Greek Temples Architecture

What is the function of a Greek temples?

- building dedicated to a god

- used to house the cult statue of that god

- seen as a residence on earth for the gods when they leave mount Olympus

Who is allowed to enter the temples?

Only priests

Where was the altar?

Outside, in front of the temple so commoners could worship

What took place at the altar?

Sacrifices + offerings

What is a sanctuary?

A holy area in a city or town.

What did a sanctuary typically contain?

A temple and an altar to a god.

Pollution

Someone has done something to make them impure in the eyes of some gods.

What types of impure actions could people do that need purification?

Homicide, contact with the dead, or newborns

Pteron (perisatis)

The colonnade around the table

Pronaos

The porch in front of the main entrance

Naos/cella

The main room of the temple where the cult statue stood

Opisthodomos

The rear porch of the temple which often served as a treasury

Hexastyle

6 columns in front

Octastyle

8 columns across the front

Pediment

Triangular space at either end of the temple: could contain sculpture or left blank

Frieze

Continuous strip of stone or marble that runs around a temple

Metope

Square spaces within a frieze

Ionic frieze

contains a continuous (uninterrupted) block of stonework that may be plain or sculpted, used by sculptors to tell a continuous story or use many characters

Doric frieze

A continuous strip of stone or marble divided into square spaces called metopes, used by sculptors to tell several stories or several scenes from the same story