
made in terms of engineering, physics, astronomy and mathematics. In
Alexandria the great libraries were founded. The old beliefs in Olimp
were influenced by the Orient religions and cultures."
[edit]
"The archeologist could only find rare signs of the private life of
the ancient Greece. The only way to figure out what was their private
life like were scenes on Black Figure and Red Figure pottery made in
Athens during the 6th and 5th century BC.
Very often, the evening meal followed by the special occasions such as
symposium. The Symposium is a drinking party organized by the host,
and they were normally attended by male guests, but could also include
female entertainers and servants. The interior of these drinking
parties showed music and revelry. On the exterior, six-party attendant
sang and danced.
WOMEN?S LIFE
The Greek women did not have power, political right to vote, and men
controlled them. Duties of women who lived in the cities were
different of the one who lived in a rural area. The city-woman had to
raise the children (desirabla male baby), and to run the household.
The rural-woman also had to raise children and to do some agriculture
work.
The Greek woman had very strictly limited time outside the house. The
exceptions were only some occasions such as weddings, funerals, and
religios festivals, where a Greek woman was expected to play prominent
public role.
Clothes for women were normally made from available matirialy wool
or flax- and these clothes were made at home. The most commonly
clothes were the chiton or tunic and himation or cloak.
Men in the ancient Greece were much more busier than women. Their
primary occupation were politics, arts and crafts, construction,
agriculture, manufactoring and trade. At the Greeks vase painting,
men?s outdoor life was very good ilustrated. Their primary relaxations
were horse riding and hunting.
At first, only the aristocratic boys had a chance to educate
themselves. After, in the 4th century BC, all eighteen-years males
spent two years in gymnasium. Gymnasium was a state school devoted to
overall physical and intellectual development of a young man. More
advanced education in philosophy, mathematics, logics, and rethoric
was available to the aristocracy in highly selected gymnasium like the
academy of Plato and the Lycaeum of Aristotle."
[edit]
"RELIGION
The ancient Greeks were very religious people. They were poligamics,
and they believed that a certain god shows up in a human form. In the
Greek art, especially on the vases, many scenes with gods were
illustrated. For people of the ancient Grrek, many gods usually had
the affair with the usual man. This is even written in some myths, and
the result of that event was that many demi-gods appeared.
Sarcifices were the gifts for their gods. There were two types of
sarcifices the bloodless (roots, cereal grains, fruits, cheese), and
blood-offerings (animals, birds and fish).
The Greeks housed their gods in temples, which were often enclosed by
the walls. In the inside of the temples, big statues of their gods
were exposed. When the ceremony took place, those statues were even
bathed, clothed and symbolicayy fed."
=================================================
Greece
http://carlos.emory.edu/ODYSSEY/GREECE/daily.html
"We don't have a lot of information about everyday life in ancient
Greece, because the routines and activities of ordinary people weren't
written down. However, the objects that people used everday and
representations of people in art, especially paintings on vases, give
us a glimpse into what life was like in the ancient Greek world.
Where did they live?
Most Greek homes were built of sun-dried brick. Unfortunately, this
material doesn't last thousands of years, so we don't have much
evidence about Greek houses. A few sites have been studied by
archaeologists and give us a general idea about Greek houses.
The rooms of the house were arranged around a courtyard. Most of the
rooms looked onto the courtyard, but were concealed from the street.
Windows were small and set high on the walls. They didn't have glass,
but could be closed with wooden shutters.
There was often an altar standing in the courtyard. We know that
religion played an important role in the Greek household - different
gods protected different parts of the house.
Overall, Greek houses were small and modest compared to the lavish
splendor of public buildings, for example, their temples. The Greeks
probably liked their houses to be private and not draw a lot of
attention."
=================================================
Ancient Greece
http://encarta.msn.com/text_1741501460___25/Ancient_Greece.html
Greek large-scale architecture began with the Minoan and Mycenaean palaces
[****Late Bronze Age (Minoans and Myceneans) ca. 1600-ca. 1200 BC****]
"These multistory buildings had many rooms centered around courtyards.
Balconies provided space for viewing festivals in the open areas
below. Architects in the later city-states designed public structures,
such as stoas, government buildings, and temples. Stoas were sheltered
walkways placed around the agora to provide shade for conversation.
Temples were the largest buildings in the city-state. Athens's
Parthenon became Greece's most famous building for its size, many
columns, and elaborate sculptural decoration. Hellenistic kings outdid
the Athenians by erecting huge temples. The temple of Artemis at
Ephesus is one of the Seven Wonders of the World."
