Greek Temples ( Parthenon & Temple of Zeus) Flashcards
Where did people in the classical world believe the gods lived?
in the temples
TRUE OR FALSE:
Everyone was allowed inside of the temples.
FALSE
very little people we allowed inside of the temple
What was the purpose of a Greek Temple?
a home for the gods on earth, where they could be worshipped and people could give sacrifices
What was each temple dedicated to?
a god or goddess
What would the temple house?
the cult the statue of the the god the temple was dedicated to
What is a sanctuary?
-they were the holiest part of a city.
-they were separated from the rest of the city
What was contained inside of the sanctuary?
-temples and altars to many different gods and goddesses
What did most sanctuaries have a source of and why?
freshwater, so people could wash their hands and feet upon arrival
Why was cleanliness so important on the sancturaries?
so that the holy area was not polluted
What was pollution?
when someone did something that made them impure in the eyes of the gods
Give 3 examples of things which made a person polluted on a sanctuary?
-coming in contact with a dead body
-committing Homicide
- coming in contact with a new born
How long would Pollution on a person last?
could last a few days or could be removed immediately by washing
What were altars for?
Religious ceremonies: sacrifices and offerings
What was the most communal part of the gods’s worship?
sacrifices
What is a Colonnade?
a row of evenly spaced columns supporting a roof
What is a foundation plinth?
where the temple is built on
What is the Cella?
Where the cult statue was kept
What is another name for the Cella?
naos
What direction would all Greek temples face?
east
Where was the polis’ treasury held in a temple?
the Opisthodomos
What order temple is the oldest?
Doric
What is a capital on a temple column?
the very top of a column
What is a flute on a temple column?
the line which runs down a column
describe a Doric column
-no base on the column
- a small amount of flutes
- undecorated capital
describe the roof of a Doric temple
-there is a pediment
-there are metopes
-there are triglyphs between metopes
What is the second oldest style of temple?
ionic temple
describe an ionic column?
-capital decorated a volute (scroll)
-thinner column
-lots of flutes
-has a base
describe an ionic roof
-pediment
-frieze
what is the youngest style of temple?
Corinthian style
describe a Corinthian column
-decorated capital
- very thin column
- has a base
-lots of flutes
describe a Corinthian roof
-no pediment
-frieze
when was Athens sacked by the Persians?
480BC
what was the Delian league?
an alliance with other Greek cities to protect themselves against future attacks
Which Greek city led the Delian league?
Athens
What did the members of the Delian league need to provide?
ships or money
Where was the money of the delian league kept at first?
on the neutral island of Delos
Who moved the Delian treasury to athens?
Greek politician Pericles
What was the money of the Delian league used for in Athens?
funding a massive building programme to decorate Athens and help rebuild after the Persian war
Where was most of the money from the Delian league used in Athens ?
the Acropolis
Which god was the Acropolis dedicated to?
Athena
What was the largest building on the Acropolis?
the Parthenon
Where in Athens was the Delian Leagues money held?
The opisthodomos of the Parthenon
What was the Parthenon dedicated to?
Athena Parthenos
What does Athena Parthenos mean?
Athena the Virgin
what does Athena Nike mean
athena victory
what does Athena Promachos
war like
what does Athena Polias mean
Athena of the city
how many columns long was the Parthenon?
17
how many columns wide was the Parthenon?
8
What was the Propylaea on the acropolis?
the entrance gate to the acropolis
What was the Erechtheum and what did it replace?
a temple which replaced the old temple ‘athena Polias’
who was the west room of the Erechtheum dedicated to?
dedicated to Poseidon and Erechteus
Who was Erechteus?
the founding father of Athens
What was in the east room of the Erechtheum?
a statue of Athena
Why was a room dedicated to Poseidon on the Acropolis?
to worship Poseidon so he does not get angry
What was the parthenon made of?
marble
Why was the Parthenon built
to celebrate the victory over the persians
Who was the main sculptor of the Parthenon?
Phidias
What order temple was the Parthenon
doric temple with an ionic frieze
Where was the ionic frieze on the Parthenon
on the inner colonade
How tall was the Parthenon?
13m
How long was the Parthenon
70m
How wide was the Parthenon in metres
31m
What was unique about the cult statue in the Parthenon?
it was the biggest cult statue of Athena is Greece
What was the cult statue of Athena is the Parthenon made out of?
chryselephantine
What is chryselephantine?
gold and ivory
4 reasons as to why the Parthenon is impressive.
any 4 of:
- large temple
-help biggest cult statue of Athena
-Doric temple with ionic frieze (unique)
-made of marble which is expensive
-has an extra colonnade
- detailed structed with limited technology
-its opisthodomos held the money of the Delian league
what did the east pediment on the Parthenon depict
the birth of Athena
what did the west pediment on the Parthenon depict
the contest between Poseidon and Athena
What did the metopes on the Parthenon depict
Centaurs vs Lapiths - Centauromachy
What did the frieze on the Parthenon depict
The Panathenaic festival
What sanctuary was the temple of Zeus Situated on?
Attis in Olympia
When did construction of the temple of Zeus begin?
472BC
What was altar of Zeus made of ?
ashes of sacrificed victims
Who was allowed to make sacrifices at the altar of Zeus?
only men
How high was the altar of Zeus
7 metres high
What was the eastern pediment of the temple of Zeus depicted with?
The myth of Pelops and Oenomaus
Who is stood in the middle of the eastern pediment of the temple of Zeus and what does this mean?
Zeus - shows him acting as a god of justice and a judge
Who was the wife of Oenomaus?
Sterope
What does the western pediment on the temple of Zeus depict?
The centauromachy
How many columns wide was the Temple of Zeus?
6 columns
How many columns long was the Temple of Zeus?
13 colums
What was the cult statue of Zeus made out of ?
Chryselephantine
Who sculpted the cult statue of Zeus?
Phidias
What did the metopes at the temple of Zeus depict?
The 12 labours of Heracles
How tall was the cult statue of Zeus?
12.4m
What was the temple of Zeus made of?
Limestone covered with Stucco
What were the dimensions of the Temple of Zeus
72m in length
30m in width
21m in height
