Unit 6 Greek Architecture

1. Read and translate the text.

Architectural ideas also spread from Egypt, across the Mediterranean, to Crete and Greece. Around 1300 B.C., the Greek hill towns of Tiryns and Mycenae were strong and primitive, built of craggy rocks. But by the 5^th century B.C., great writers and philosophers were working in Athens and great artists and sculptors were decorating the city. Architecture was beautiful and elegant. Architects still used the same simple structures, of flat beams supported on columns, as the Egyptian did, but had learned to design them with perfect refinement.

They placed a special emphasis on the design of temples, to honor their many gods and goddesses. A Greek temple consisted of a room where there was a statue of the god or goddess. Behind there was another, smaller room called the treasury, and these two rooms made the temple an oblong shape. There was a large porch called a portico all the way across the building at both ends. The whole temple was surrounded by columns, which supported the roof. Temples were built on stone platforms rising up in steps.

Greek temples in Sicily and in the main part of Greece were built in the Doric order, which is plain and sturdy. In the earliest ones the columns were massive, and placed close together; later on they became lighter and more graceful, and were spaced further apart. The most beautiful example is the Parthenon at Athens. This temple, dedicated to Athena the goddess of wisdom, was built on a rocky hill in the center of the city. An “acropolis”, as this high place was called, was the religious center of any Greek city. At the bottom of the hill there was “agora”, or a meeting place, where the commercial and political life of the city went on. The statue of the goddess inside the Parthenon was one of the most famous work of the sculptor Pheidias; it was about 12 meters (39 feet) high, made of gold and ivory, and the eyes were precious stones. The part of the building above the marble pillars (called the entablature) was carved with all kinds of figures taking part in legendary or historical scenes.

In another style of pillar called Ionic, the pillars are thinner than Doric ones, and have capitals carved in a spiral shape. The temple of Diana at the city of Ephesus was built in this style. An ancient writer said it had 100 columns, 36 of them were wonderfully sculptured round the bottom.

Corinthian columns have a much more complicated capital than the other two, with rich carving in the shape of leaves of the acanthus, a plant which grows in Mediterranean countries.

Vocabulary:

1) spread – распространяться;

2) craggy – скалистый, отвесный;

3) beam – балка;

4) support – поддерживать;

5) refinement – усовершенствование, изящество;

6) oblong – продолговатый, удлиненный;

7) porch – портик, крытая галерея, веранда;

8) plain – простой;

9) sturdy – крепкий, твердый, сильный;

10) thin – тонкий;

11) bottom – основание, фундамент.

2. Answer the questions.

1. What architecture was in the fifth century?

2. What parts did the Greek temple consist of?

3. What were the temples’ platforms made of?

4. How did the Doric columns change?

5. Where was the Parthenon built?

6. What was “acropolis”? What was “agora”?

7. Who made the statue of the goddess inside the Parthenon?

8. How many columns were there in the temple of Diana?

9. How do the Corinthian columns differ from Doric and Ionic ones?

3. Write English equivalents.

Грек, греческий, акрополь, Афины, пропорция, классически идеальная архитектура, факт, копировались, цивилизация, план, Крин, форма колонн, элементы, типичный, вал, культурный, религиозный, эллинистический, фонтаны, театры, орнаментированный.

4. Translate and classify the following words.

Crypt, gigantic, lintel, slender, silver, passageway, dome, wall, perfect, gateway, palace, granite, heavy, decorate, delicate, fragile.

5. Say if these statements are true or false. Correct the false ones.

1. Temples were built on a brick platform rising up in the steps.

2. Tiryns and Mycenae were on the hills.

3. The Parthenon was one of the ugliest work of the sculptor Pheidias.

4. Athena was the goddess of wisdom.

5. The statue of Athena was about 12 meters high.

6. The temple of Zeus at the city of Ephesus had 100 columns.

7. Ionic columns have a much more complicated capital than Corinthian columns.

6. Fill in the gaps with right prepositions: above, with, to (2), at, on, in, of, from.

1.The Greek architects placed a special emphasis ____ the design of temples.

2. The Parthenon was dedicated ____ Athena.

3. There was a meeting place ____ the bottom ____ the hill.

4. The entablature was ____ the marble pillars.

5. The capitals were carved ____ a spiral shape.

6. Architectural ideas also spread from Egypt ____ Crete and Greece.

7. The Greek architects designed the simple structure ____ perfect refinement.

7. Classify the following verbs into three groups and make four sentences with them.

Went, be, come, have, fell, began, given, was, go, came, seen, had, fall, gave, were, gone, come, see, had, fallen, given.

8. Choose the right synonyms for the underlined words.

1. The Parthenon was one of the most famous work of the sculptor Pheidias.

2. In 1300 B.C. the Greek architects still used the same simple structures.

3. Later on the columns became lighter and more graceful.

4. The Greek architects learned to design buildings with perfect refinement.

5. The Greek hill towns of Tiryns and Mycenae were strong and primitive, built of craggy rocks.

6. They placed a special emphasis on the design of temples.

7. Greek temples in the main part of Greece were built in the Doric order.

Particular, elegant, principal, identical, greatest, ideal, easy, plain.

9. Match the beginning of the sentences to their ends using information from the text.

1. The entablature is	a) a large porch, which went all the way across the building at both ends.
2. The “acropolis” is	b) the goddess of wisdom.
3. The “agora” is	c) the style of the column.
4. The portico is	d) a hill in the center of the city, on which the temple was built.
5. The order is	e) the part of the building above the pillars.
6. Athena is	f) a meeting place, where the commercial and political life of the city went on.

10. Translate into Russian without dictionary.

1. The Acropolis stands on a low rocky hill and contains the ruins of several ancient Greek architectural monuments.

2. The common materials of Greek architecture were wood, used for supports and roof beams; unbaked brick, used for walls, especially for private houses; limestone and marble, used for columns, walls and upper portions of temples and public buildings; and metals, especially bronze, used for decorative details.

3. The Parthenon is the most famous surviving building of ancient Greece, and has been praised as the finest achievement of Greek architecture. Its decorative sculptures are considered one of the highest points of Greek art.

4. The statue of Athena was sculpted in ivory and gold by Phidias.

5. The most characteristic feature in the architecture and decoration of the temple is the Ionic frieze running around the exterior walls of the cella.

11. Write a written translation.

В период архаики расцветает каменная архитектура. Каменные храмы на вершинах холмов были посвящены божеству, они не были местом собрания людей. Греческие храмы никогда не были слишком высокими и представляли собой прямоугольную, вытянутую в длину постройку, со всех сторон окруженную колоннадой. Свет проникал в храм только через дверь, поэтому внутри было полутемно. Распространенным стал прямоугольный в плане храм, окруженный колоннадой, имеющей один ряд колонн. Эта колоннада называлась перистиль, внутри находилось четырехугольное святилище, в котором помещалась статуя божества.

12. Tell about ancient Greek architecture.

13. Read and translate the text.