Greek Art - 6 Classical Period: Acropolis of Athens

Sixth video about the Greek Art serie. Any doubt? Send me a message.

The birth of Greek culture and art were born between the IX and VIII centuries BCE on the peninsula of Attica, the Peloponnese peninsula, the peninsula on the west coast of Asia Minor and the Aegean islands. The importance of their art and culture is enormous.

The Classical Period goes from 480 to 323 BCE. It is a period with new life forms, new philosophy (Socrates and Plato), and a new conception of art. The proportional canon is used. Due to the confidence they had because they won the Persian Wars, all the sculpture was like a remembrance of the victories in the form of Titanomachies, Amazonomachies, Giantomachies... Among other types.

Acropolis of Athens: the acropolis is in an elevated terrain, with defensive and powerful character. Athens is named so because Athena won against Poseidon to put the name to the city.
Propylaea: this is the entry to the acropolis. It has doric capitals in the exterior and jonic capitals in the interior.
Atenea Nike: a little temple close to the entry. It conmemores the Battle of Salamis, in the Persian Wars. In its interior was an Athena Nike, a winged victory.

Parthenon: the great and very well known temple. It is a temple dedicated to Athena Parthenos or Virginal Athena. It replaced the Hekatompedon. Columns with entasis, a visual effect to give more perfection, that is what they looked for with this. This temple had the Athena Parthenos statue by Phidias, a great chryselephantine statue, in whose base we can see the Pandora's tale. Phidias also worked in the sculptures of this temple. The eastern fronton tells the birth of Athena from the Zeus' head. The western fronton tells the dispute of Athens between Athena and Poseidon. The metopes, also made by Phidias, tell mythological battles. The best conserved is the Centauromachy's metopes, but others were the Gigantomachy, the Amazonomachy and the looting of Troy. The Panathenaea frieze tells how this festival is done, it is in the interior of the temple, and it's by Phidias too. The Athene Promachos is known by representations of coins, she is the salvator and guardian of the city. She is represented as a warrior, and she was very big.

Erecteion: this temple has a very rare form, knowning the perfection rules they had to follow. It has various rooms, and the main one is dedicated to Athena. Jonic order is very present here. You can see the Caryatids, women columns, that tells the legend that were traitors to Greece in the Persian Wars.
Arrephorium: house of the Arrephorai, child girls around 7-10 years old that sewed the peplos of Athena.
Sanctuary of Artemis Brauronia: a sanctuary to this goddess with a sculpture of the Horse of Troy.
Bronze Gallery: a place to save bronze offerings to Athena.
Sanctuary of Zeus Polieus: where were done sacrificios of oxen.
Sanctuary of Pandion: dedicated to Pandion, son of Erictonio. Actually, the museum of the Acropolis is here.

Music: Chocolate outline by Age of Mythology

Photos taken in Google images.

No copyright infringement intended.

[AsuraGalleryArtHistory]

The birth of Greek culture and art were born between the IX and VIII centuries BCE on the peninsula of Attica, the Peloponnese peninsula, the peninsula on the west coast of Asia Minor and the Aegean islands. The importance of their art and culture is enormous.

Music has been changed to avoid copyright issues. Music taken from the Youtube Library.

Music used for the Greek Art serie:

Checkmate, by Nathan Moore
Dream Lagoon, by Chris Haugen
Ischia, by The Mini Vandals