Topic > The Parthenon in Athens: shape, location, layout

Shape The Parthenon in Athens was built in the style of the Ancient Greek Doric order, while the Temple of Apollo at Didyma was built in the Ionic order. This differentiation was due to location and time period, for example the Parthenon was built in mainland Greece between 447 and 438 BC while the Temple of Apollo was built in 300 BC in Asia Minor. This caused both temples to show differences in style and shape. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay The Parthenon displays Doric properties, for example the columns are thick and short and little decoration or detail is displayed on the capital. Since the Temple of Apollo has Ionic properties, the columns are much thinner, have volutes (spiral scroll on the capital) and the quantity of columns is much greater. The columns of the Parthenon also sit directly on the temple platform, this is due to the thickness and height of the columns, however as the Temple of Apollo has tall, thin columns, they must rest on a rectangular base section.Location/SiteC' it is also a variation in the foundations and position of the temples, The Parthenon was designed to be seen and admired from afar, so it is located on high ground, whereas the Temple of Apollo is located on flat ground, this means that it is a higher base is needed to give the same sense of grandeur. Layout Since the Parthenon is a Doric temple, it has a rectangular plan with a series of steps surrounding the outer perimeter, the columns are therefore positioned around the periphery of the space. Columns are used to support the roof of the structure, 6 columns are also placed at the entrance of the temple. The interior consists of 2 central rooms, the larger room is used as an inner sanctuary while the smaller room serves as a treasury (Reed.edu, n.d.). The Temple of Apollo has more steps to climb before reaching the temple, 7 in total, compared to the Parthenon's 3 (En.wikipedia.org, 2018). Please note: this is just an example. Get a customized document from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay The temple of Apollo also has more columns spread around the perimeter of the space and doubles the number of rows running along the side of the temple. The interior of the temple of Apollo has no roof, instead there is a large open sanctuary accessed by two passages leading down into darkness, this opens into the sunlit inner sanctuary (Penelope.uchicago.edu, n.d.) . This shows that although both temples are used as a religious monument, the use of space is different, this is due to the Parthenon offering an internal area for religious activities while the temple of Apollo offers an external area.