Sunday, October 3, 2010
Sacred Spaces Essay Homework
Write the sacred spaces essay from Thursday. Time yourself for 30 minutes and do not use your book or notes. Post here as a comment by midnight on Friday 10/8. By Sunday 8/10 at midnight, find an essay that hasn’t yet been graded. Give it a score and a paragraph explanation for the grade, commenting on this post.
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Jeffrey Xu Sacred Spaces Essay
ReplyDeleteThroughout history, sacred spaces have played significant roles in varying religions. Sacred spaces provide opportunities for citizens of the same civilization to practice their faith together. They help to bring unity amongst a people and keep those people in order. Two spaces in particular, the Parthenon in Athens, and the Ziggurat of Ur in Iraq were major religious sites for their respective civilizations.
The Parthenon (main structure in the Acropolis) was an immense and important temple for its time. Its design was overseen by the famous Greek architects Iktinos and Kallikrates. It was built around strict mathematical proportions so it was uniform throughout. Furthermore, the outer columns were designed in the Doric style. The columns had no bases, no volutes, and try-glyphs together with the friezes. However, the inner columns were constructed in the Ionic style. The stylobates curve upwards at the center on the sides as well as the facades. The columns also lean inwards. Together, the structure of the Parthenon was built to oppose any optical illusions that viewers would notice from afar. Inside the Parthenon itself stood a statue of Athena holding Nike. The obvious purpose of this was to commemorate the defeat of the Persians. The statue also served as a place of worship for the Greek citizens. The Greeks believed that the sun god Helios would ride his chariot across the sky to move the sun across the sky throughout the day. This belief is accommodated by the pediment of Helios. The Parthenon was later used by conquering kingdoms to serve as a church and later a mosque by the Ottoman Turks.
The Ziggurat of Ur was one of the largest ziggurats in Mesopotamia. The entire bass is a piece of solid mud brick that is fifty feet tall. Even more impressive is the three ramp-like stairways, each composed of exactly one-hundred steps, that all converge on a tower-flanked gateway. Like all ziggurats, the Ziggurat of Ur was the center for worship in a Mesopotamian city. This one in particular was built to serve as a site to worship the moon god Nanna. It was believed by the Mesopotamians that Nanna would sometimes appear in the shrine chamber of the ziggurat. The shrine chamber in particular was a place of worship (mainly for the higher people and priests in society). Though this does not pertain to religion, the ziggurat was also used as an administrative center.
Religious sites greatly influenced ancient cultures and played a major role in the lives of people. The Greeks used the Parthenon to celebrate but also to pay their respects to their gods and to pray to them. The Neo-Sumerians created religious ziggurats as not only places to worship, but also to act as the very core for all of their cities. It is clear that both of these sacred spaces accommodated the religious needs of the people who built them.
Kelsey Birchenall – Sacred Spaces
ReplyDeleteA thousand years ago, and even today, cultures embody sacred spaces designed for worship. Each culture in the ancient world celebrated a different religion, and the way their societies functioned in terms of religious beliefs and practices changed from place to place. Two sacred spaces that still exist today are the White Ziggurat of Ur in Sumer, and the Temple of Athena Parthenos (the Parthenon) in Athens, Greece.
The Sumerians of the ancient near east are responsible for the building of the White Ziggurat of Ur, a temple that was built into the side of a cliff. Much like how a society revolves around their Gods, the city of Sumer revolved around this massive temple in order to worship them. Many believe that the White Ziggurat is dedicated to Anu, the god of the sky and the city of Uruk. The Sumerians believed that their temples should be elevated towards the sky in order for the Gods to descend unto the lives of the mortals. This idea is demonstrated by the huge sloping walls and the narrow pathway of stairs leading to the top chamber. The temple at the top that enclosed the cella and the altar was a very small space; only a few of the most important citizens were allowed to worship there, like the priests, for example. The rest of the people worshipped outside the temple on ground level, hoping that Anu would descend and reassure them a place in heaven.
Ancient Greece was also known for extravagant temples honoring their Gods. The Acropolis found in Athens is another example of elevation in attempt to get closer to the divinity. The Parthenon was built for Athena, the city’s patron goddess and also the goddess of War. The Greeks built this large temple to thank Athena for the Salvation of Athens after their victory in the Persian War. Inside, there once stood a thirty-eight foot high statue of Athena with a winged Nike in her hand. On her sandal, there was a depiction of the centauromachy. On her shield were scenes of both the amazonomachy and the gigantomachy. All of these were battles the Gods fought in during the Persian War. The columns of the temple surrounded the statue in a symmetrical way that emphasized Athena’s importance as the centerpiece. On the outside of the temple were about ninety different metopes depicting gods and goddesses and a 590 foot frieze on the inside. Greeks were proud of the Parthenon, not only because it was considered a piece of art, but because it was also significant of their victory over Persia. They worshipped to Athena all over the Acropolis and also sacrificed animals such as oxen, goats and sheep. Sometimes worship was held in the form of social festivities honoring Athena.
