Period 5 · c. 1100-31 BCE

Ancient Greece

The Greeks gave Europe its columns, its ideal of the human body and most of the myths still on museum walls. Follow the story from painted Geometric vases to the Parthenon and the drama of Hellenistic sculpture, and find out why so much of what you see in museums is a Roman copy of a lost Greek bronze.

The Temple of Athena Nike on the Acropolis of Athens, seen from below. — Photo: Jebulon, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

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Ancient Greek Art: The Four Periods and How to Tell Them

Geometric, Archaic, Classical, Hellenistic: the four periods of Greek art, each with one dated work to recognise it by.Start here5 min read

Types of Columns: How to Tell Doric, Ionic and Corinthian

No base, scrolls or leaves: three quick checks to tell Doric, Ionic and Corinthian columns apart.6 min read

Ancient Greek Fashion: What People Wore Every Day

Two rectangles of cloth, a few pins and a belt: what Greek women and men wore, and in what colours.6 min read

Greek Patterns: Meander, Wave, Palmette and Lotus Explained

Meander, wave, palmette, lotus and acanthus: the main Greek patterns, what they are and where to spot them.4 min read

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All Ancient Greece guides

Types of Columns: How to Tell Doric, Ionic and Corinthian

No base, scrolls or leaves: three quick checks to tell Doric, Ionic and Corinthian columns apart.6 min read

Dimensions of the Parthenon: The Real Numbers Behind It

30.88 by 69.50 metres, 46 outer columns, a floor that curves: the Parthenon's real measurements and where they come from.4 min read

Parthenon vs Acropolis: What Is the Difference?

The Acropolis is the rock, the Parthenon one temple on it: what each is, and how they fit together.4 min read

Greek Temples: How the Greeks Built a House for a God

A Greek temple housed a god's statue; the crowd gathered outside at the altar. How the plan and orders worked.6 min read

Ancient Greek Houses: How a Family Lived Around a Courtyard

A blank wall on the street, a courtyard inside: how Greek families lived, worked and drank in Classical houses.6 min read

Optical Illusions of the Parthenon: How They Fool the Eye

A floor that curves, columns that swell and lean, narrower corners: the Parthenon's refinements and what they correct.4 min read

Greek Architecture: How Temples, Theatres and Cities Worked

Temples, theatres, stoas, stadiums and walls: the buildings of a Greek city, and the few rules they share.6 min read

Parthenon Golden Ratio: Design Rule or Modern Myth?

Golden ratio in the Parthenon? What the measurements, the ancient texts and a survey of Greek buildings really say.4 min read

Parthenon Meaning: What Athena’s Temple Was Meant to Say

The name, the goddess, the treasury and the Persian wars: what the Parthenon was meant to say to Athenians.4 min read

Hellenistic Architecture: How Greek Building Changed

Terraced royal cities, long stoas, steep theatres and Corinthian columns: how Greek architecture changed after Alexander.4 min read

Iktinos and Kallikrates: Who Did What on the Parthenon?

The two architects of the Parthenon: what the ancient sources say each one did, and what they built elsewhere.4 min read

Doric Column: Its Parts, Proportions and Best Examples

No base, twenty flutes, a plain capital and triglyphs above: the Doric column, part by part.5 min read

When Was the Parthenon Built? Dates and Timeline

Built 447-438 BCE, finished 432, blown up in 1687: the Parthenon's dates, from the first temple to today.4 min read

Ionic Columns: How to Recognise Them and Where They Began

Spiral volutes, a base and a slimmer shaft: how to recognise Ionic columns, from Samos to the Acropolis.5 min read

Ancient Greek City-States: How the Polis Shaped Its Art

Small self-governing cities paid for their own temples, theatres and walls: how the polis decided what Greek art looked like.5 min read