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

Alexander the Great and Hellenism: How Greek Culture Spread

Conquest opened the map; cities, kings, a common Greek and mixed cultures did the lasting work: how Hellenism spread.4 min read

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.5 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

Hellenistic Meaning: What the Word Actually Means

Greek-shaped, after Alexander, wider than Greece: what "Hellenistic" means, where the word comes from and its dates.4 min read

Hellenistic Art: Why It Feels More Dramatic Than Classical

Kings as patrons, new cities, libraries and collectors: what changed in Greek art after Alexander, and why it feels dramatic.4 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

Golden Age of Greece: Dates, Leaders and Major Works

Athens after 479 BCE: Perikles, the money of the Delian League, Pheidias, the Parthenon and the war that ended it.4 min read

Ancient Greek Map: The Main Cities and Sanctuaries

From Athens to Syracuse and Ephesus: where the Greek cities and sanctuaries were, and why the sea held them together.5 min read

Ancient Greek Sculpture: How the Body Learned to Move

From stiff kouroi to bronze athletes and Hellenistic drama: how Greek sculptors taught stone and bronze to move.5 min read

Why Does Classical Greek Art Look Perfect?

Proportion, a weight shift, clarity and two thousand years of copies: why Classical Greek art looks perfect.4 min read

What Defines the Classical Period in Greek Art?

From the Persian Wars to Alexander, 480-323 BCE: the dates, phases and rules that define Classical Greek art.5 min read

Late Classical Greek Art: Why Sculpture Turned More Human

The fourth century BCE: Praxiteles' nude Aphrodite, Skopas' travels, Lysippos' slimmer athletes, and Greek art turning more personal.4 min read

The Archaic Period in Greek Art: What Changed, 700-480 BCE

Griffins on pots, big stone temples and marble youths: how Greek art changed between 700 and 480 BCE.6 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