Lesson 7
Architecture of Ancient Greece
The Acropolis and the Parthenon.
Assignment 1. Read the following words and word combinations, using transcriptions:
| Hellenic | [heli:nik] | frieze | [fri:z] |
| Acropolis | [ə krɔpəlis] | pinnacle | [pinəkl] |
| Athens | [ˈæθinz] | Iktinous | [iktinʌs] |
| Persians | [pə ənz] | Kallikrates | [kalikratəs] |
| Athenians | [ˈæθiniʌnz] | Athena Parthenos | [ˈæθinʌ pa: θənʌs] |
| Pericles | [ˈper-ə-ˌkliːz] | Athena Nike | [ˈæθinʌ ˈnaɪ-kiː] |
| Propylaeum | [ ˌprɑ-pə-ˈliː-əm] | Athena Promachos | [ˈæθinʌ promakas] |
| precinct | [pri:si kt] | Erechtheum | [erekθium] |
| Parthenon | [pa:r θənon] | Mycenaean | [maisi:ni: ən] |
| Doric | [dɔrik] | Poseidon | [[pə-ˈsaɪ-dən] |
Assignment 2. Active vocabulary: Learn the following words and word combinations:
| / | Words and word combinations | Russian equivalents |
| Hellenic | , | |
| mainland | ||
| aesthetics | ||
| sanctuary | ||
| ransack | ||
| vow | , | |
| testament | , | |
| 'sacred precinct | ||
| mastermind | , | |
| width | ||
| right-angled | ||
| frieze | , | |
| pinnacle of art | ||
| barely | , | |
| shrine | , | |
| ancestor | ||
| imposing | , | |
| Mycenaean times |
Assignment 3. Read the text, be ready to answer questions:
For a period of more than a thousand years, the Hellenic peoples of mainland Greece, created a wealth of sculpture, painting, and architecture whose types, forms, and values lie at the very heart of Western aesthetics. The Acropolis was both the fortified citadel and state sanctuary of the ancient city of Athens. When the Acropolis was ransacked by the Persians in 580 BC, the Athenians vowed never to rebuild on it. But thirty-three years later, the great statesman Pericles persuaded the popular assembly to rebuild on it as a lasting testament to the glory of democratic Athens and its empire. At its top was the Propylaeum, an entryway and façade that formed the gateway to the Acropolis. Once inside the 'sacred precinct ' the most fabulous building was the Parthenon, the surviving ruins of which are what most people associate with Ancient Greece. The Parthenon was started in 447 BC and completed some fifteen years later. Started in 447, the Parthenon was masterminded by Pericles who took personal responsibility for the whole project. It featured numerous architectural innovations, and sat on a base 70 meters long and 26 meters wide. Constructed in the 'Doric' style it had 17 columns along its length and eight columns along its width, each of which was over 10 meters high and 2 meters in diameter. Right-angled buildings tend to create an optical illusion that can make them look too heavy. To compensate for this effect, the Parthenon's columns utilize an architectural effect, and get gradually thinner from the middle up. The magnificent figures carved into the space between the top of the columns and the rooftop are some of the finest ever example of ancient sculpture. Other striking parts of the temples that have survived include the Parthenon Frieze. Only two and a half inches thick at its maximum depth it depicts a procession of 360 noble Athenians, as well as numerous animals and gods. A pinnacle of art, barely visible in its original position, the Parthenon Frieze stood 1 meter tall and would have encircled almost the whole building's upper walls, making its total length 160 meters. Made totally frommarble, by Iktinous and Kallikrates at the command of Perikles, the temple is 227 feet long, 101 wide and has 65 feet height. It housed both a treasury and a sanctuary to Athena, in which was placed a fantastic 12-meter high ivory and gold statue of the goddess Athena, called the Athena Parthenos. The work of Phidias, representing Athena fully armed with spear, helmet, aegis and, accompanied by a snake, and holding in her extended right arm a statue of victory. Numerous smaller temples and shrines dedicated to both mythical ancestors and Greek gods were also to be found on the Acropolis. These included the Temple of Athena Nike, as well as the huge imposing statute of Athena Promachos, which stood 10 meters tall and could be seen from some 5 kilometers out to sea. Combining three buildings into one structure, the other great building of the Acropolis was the Erechtheum. It contained shrines and sites whose origin stretched back to Mycenaean times, and it was here, according to Ancient Greek mythology, that the goddess Athena had defeated the sea-god Poseidon in her battle to win possession of the city.
