Discover

'Classical architecture' can be divided into:

★ 'Greek architecture' before Alexander the Great

★ 'Hellenistic architecture'

★ 'Roman architecture'
Only Greek architecture in the time before Alexander (who died in 323 BC) carries an authentic, 'ethnic' designation. The ancient Greeks were notoriously dismissive of ''barbaroi'' – those who spoke Greek non-natively or not at all. The incredible conquests of Alexander and the subsequent application of a veneer of Greek city states to a base of Egyptian, Semitic, and even Iranian populations produced an important change. Though speaking Greek remained the touchstone of whether one was a member of civilized culture or not, the ethnic diversification of the Hellenistic world is clear. The 'formal elements' of classical Greek architecture were applied to temples for gods never worshipped in Greece.
The Romans can be seen as the latest Hellenistic empire. Pre-imperial architecture is more or less Etruscan with some Greek elements. By the time the Romans conquered mainland Greece in the 2nd century BC they were importing Greek craftsmen to build major public buildings. The term ''Roman Art'' and ''Roman Architecture'' has no ethnic meaning relating to ''Italic Romans''. Most art historians assume that it has the ethnic meaning of "Greek-speaking slave" or "Greek-speaking free laborer," in fact.
The "elements" of classical architecture have been applied in radically different architectural contexts than those for which they were developed. The classical orders – Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian – have meaning in the stylistic history of 5th century BC Greece, shifting to the developments in 1st century AD Gaul, with the styles revived over and over again since then.

Contents

See also

References

See also

★ List of classical architecture terms

★ Classical orders

★ Neoclassicism

★ Architectural style

References

★ Sir John Summerson. ''The Classical Language of Architecture''. The best brief introduction.