Greek Architecture

Greek Architecture was based off of the post-and-lintel system which composed of columns.
Ancient Greeks did not have royalty; they had no need for palaces. Their architecture was
devoted to public buildings.
Greek architecture stretches from 900 BC to the 1st century AD.
Most common form of Greek public architecture was the temple.
Temples served as:
- Storage places for the treasury
- Cult of god
- Place for devotees to leave their offerings
Greeks referred to temples with the term ( ho nas) meaning "dwelling;" temple derives
from the Latin term, templum.
The second important type of building that survives all over the Hellenic world is the open-air
theatre.
Theatres were used for both public meetings and dramatic performance.

GREEK ORDERS OF ARCHITECTURE

Doric Order - the oldest and most simple order. The columns have no base and the columns have
a very simple capital. In other words, Doric buildings were the least decorated. Archaeologists
believe that Doric architectural buildings, which were built in stone, evolved from wooden
buildings that were very similar. The Doric order is recognised by its capital, of which the
echinus is like a circular cushion rising from the top of the column to the square abacus on which
rest the lintels. The echinus appears flat and splayed in early examples, deeper and with greater
curve in later, more refined examples, and smaller and straight-sided in Hellenistc examples.

Ionic Order - more decorative than the Doric. The columns are taller and thinner, and the capitals
at the top of the columns are decorated with scrolls and other patterns. The bases of the columns
are also decorated. The Ionic Order is recognised by its voluted capital, in which a curved
echinus of similar shape to that of the Doric Order, but decorated with stylised ornament, is
surmounted by a horizontal band that scrolls under to either side, forming spirals or volutes
similar to those of the nautilus shell or ram's horn. In plan, the capital is rectangular. It's designed
to be viewed frontally but the capitals at the corners of buildings are modified with an additional
scroll so as to appear regular on two adjoining faces. In the Hellenistic period, four-fronted Ionic
capitals became common.

Corinthian Order - The Corinthian order is a lot like the Ionic order, but the capitals are even
more elaborately decorated, usually with leaves and floral patterns. The Corinthian Order does
not have its origin in wooden architecture. It grew directly out of the Ionic in the mid-5th century
BC, and was initially of much the same style and proportion, but distinguished by its more ornate
capitals.