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.
Featured
Start with these
Ancient GreeceAncient 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.
Ancient GreeceTypes 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.
Ancient GreeceAncient 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.
Ancient GreeceGreek 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.Most read first
All Ancient Greece guides
ArchitectureGreek 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.
Myth and ReligionGreek God Statues: How to Tell Which God Is Which
Thunderbolt, trident, aegis, bow: how to tell which god a Greek statue shows, even when the attribute is lost.
Myth and ReligionAthena Symbols in Art: Owl, Olive, Aegis and Helmet
Owl, olive tree, helmet, spear and aegis: Athena's signs, where they come from and how to spot her.
Myth and ReligionAncient Greek Religion: Gods, Sacrifice and Sanctuaries
Sacrifice at the altar, gifts in the sanctuary, festivals for all Greeks: how ancient Greek religion actually worked.
ArchitectureParthenon 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.
Myth and ReligionParthenon Metopes: The Four Mythical Battles Explained
Gods and Giants, Amazons, Centaurs and the fall of Troy: the 92 metopes of the Parthenon, side by side.
Myth and ReligionStatue of Zeus at Olympia: What the Ancient Wonder Was Like
A seated Zeus of gold and ivory, almost touching the roof: what Pheidias' lost wonder at Olympia looked like.
Myth and ReligionParthenon Pediments: What the East and West Ends Show
Athena's birth at dawn and her contest with Poseidon: what the Parthenon's two pediments showed, statue by statue.
Myth and ReligionAthena Parthenos: What We Know About the Lost Statue
Twenty-six cubits of gold and ivory, lost for centuries: what the ancient writers and a small copy tell us.
Myth and Religion