Survey 1

Ancient Greece – Architecture and Typography

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Pioneers of Architecture

Ancient Greek edifices are some of the most famous architectural feats in history. Heavily focused on “simplicity, proportion, perspective, and harmony,” Ancient Greek architecture went on to inspire the Roman; it is also considered a base of modern Western architecture.

Ancient Greek buildings have stood the test of time, with human interference nearly being the only cause of lasting damage.

Most ancient Greek temples were built following a similar plan, with a rectangular base adorned with columns and intricate exterior detail. Columns were an architectural staple, with a variety of styles used throughout Greek architecture. The most common materials used for buildings were white marble and limestone. Limestone would be coated with marble dust, although the most sought-after material was white marble. The exteriors of buildings would be polished with chamois for water resistance and shine. Roofs were commonly built with a 15-degree angle, made with wooden beams and stone or terracotta tiles.

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Many larger edifices were decorated with statues representing figures of Greek mythology.

The Parthenon (Acropolis), built between 447-432 BCE, is undoubtedly one of the most remarkable feats of Ancient Greek architecture, dedicated to the goddess Athena. It was built to declare the success of Athens’s Greek forces to the rest of the world. The Parthenon was used for over a millennium, surviving time, as well as environmental and human damage. It remains a symbol of the glory of Athens to this day.

A New Alphabet

Derived from the Phoenician writing system, the Greek writing system was first developed in the 8^th century BCE.  It is the founding script of most writing systems used in the Western world today.

The Greek alphabet made key changes to the Phoenician alphabet to accurately represent spoken language in writing. It is the first script to use both consonants and vowels in writing; the Greeks adapted consonants from the Phoenician alphabet to create the first-ever vowels. This resulted in an alphabet that, for the first time, could entirely and accurately convey their speech.

The Greek alphabet made the writing system more accessible to everyone by having fewer letters than other scripts, making it easier to learn.

When first created, the Greek writing system was read from right to left, just like the Phoenician system. Through time, it transformed into bidirectional writing (each line alternates direction) – before ultimately settling with a left-to-right direction in the 5^th century BCE. In the earlier stages of the Greek alphabet, different versions of the language were created. They were classified as Eastern and Western. Athens unified the versions of the alphabet in 403 BCE, making an Eastern version of the alphabet the official one.

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