[edit]
"Plays were performed outdoors at festivals honoring the god Dionysus
in a competition sponsored by the city-state. Thousands of people
packed the theater. Each author presented three tragedies, followed by
a semicomic play featuring satyrs (mythical half-man, half-animal
beings). Actors wore colorful costumes and masks; a chorus danced and
sang as part of each play.
Comedies also were performed in these competitions. These plays
displayed remarkable freedom of speech in criticizing public policy
and making fun of politicians. Their plots could be fantastic, for
example having a character fly up on a dung beetle to ask the gods for
peace. Their language featured jokes, puns, and obscenities. The most
famous comic playwright was Aristophanes, who wrote some comedies with
powerful women as main characters. Greek comedy in the 4th century bc
changed from political commentary to social satire. Authors such as
Menander produced comedies that provided insights into human
weaknesses and the complications of everyday life."
=================================================
Architecture (see last drawing)
http://library.thinkquest.org/19317/htm/architecture.htm?tqskip1=1
"In the 4th century BC, the Corinthian style appeared as a variation
of the Ionic order. Its shaft is slender, and the top is carved from
the shape of an upside down bell, decorated with leaves. It faces
equally in four directions and is better adapted for corners.
Today, many buildings such as the Buckingham palace, uses these
columns. They can be found everywhere, from office buildings to
museums, only if you take time to look for them."
=================================================
The Ancient Greek World - Classical Period Circa 479 - 323 B.C.
http://www.museum.upenn.edu/Greek_World/time-05.html
"The end of the Persian Wars marked the beginning of the Classical
period. In this period Athens reached its greatest political and
cultural heights: the full development of the democratic system of
government under the Athenian statesman Pericles; the building of the
Parthenon on the Acropolis; the creation of the tragedies of
Sophocles, Aeschylus and Euripides; and the founding of the
philosophical schools of Socrates and Plato.
In the late 5th century, the Peloponnesian Wars between Athens and
Sparta caused turmoil throughout the Greek world. After the surrender
of the Athenians, democracy was restored. Meanwhile, in Sicily and
Italy a conflict was being played out between the Carthaginians and
the Greeks of the region. By the end of the 5th century the
Carthaginians and their main adversary, the Syracusans, arrived at a
truce.
During the 4th century Athens, Sparta and Thebes vied for political
dominance of Greece. Peace was finally established when Sparta, backed
by Persia, won control. In the second half of the 4th century, a
divided Greece and the decline of the polis gave rise to the powerful
Macedonian state under Philip II and his son, Alexander the Great.
After bringing all of the eastern world to the continent of India
under his control, Alexander died in Babylon at the age of 32 (323
BC). By the time of his death Hellenism had reached much of the known
world and the Classical period was over."
Attic Red Figure Kylix ca. 460 BC By the Painter of Bologna 417
Vulci, Etruria
This drinking vessel bears a scene of a young Athenian saluting a head
of Hermes on a pillar. Hermes´ kerykeion, or herald´s staff, appears
on the shaft of the herm and a dedicatory wreath adorns the arm strut.
H. 8.6; Dia. 22.0 cm. Photo by Maria Daniels for the Perseus Project (66k)
================================================
432 BC was the End of Golden Age
http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/ptext?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0009&query=toc
Introduction to the Fourth Century
"This section of the Historical Overview continues the history of
Greece in the Classical period during the fourth century. Its
chronological end falls in 323 B.C., the death of the Macedonian king
Alexander the Great. This date is conventionally fixed as the end of
the Classical period and the beginning of the Hellenistic period
(which is not covered in the Historical Overview). On this traditional
scheme of reckoning the Hellenistic period is made to reach until 30
B.C., the death of Cleopatra VII, queen of Egypt and the last
descendant of the Macedonian royal house. In the Hellenistic period
Rome became the foremost power in the Mediterranean region and
eventually made Greece a Roman province.
The city-states of Greece had already been overshadowed as
international powers by the rise of the kingdom of Macedonia under
Philip II and his son Alexander in the latter half of the fourth
century, and after Alexander's death in 323 the Hellenistic kingdoms
that sprang up to control what had been his short-lived empire
continued to dominate the Greek world in terms of military and
economic power. The basic institutions of the Greek city-state
remained in place, however, in the Hellenistic period, and in many
respects little changed in the lives of the majority of Greeks-- those
who worked on the land. The story of Greece in the fourth century-- a
continuing tale of disunity and strife -- provides the background for
the loss of political and military dominance by the Greek city-states
to the warrior society of Macedonia and its successor kingdoms."
Google search:
Greek Architecture timeline
Ancient Greece 4th Century BC
Greek Architecture around 350 BC
history of Ancient Greek
life in Ancient Greece 4th Century BC
housing Ancient Greece 4th Century BC
daily life Ancient Greek people 4th Century BC
Best regards,
tlspiegel |
