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at Solinus on the south coast of Sicily are the remains of one of the biggest Greek temples ever constructed. Each of its columns was more than 50 ft high and 11 ft thick. Some blocks weigh more than 100 tons. Today's video will explore how, despite limited resources and only the simplest technology, Greek citystates could build some of the ancient world's most impressive and most beautiful monuments. A Greek temple was nothing more or less than the dwelling place of a god. It sheltered the god's statue. It protected the gods possessions, votives and offerings, curiosities and artistic wonders. It provided a spectacular
backdrop for the sacrifices, hymns, and communal meals that made up the public part of ancient Greek religion. The first Greek temples were simple mudbrick structures with thatched roofs and wooden porches. It was only in the 7th century BC, probably inspired by contact with Egypt, that the Greeks began to build in stone. Almost immediately, temples assumed the form they would have for the next thousand years. Their most distinctive feature was a paristle, a colonated porch on all four sides. Behind was the stone chamber known as the cella, which housed the god's statue. Above was a gabled roof supported by wooden trusses and covered with tiles.
Two architectural styles developed. The Doric order used on the Greek mainland and in the colonies of Sicily and Italy was less ornamental with heavy columns and plain capitals. Ionic, dominant in the Aian Islands and Asia Minor, was lighter and characterized by graceful scroll capitals. The more elaborate Corinthian order only became prominent under the Romans. Greek temples were almost always built by a polus by, in other words, the corporate community of a city-state. Since they were public projects, construction was supervised by one or more committees appointed by the city government. An architect responsible for
providing a detailed design and specifications was chosen at the outset. Contracts were then led out to master builders and artisans who would be assisted by both free and slave laborers. The pace of construction was set by several factors, especially in the archaic period. The most ambitious projects tended to be undertaken by tyrants, eager to legitimize their rule and willing to mobilize every available resource. As long as he remained in power, a tyrant could build more quickly than any democracy or oligarchy. if he was dethroned. However, the regime that replaced him was seldom motivated to complete his vanity projects.
A related variable was the size of the temple. As column drums and archetra blocks grew, so did the complexity of construction. Even with all the resources of the Athenian Empire, cutting, shaping, and lifting the 50,000 cubic feet of marble used in the Parthonon, a large but not colossal temple, took 9 years. Technology was another contributing factor. Cranes, compound pulleys supported by wooden frames, appeared around the end of the 6th century BC.
Since the loads they could carry were limited, their use reduced the average size of blocks and drums. They accelerated the work, however, by allowing stones to be lifted into place by relatively small teams of professional workmen. We'll discuss the process of building a temple after a brief word about this video's sponsor. As a YouTuber and author, I spend most of my day, sometimes 10 hours or more, at the desk. I used to use this chair, but I've been looking for something more comfortable. So, I was thrilled when Flexaspot asked me to try the C7 Max. The C7 Max is designed to be customized for your comfort. You can adjust the angle and height of the headrest, the height of the back and lumbar support, and both the height
and angle of the armrests. The chair has a latex seat cushion with memory foam to ensure 12 hours of lasting comfort. It recines smoothly and safely. And when you want to relax, you can use the built-in footrest. Plus offers a 10-year warranty and a 30-day return policy for risk-free trial. Use the code in the video description for the best price and get your C7 Max today. Returning to our topic, in all periods and whatever the scale of the project, construction began with choosing a site. Temples were most often built in a prominent place near the center of a city. Sometimes the location had sacred significance. A hole was left
in the porch of the eretheon at Athens to expose a fisher made by Poseidon's trident. Temples were frequently designed to face east. so that the morning sun could pour through the doors during sacrifices. Since overland transport was difficult and expensive, stone was sourced as close as possible to the construction site. Blocks were carved out with iron picks and attached from their beds with metal or wooden wedges. Though not finished in the quarry, they were shaped to reduce their weight. Corying usually took place in the summer months when the roads were hardest and oxen for the stone cards could be hired from local farmers. After the foundations were laid, the colonade was usually built first. Unlike
Roman temples, which often employed monolithic columns, Greek columns were made of drums held together by central dowel rods. In the first stone temples, column drums were hauled up dirt ramps. After cranes came into use, blocks were lifted with ropes looped around projecting bosses or carved channels. A simple derk sufficed for small stones. The largest blocks, like the lintil of the temple of Apollo at Ditima, required two massive hoists working in unison. Greek masons never used mortar. Initially, stones were held in place by their own weight. Later, they were bonded with dowels and clamps, usually bronze or iron, sometimes cypress wood, sealed in place with lead.
Since Greece has few large trees, obtaining beams to support a temple's roof was often a problem. Timber for the trusses of the temple of Eskeipius at Epidawaris, for example, had to be imported all the way from Cree. Partly because wood was in such short supply, the largest temples were often left partially uncovered with the cella open to the sky. Once all the blocks and columns were in place, the outer faces of the walls were smoothened with fine-t chisels and the columns were fluted. Marble was polished. Limestone was coated with stucco.
The roof lines of ionic temples often featured a continuous band of reliefs. Doric temples were ornamented with the relief panels known as metipes and sometimes had freestanding statues in their pediments. All this sculpture was painted. In fact, everything above the tops of the columns, sometimes including the roof, was splashed with color. Red, blue, and black seemed to have been especially popular. Finally, the cult statue, the physical embodiment of the god, was installed in the cellar. Although this might be a timeworn wooden figurine or unshaped stone, more often it was a magnificent colossal sculpture. The most famous examples like the Athena in the
Parthonon and Zeus at Olympia were made of gold and ivory. Funding often ran out before a temple was completed. Fluting a single column in the temple of Apollo at Ditima, for example, is thought to have cost about 4,500 dramas at a time when a family could live comfortably for a year on 200. Building even a small temple required 20 or 30 talents, roughly the scale of the largest private fortunes in classical Athens. The Parthonon probably cost about 500 talents, as much as the annual income of the entire Athenian Empire. Athens paid for the Parthonon with the contributions of her subject allies.
Most Greek cities, forced to rely on their own resources, could only raise a small fraction of that sum. Public money might be supplemented by subscriptions or with donations from wealthy citizens. During the Hellenistic era, kings sometimes intervened. Alexander the Great provided money to finish the temple of Athena at Pony. Even with such assistance, construction tended to proceed in fits and starts, frequently grinding to a halt. But when it was done, if it was done, a temple was a work of art, unblenmished and imperishable, fit for the immortal gods.
Speaking of unblenmished works of art, why not check out the Tolenstone Patreon where Grecian perfection awaits. You'll find a link in the description. And if you'd like to see a few Greek temples in person, you might be interested in my upcoming trip to Greece, also linked below. Please check out my other channels, Tolken Stone Footnotes and Scenic Roots to the Past. And as always, thanks for watching.