|
|
|
Answer the questions:
1. What was the Acropolis for the Athenians?
2. Who persuaded the Athenians to rebuild the Acropolis?
3. What was the name of the entryway to the Acropolis?
4. What is the most fabulous building on the Acropolis?
5. When was it started and finished to build?
6. To who was it dedicated?
7. How did this sculpture look?
8. Who was the sculptor of it?
9. In what style was the Parthenon constructed?
10. Who was the sculptor of the Parthenon?
11. Who was depicted on the Parthenon Frieze?
12. What were the other buildings on the Acropolis?
13. What had happened in the Erechtheum according to Ancient Greek mythology?
Assignment 4. Give definitions of the following words and word combinations: Hellenic, mainland, mastermind, 'sacred precinct, pinnacle of art, imposing.
Match new words with their meanings given in Russian and think of your own sentences with these words.
| a. aesthetics | 1. , |
| b. sanctuary | 2. |
| c. ransack | 3. |
| d. testament | 4. |
| e. shrine | 5. , |
ASSIGNMENT 5. Watch the video about the Acropolis, the Parthenon and the Agora and answer the questions:
|
|
|
1. What role did the Acropolis play in Athens?
2. What was its second name?
3. When did the Acropolis appear?
4. What buildings are still recognized on the Acropolis?
5. What is the most impressive temple on the Acropolis?
6. Who is it dedicated to?
7. Is the Parthenon in danger of distraction?
8. What figures were made as columns?
9. What is there on the foot of the Acropolis?
10. What was the Agora for Athens?
11. What events were taken place in the Acropolis and the Agora?
ASSIGNMENT 6. Discuss in groups:
1. In the mid-5th century, the Athenians were persuaded by the Perikles to rebuild the temples on the Acropolis on a grand scale. Do you agree or not, that it was made as a testament to the glory of democratic Athens and its empire.
2. Try to reveal that the Parthenon was the most fabulous building, the surviving ruins of which are what most people associate with Ancient Greece.
3. Crowned by the mighty Parthenon temple, the Acropolis rises above modern Athens; a lasting testament to Greece's glorious golden age. The Acropolis was the center of ritual and ceremony, and the religious heart of the city. The marketplace at its base is Agora, and was the hub of commercial, political and social life. How do you think which of them were more important for the Athenians.
ASSIGNMENT 7. Pop-quiz question!
Guess which descriptions are given below: Acropolis, Parthenon, Erechtheum, Parthenon Frieze, Athena Promachos, Athena Parthenos.
1. Only two and a half inches thick at its maximum depth it depicts a procession of 360 noble Athenians, as well as numerous animals and gods.
2. Constructed in the Doric style it had 17 columns along its length and 8 columns along its width, each of which was over 10 meters high and 2 meters in diameter.
3. It contained shrines and sites whose origin starched back to Mycenaean times, and it was here, according to Ancient Greek mythology, that the goddess Athena had defeated the sea-god Poseidon in her battle to win possession of the city.
4. Although the great building programs of the 5th century B. C. have disturbed or covered many of the earlier remains, there is still a great deal of archaeological evidence attesting to the importance of it.
5. It stood 10 meters tall and could be seen from some 5 kilometers out to sea.
6. The work of Phidias, representing Athena fully armed with spear, helmet, aegis and, accompanied by a snake, and holding in her extended right arm a statue of victory.
HOME ASSIGHNMENT
Option 1. Rising to a height of between 60 and 70 meters above the city, the rocky flat-topped hill of the Acropolis is 300 meters from east to west and 150 meters from north to south. Its first fortifications were constructed by the Mycenaean in the 13th century BC, and some of these survived until 510 BC when the tyrant Hippias was overthrown and they were torn down to prevent a return to tyranny. When the Acropolis was ransacked by the Persians in 580 BC, the Athenians vowed never to rebuild on it. How do you think, why did they agree to rebuild it. What are your thoughts about it. Write an essay on this theme.
Option 2.
Hegel said that each work of art belongs to its time, its nation and its surroundings. Write an essay where you should try to explain why the Acropolis with its buildings is what most people associate with Ancient Greek Art.
