The goals of this course included learning about: the origins of western architecture; the development of the urban form; the emergence of culture/the arts; and the societal and cultural changes that took place over the periods we studied. One of the oldest sites we saw representing the origins of western architecture was Mycenae. There we saw how some of the earliest civilizations lived and saw the establishment of the megaron, which would be repeated in architecture for many years to come. By visiting all of the temples, we saw the progression from the Doric order (the Temple of Apollo, also known as Hera II) to the Ionic order (the Philippeion) to the Corinthian order (most ornate) (the Temple of Zeus in Athens), all of which have been used in modern architecture. On day 3, we learned about the development of the urban form by examining the question, "What makes a city, a city?" Cities had a stadium (the Panathenaic Stadium), a library (Hadrian's Library), a theater (the theaters in Delphi and Epidauros), a hospital (an Asklepion), public/commercial spaces (the Agora and the Roman Agora), fortifications (Mycenae), and a cemetery (Keramikos). All of these are proof that the Greeks developed a rich cultural life, and did not merely subsist. Cities also included domestic architecture, which we saw on Delos. One of the main aspects of both domestic and commercial architecture was the courtyard form of building around an open space in order to let light and air (for ventilation) into the structure. Places where we saw some of the most artistic and cultural examples were in Olympia with the statue of Nike and the foundation of the Olympic Games, as well as the Theater of Dionysus underneath the Acropolis, where we discussed the evolution of theater. Later structures like Hadrian's Gate show a much more sophisticated form of architecture (where columns were purely ornamental instead of structural) as compared to earlier buildings, such as the temples in Paestum (some of the oldest Greek temples in the world). This website serves as a guide through the detailed exploration of these sites and themes.
Below are a few pictures from the trip. There is one from each day (in order going down the columns) showing my favorite thing from that day. If you click on them, it will take you to the place we saw them.
Below are a few pictures from the trip. There is one from each day (in order going down the columns) showing my favorite thing from that day. If you click on them, it will take you to the place we saw them.