What was the ancient greeks architecture made out of?
I need to know what the architectures of ancient greeks were made out of. For architectures I mean statues, temples, and homes. Also for what they were made out of I mean what material; marble, wood, stone, etc. Please Answer my questions. Thank You : )
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- Marble was used for decoration, like a facade on a building. Large buildings like temples and palaces were built of stone. Ordinary people lived in wooden or stone houses. Roofs were covered with clay tiles for waterproofing.
- Marble, which is a particular type of stone, was used for a majority of public building, like temples, outdoor theaters, etc. Marble was used both in a decorative way and for structural purposes. Most of the columns on theses building were completely marble. Most buildings had roofs made of wood. This is part of the reason you never see a "ruin" with a roof still on it. While the stone with last for centuries, the wooden roofs either rotted or burnt. Contrary to common belief, these buildings were often decorated in very bright colors. Since the colors have worn off over time exposing the white marble, many people falsely believe that most the the building were all white. This belief is still evidenced in the public architecture of the United States, such as the Capitol Building, and the White House, which are based on Greek and Roman architecture. More common buildings were made of uncut stone, known as rubble. Clay was also used for bricks (as it still is today). The rubble or brick was often covered with stucco to give the walls a smooth texture. Statues were almost exclusively made from marble.
- Early temples were carved out of ordinary stone. By the era of Pericles and the Acropolis, Pentelic marble from a quarry near Mount Pentelikos was used. As for sculpture, Parian marble was preferred for sculpture due to its white translucent quality- the famous Aphrodite of Cnidos (or Knidos) by Praxiteles was of Parian marble. Bronze was also preferred for sculpture, and many of Phidias' masterpieces were in bronze. For temples, doors and windows were made of bronze and oak. Both temples and sculptures were "polychrome" which means they were painted. Greek temples including the Acropolis were adorned with multicolored paint. They eyes and lips of marble sculpture were painted, also jewelry and hair. Common houses were of brick with stucco tile roofs, doors and windows of wood. Floors were dirt.
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