Ancient Greece: Mycenae, Dark Ages, and Classical Architecture

What civilization is believed to have declined due to economic disasters, warfare, and invasions?

The Mycenaean civilization.

What catastrophic event affected the Minoans and Therans?

The eruption of Thera, which caused volcanic disaster and seismic sea waves.

What period is known as the Greek Dark Ages?

The period between about 1100 B.C. and 750 B.C.

What characterized the Greek Dark Ages?

A decline in civilization, disappearance of palaces, replaced by simple site or nothing

What is the Geometric Period in Greek history?

The period between 1000 and 675 B.C. characterized by simple geometric art.

Who ruled Athens around 900 B.C.?

Three archons: the basileus, the polemarch, and the Eponymous Archon.

What was the role of the Eponymous Archon in Athens?

He concerned himself with administration and local or tribal needs.

What was the Ekklesia in ancient Athens?

A popular assembly of 6,000 that made laws.

What significant events occurred during the Classical Period (500 - 300 B.C.)?

The Golden Age of Athens, the Persian Wars, and battle of thermopylae

Who was Leonidas and what was his role in the Battle of Thermopylae?

led 300 Spartan hoplites against Xerxes of Persia in 480 B.C.

What was the Persian Defense Fund used for?

To prepare Greece against potential Persian invasions and much of the money was quietly appropriated by Pericles to build up Athens and to create such wonders as the Parthenon or temple to Athena the Maiden Goddess located on the Acropolis.

What was the significance of Pericles in Athenian history?

The construction of the gorgeous new temple to Athena

• the Parthenon was a major goal.

• the Propylaea or elaborate entrance gate that led visitors directly in front of a gorgeous statue of Athena herself,

• work of Phidias, the most important sculptor of large‐scale statues in Athens.

What architectural style is the Parthenon an example of?

The Doric temple style.

What are the main components of a Doric temple?

had fluted column drums that rose to a rounded echinus supporting an abacus and comprising the column capital.

What was the Panathenaea?

A festival celebrating Athena, featuring games, theatrical performances, and a procession.

What distinguishes Ionic columns from Doric columns?

Ionic columns are more ornate, have a base, and feature a volute capital. volute member between the echinus and reduced in size abacus. It has a banded architrave, known as a fascinated architrave.

What is unique about Corinthian columns?

They have a bell-shaped capital adorned with acanthus leaves.

What was the role of the Areopagus in ancient Athens?

It was a council that advised the archons and dealt with judicial matters.

What was the outcome of the Peloponnesian War?

A conflict primarily between Athens and Sparta that lasted from 431 to 404 B.C.

What artistic developments occurred during the fifth century B.C. in Athens?

Realistic and idealized sculptures, particularly in temple friezes.

What was the significance of the statue of Athena Parthenos by Phidias?

It was a colossal gold and ivory statue located inside the Parthenon.

What is the architectural term for the central area of a temple?

Naos.

What was the primary material used for constructing Greek temples?

Fine stone, especially marble.

What was the role of the bouleterion?

It was the meeting place for the Boule in Athens.

What was the primary function of the Astoa in the agora?

To provide shelter for visitors and house galleries and meeting rooms.