| The traces of ancient Greek architecture can be | | | | The most knowledge about ancient Greek architecture |
| traced back to the 8th century BC. Since the ancient | | | | comes form late archaic period (550 - 500 BC), the |
| Greek buildings were made up of clay, wood or | | | | Periclean age (450 - 430 BC), and the early to pure |
| mud-brick, no remains have been found of them | | | | classical period (430 - 400 BC). Examples of Greek |
| barring a few ground plans. In fact, almost no sources | | | | architecture can be drawn from Hellenistic and Roman |
| or descriptions exist about the embryonic Greek | | | | periods and from written sources such as Vitruvius (1st |
| buildings. However, most of our present day | | | | century). |
| knowledge about Greek architecture comes from the | | | | Although the ancient Greeks erected buildings of many |
| late archaic period, also known as the Periclean age. | | | | types, the Greek temple best exemplifies the aims and |
| Temples | | | | methods of Greek architecture. The temples were |
| The temples of ancient Greece were the biggest and | | | | quite different from the modern day church as the |
| most beautiful. They also had a political purpose as | | | | altar generally stood in front of the open sky, directly in |
| they were often built to celebrate civic power and | | | | front of the temple. The temples generally served as |
| pride, or offer thanksgiving to the patron deity of a city | | | | storage places and the inner rooms of the temples |
| for success in war. Other architectural forms used by | | | | were mainly strongrooms. |
| the Greeks were the tholos or circular temple, of | | | | In addition to temples, the Greeks also built a number |
| which the best example is the Tholos of Theodorus at | | | | of other kinds of structures. Their public spaces |
| Delphi dedicated to the worship of Athena Pronaia; the | | | | included monumental tombs; agoras, in ancient Greece, |
| propylon or porch, forming the entrance to temple | | | | the public square or marketplace of a city. |
| sanctuaries. | | | | |