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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Ancient Greek Paintings: The Few That Survived and Why

Painting was among the Greeks' most admired arts, and almost all of it is lost. What survives, and where?7 min read

Geometric Art in Greece: Why So Many Lines and Horses?

Meanders, mourners and bronze horses: how Greek potters turned pattern into the first pictures, between 900 and 700 BCE.5 min read

Greek Pottery: How Athenian Vases Were Made and Used

Clay, a wheel and a three-stage firing: how Athenian potters made, signed and sold their painted vases.5 min read

Painted Greek Statues: How Do We Know They Had Colour?

Traces of paint, metal and new reconstructions: how we know Greek statues were coloured, and what they looked like.4 min read

Greek Black-Figure Pottery: How Painters Drew in Silhouette

Black silhouettes, scratched details: how Athenian painters such as Exekias told stories on vases before red-figure.5 min read