Although they honored different religious figures, both the Parthenon and the White Ziggurat of Ur served the same function as a temple. The Sumerians thought of their Ziggurat as a waiting room to the heavens and the Parthenon included hundreds of scenes to glorify Athena and the Greeks
Kasey Bonk --------> sacred spaces
ReplyDeleteSacred spaces throughout history are some of the most important places to a culture. They are the gathering havens for worship amongst a certain civilization. Two sacred spaces that are still standing to this day are the White Temple Ziggurat of Uruk and The Erechtheion in Athens, Greece.
The White Ziggurat Temple of Uruk formed the city's main center of gather. This sumerian temple is 5,ooo years old. The workers that built this temple did not have access to stone quarries and instead formed mud bricks for the structure. The sumerians main goal was to provide monumental settings for the worship of their deities. The temples white washed walls which gives it its nickname the white temple, stands on top of a ziggurat which stands fourty feet above street level in the city center. A stairway on one side leads to the top but doesn't end infront of a temple or doorway. This bent-axis plan is the standard arrangement for sumerian temples. The corners of the White Temple are oriented to the points of a compass. The temple itself is dedicated to Anu, the sky god. The Sumerians believed that their temples should be directed towards the sky in order for the Gods to descend onto the lives of the mortal humans. This is demonstrated by the huge sloping walls and the narrow pathway of stairs leading to the top of the temple. At the top there is a cella which is an enclosed space with an altar. Very few were allowed to enter this sacred area. Only important people like preist would ever worship in there, the citizens would worship outside the temple on the ground. All hoping that Anu would reassure them a place in heaven.
Another amazing example of a sacred space an be found in Athens, Greece in the Acropolis. The Erechtheion was started in 421 BCE, it was built to replace the Archaic Athena Temple the persians destroyed. The asymetrical form of the Erechtheion is unique for a greek temple. The Erechtheion is an example of the ionic style because of the volutes in the columns. It reflects the need to incorporate preexisting shrines into the plan, including those of the kings Erechtheus and Kekrops. It honored Athena and housed the ancient wooden image of the goddess which was he goal of the Panathenaic Festival procession. It also incorporated shrines to a host of other gods and demi gods including Poseidon. Again this place of worship was used for higher than commoner civillian status. Priests and wealthier important civilians could enter into this sacred place.
As you can see no matter the culture or time sacred spaces were revolved around in many great ancient civilizations. Even to this day do we put so much importance on our religious centers. Without them it's hard to tell what civilizations would have done. The Sumerians and ancient Greek people made beautiful and astonishing places for worship and to celebrate their gods.
Kelsey Birchenall – Sacred Spaces
ReplyDeleteJeffrey Xu's Grade
Score:8
The essay selects and fully identifies two appropriate choices, the Ziggurat of Ur and the Parthenon. One of these choices, the Parthenon, comes from beyond the European tradition. The writer shows a general understanding of the composition of the two sacred spaces and the purposes as to why they were built in such ways. However, the essay has some minor errors (such as the ziggurat being dedicated to Anu and the Greek Gods fighting in the Persian War). The essay also addresses the role of religion in the construction of sacred spaces. The discussion of how each space accommodates beliefs and practices fits into the descriptions. In addition, the writer shows a degree of knowledge of the battle with the Persians and the lifestyle of the Greeks ans Sumerians. With minor errors setting it back, the essay earned a score of 8.
while im hereee im going to do kelsy birchenells paper!
ReplyDeleteHer essay is really good, it right away addresses the key idea of the essay. She gose into good detailed descriptions of both of her examples of sacred places. She gives examples and terms. Also she makes the essay a good read, descpriptive words and her essay structure make it an essay read and an enjoyable one that you can pull alot of information from. I would totes give Kelsy a 9 on this essay I don't really see anything wrong with it. You go Glen Coco! <3
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteokkayy well ill do jeffs then
ReplyDelete_
Jeffs essay right away fully identifies the idea of whats needed. He completely describes both his emxamples in very deep details and analysis. He uses good descriptive words and punctuation, spelling, and grammar are all on point. It's obvious that he is deffinetly knows what he is talking about and he gives a very excellent essay. I would also give this paper a 9 in the grading because he addresses whats needed in great detail and technical strength. yeyy jeff
For as long as there has been human religion, there have been specific religious sites or "sacred spaces" in which to worship a particular religion's beliefs or gods. These sacred spaces are made to accomodate beliefs of their religion, and also the practices that they entail, two examples being the White Temple and ziggurat in Uruk, Iraq, and the Temple of Aphaia in Aegina, Greece.
