Ancient Greek Art & Romanization: Cultural Impact
There are three characteristics that best define Greek art: harmony, proportion, and beauty.
Greek Architecture: Styles & Structures
Greek architecture is characterized by its use of lintel and column-supporting elements. From the sixth century BC, the main materials used were stone and white marble, which could then be painted in bright colors. The plans were rectangular, and the roof, made with a double slope (gabled), was supported by a wall surrounded by columns. The interior was divided into several rooms. In the main nave, there was a statue of the god or goddess to whom the temple was consecrated.
Key Architectural Orders
The style of the buildings depended on the type of column used. The forms of architecture are summarized into three orders or styles:
- Doric: Sober and robust.
- Ionic: More slender, with two scrolls in the capital.
- Corinthian: A later variant featuring acanthus leaves in the capital.
Notable Greek Buildings
The most representative building of Greek architecture is the temple, whose primary function was to house the deity, as religious ceremonies were typically held in the esplanade in front of it.
Other significant constructions include:
- Theaters
- Stadiums (for gymnastics and races)
- Hippodromes (for horse races)
- Palaestras (training schools for combat sports)
- Baths
- And more.
Greek Sculpture: Ideals & Evolution
The supreme achievement of Greek art was sculpture. Its main theme was the human being, represented idealistically. The defining characteristics of Greek sculpture are:
- Beauty
- Proportion
- Movement
Archaic Greek Sculpture
Sculpture developed from the Archaic period under the influence of Egyptian art, featuring male figures (Kouros) and female figures (Kore) in a rigid, frontal pose with arms at their sides, carved in limestone with the typical archaic smile.
Classical Greek Sculpture
In the Classical period, sculpture evolved to achieve the ideal prototype of beauty, focusing on the representation of naked athletes in all their perfection, at rest or in motion. Notable examples include Polyclitus’s Doryphoros and Myron’s Discobolus (Discus Thrower), with carvings made from bronze and marble.
Hellenistic Greek Sculpture
In the Hellenistic period, topics ranged from mythological scenes, such as the dramatic Laocoön and His Sons, to scenes of struggle and suffering, including depictions of children and scenes of daily life. The Venus de Milo also dates from this period.
Greek Ceramics: Black & Red-Figure Styles
A significant legacy of Greek ceramics has survived, featuring black-figure and red-figure techniques depicting scenes and daily life of the Greeks.
Romanization: Spreading Roman Influence
As the Roman Empire expanded geographically through the conquest of territories, it transmitted its economic, political, social, and cultural characteristics. This process is called Romanization and was instrumental due to the following factors:
- The founding and development of cities that spread Roman lifestyles.
- The actions of rulers who imposed the authority of Rome in conquered territories.
- Improved communications through a network of roads that facilitated commercial traffic and the movement of merchants.
- A common language, Latin, which spread throughout the empire through contact between legionaries and imperial officials with conquered peoples.