Origins of Greek Temple Architecture

"In this book, Alessandro Pierattini offers a comprehensive study of the evolution of pre-Archaic Greek temple architecture from the eleventh to the mid-seventh century BC. Demystifying the formative stages of Greek architecture, he traces how temples were transformed from unassuming shrines made of perishable materials into large stone and terracotta monuments. Grounded in archaeological evidence, the volume analyzes the design, function, construction, and aesthetic of the Greek temple. While the book's primary focus is architectural, it also draws on nonarchitectural material culture, ancient cult practice, and social history, which also defined the context that fostered the Greek temple's initial development. In reconstituting this early history, Pierattini also draws attention to new developments as well as legacies from previous eras. Ultimately, he reveals why the temple's pre-Archaic development is not only of interest in itself but also a key to the origins of the Greek monumental architecture of the Archaic period"--

List of contents

Introduction; 1. Origins and legacies. Early Iron Age temples and the question of function; 2. The rise of monumental temples (eighth to mid-seventh centuries BC); 3. Technological innovation and permanence (first half of the seventh century); 4. Conclusion; Appendices: Appendix 1: wind force for destabilizing a mud brick wall; Appendix 2: labor for manufacturing a monolithic sarcophagus; Appendix 3: labor for stonework at Isthmia.

About the author

Alessandro Pierattini is Assistant Professor in the School of Architecture at the University of Notre Dame. A scholar of ancient Greek and Roman architecture, he is a member of the University of Chicago excavations at Isthmia, Greece.

Product details

• Authors: Alessandro Pierattini, Alessandro (University of Notre Dame Pierattini
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press ELT
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Released: 29.09.2022
• EAN: 9781108499477
• ISBN: 978-1-108-49947-7
• No. of pages: 350
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > Art > Art history; ART / History / Ancient & Classical, SOCIAL SCIENCE / Archaeology, ARCHITECTURE / History / General, ARCHITECTURE / Buildings / Religious, History of Art, Ancient World, History of Architecture, Archaeology by period / region, Religious buildings, Classical style, History of art: ancient & classical art,BCE to c 500 CE, Architecture: religious buildings