Greek and Roman Art, Essay Example

Greek Art- The Parthenon (447-438 BCE)

Sitting high above the ancient Acropolis, the Parthenon of Athens was built by Iktinos, Kallikrates, and Phidias with cut stone. It exudes symmetry. It is of Doric style with a rectangular floor and eight columns on each side, all made entirely of marble, erected on a limestone base. It rests on three ceremonial steps that go all the way around the base of the structure and lead to the main floor. It is valued as the most important example of classical Greek architecture. Once it housed a gold and ivory statue of the warrior goddess, Athena. It served a civic purpose as a place for the exchange of ideas. It has served as a Christian church as well as a Mosque. When it was first used, it had a ceiling made of wood with painted and gilded decoration. The only way for light to enter the structure was when the great doors were opened (Matthews, 2010).

Roman Art- The Colosseum (72-80 CE)

Built over the ruins of Emperor Nero’s “Golden House” in Rome, the Colloseum, or Flavian amphitheatre, was erected during the reign of Vespasian to house blood sports between gladiators and wild beasts. It got its name from the 120 foot (Collosal) statue of Nero that was erected near it. The Colloseum witnessed the persecution of Christians. It is a building of two semi-circles, placed face-to-face. It boasts tiered about 50,000 seats that found support from mortar and tile substructures. The ancient theatre had elevators that raised and lowered caged animals to and from the floor of battle. Of the four main doors, three are arched and one is rectangular. The structure is about 150 feet high. Nets once were positioned between the audience and the arena for crowd protection. The arena, the podium, and the cavea (subterranean cells) were the three main sections of the structure. Travertine (sedimentary rock) covered the outside; tufa (sedimentary rock) and brick enclosed the inside. The facility was designed for efficient crowd dispersal.

References

Matthews, K. (2010). The Parthenon. Artifice, Inc. Retrieved 29 April 2010 from http://www.greatbuildings.com/buildings/The_Parthenon.html

Rowan, C. (2000). The Roman Colosseum. Classical World Civilizations. Retrieved 29   April 2010 from http://web.ics.purdue.edu/~rauhn/roman_colosseum.htm