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Abigayle Reeves

Ms. Darrough

WD 1-CEC

October 19, 2010

Influences of Greek Architecture

The wonderful greek people had a lot to do with modern world of today, Read on to see how two buildings connect over hundred of years. The Greek architects had a lot of influences on the modern world. In the paragraphs below I will explain with details how the White house and the Temple of Athena compare to one another even though they are hundreds of years apart.

The Temple of Athena was one of many buildings built by Greek architects around the 400’s BC. The Temple of Athena is located at the top of Mount Olympus in Athens, Greece, which is the Acropolis. As you can see from the picture of, at the bottom of the page, the Temple of Athena have columns as some buildings do today. Like the courthouses have many different types of columns, The Temple of Athena has ionic columns which are scroll shaped at the top and are made out of white marble. Like one of the famous buildings in the modern world of today, The White House.

As, the previous paragraph stated the White house has ionic columns just as The Temple of Athena but the White House is made out of stone but possibly marble. The White house is located in Washington DC and it was built so many years after the Temple of Athena which is cross the Atlantic Ocean. You are probably wondering, “How does the White House have the same type after so many years?” Well, I have learned it’s because as long as people have been building columns they have studied the way of the Greek columns and used the same type of columns for 2500 years. It is all thanks to a German architect and art historian named Johann Joachim Winckelmann who, 250 years ago, encouraged people to look into how the Greeks built columns. The Greeks had three main types of columns that they used. The three types of columns are Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian. Thanks to him for encouraging people to copy the ways of the Greeks we know the types.

As, I have stated the ionic column is a scroll like shape at the top. The Doric column is just a modern day column. It is very plain at the top kind of like squares on top another. The Corinthian columns looks like the fanciest you have ever seen. The top had been described as, “As an acanthus, a plant native to the Mediterranean.”

As, I have stated through out this article the Greeks have many influences on today’s society. There are many buildings today that still use columns like the White House for example. Thanks to Johann Joachim Winckelmann we still know the types of columns. If it was not for him I don’t know who would have told other architects to look into the way the Greeks built temples and houses.

Cited Sources "Fletcher Humanities 2007-2009 | D. S. McNeill." Deitchman. Web. 17 Oct. 2010. .

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">"Greek Architecture." The Alamo Colleges - Homepage. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Web. 17 Oct. 2010. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">[].

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">"Physician Payment Sunshine Act." Policy and Medicine. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Web. 17 Oct. 2010. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">[].

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">"Visitor Center Home The White House." U.S. Senate. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Web. 17 Oct. 2010. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">[].

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">"Odyssey Online: Greece." Michael C. Carlos Museum. Emory University. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Web. 17 Oct. 2010. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">[].

<span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Ancient Greek Architecture

<span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Comparison Table:


 * <span style="color: #800080; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Buildings to be Compared || <span style="color: #800080; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Temple of Athena (Victory) || <span style="color: #800080; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">White House ||
 * <span style="color: #800080; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Location || <span style="color: #800080; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">At the top of Mount Olympus in Athens, Greece, is the Acropolis. || <span style="color: #800080; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Washington D.C. ||
 * <span style="color: #800080; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Year Built || <span style="color: #800080; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">During the 400’s BC || <span style="color: #800080; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">1792-1800 ||
 * <span style="color: #800080; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Type of Columns || <span style="color: #800080; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Ionic || <span style="color: #800080; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Ionic ||
 * <span style="color: #800080; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Materials used to Build the Columns || <span style="color: #800080; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">White Marble || <span style="color: #800080; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Stone (maybe marble) ||
 * <span style="color: #800080; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Purpose of the Building || <span style="color: #800080; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">The temple is used for religious purpose, so people can worship the gods or goddess that it is built for. || <span style="color: #800080; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">The white house gives a sense of personal involvement in the leadership of society. ||