ReplyDeleteThe ancient Sumerian White Temple and ziggurat is one of the largest structures of its time, around forty feet high, despite being built completely out of mud bricks in about 3200 BC. It still stands as a testament to the Sumerian religion. The White Temple was located in the center of the city of Uruk, and was by far the highest and most noticeable structure in the 40,000 person metropolis - showing the gods central role in Sumerian life. The ziggurat is tall to accomodate the Sumerian belief that the gods resided in the sky, above the humans, and the higher temples are, the closer they are to the gods. The Temple itself resided on top of the ziggurat, and each of its corners faced a cardinal direction. It was a small structure, with only enough room for the city's religious elite or leaders, who would be the only people in the city to worship that close to the gods. The temple-ziggurat design is one of the earliest examples of monumental sacred spaces.
Almost three thousand years later, the ancient Greeks built the temple of Aphaia in Aeginia, and echoed the Sumerian's devotion of monuments to their gods. The temple of Aphaia is an Archaic temple of the Doric order, and was one of the first works of Greek architecture to feature free-standing statuary in its pediment (of which all of the figures are to the same scale). The statuary on the pediment was considered not only a story told about the temple's god, but a votive offering to that god, as well as the architecture of the temple itself. The interior of the temple was made to house a statue offering to its god, and it was designed accordingly, with the statue placed in the very center and framed by two seperate columnary, so it was easily viewable from the outside. This was important, because actual religious rites were performed on the east side of the temple outdoors to face the rising sun, not in the actual structure.
The White Temple and Temple of Aphaia are two examples from seperate locations and time periods of sacred spaces, and how they accomodated religious beliefs and practices for their respective cultures.
Religion varies in importance in different cultures throughout history. It can serve as a support structure for laws and customs, as well as act as a source of comfort and insight for people throughout the ages. Religion's role in a culture or society can be reflected in the sacred spaces built during a specific civilization. The Egyptians and Greeks both worshiped a panel of divine beings that they payed tribute to in the construction of sacred temples and monuments.
ReplyDeleteOne influential sacred space is the Egyptian temple of Amen-Re of Karnak. This temple was first completed in the 18th dynasty, but was often expanded upon up until the 24th dynasty, giving way to its massive size. The temple of Amen-Re is an example of a pylon temple, where the giant, simple gateway and surrounding walls slope downwards. The surface of these walls are covered in detailed friezes that tell the stories of the sun god, Amen-Re, as well the exploits of the kings and pharaohs that ruled under the temple's construction. The large, artificial lakes inside the walls of the temple are symbols of the Egyptian "primeval waters," the Egyptian sources of creation. The overall design of the temple shows that is is bilaterally symmetrical along the avenue that contains the inner sanctuary, the columnar hall, and the outer courtyard. Ordinary worshipers were allowed as far as the courtyard, with the columnar hall reserved for a select few important people, and the sanctuary reserved for only the pharaohs and high priests. The temple of Amen-Re contains a raised roof, or clerestory, that solves the common dilemma of lighting the temple's interior. Grilles covered these large openings in order to filter the sunlight.The columnar hall is an example of a hypostyle hall, where wide columns serve as supports for the roof. Every column has a bud-shaped capital, which makes the columns look like papyrus and lotus plants, or symbols of Upper and Lower Egypt. Each is covered in sunken relief sculptures that are separated into reliefs and act as narratives of the pharaohs and gods.
The Greek temple of Hera I is another example of an influential sacred space. Built in about 550 BC, this temple's roof and pediment have been lost, but it still retains its giant columnar supports. These columns, which line the perimeter of the temple, are of the Doric order, identified by their lack of bases and pancake-shaped capitals. They are wide in the center, giving them a cigar shape. The close spacing between each column is said to be because the architects of the temple thought thinner columns would not be able to support the weight of the roof and interior. Hera I's cella, or inner chamber, is separated into two aisles by a row of columns. Since the statue of a god or goddess would have normally been placed in the center of the cella in plain view of worshipers, this row of columns prevented people standing outside from having a direct view of the statue. Therefore, the solution is believed to be that there were actually two statues of Hera inside the cella, so that people standing outside of the temple would still be able to worship without having to remove the columns that supported the interior.
The importance of religion in cultures can often be judged by the sacred spaces they create. Looking at the Egyptian temple of Amen-Re or the Greek temple of Hera I, it is easy to see, from the massive size and innovative, intricate design, how religion played an essential role in the lives of the people living in those societies.
Michelle Katz-Sacred Spaces
ReplyDeleteThroughout history, different cultures have used sacred spaces for a variety of purposes, several of which being spiritual, emotional, to commemorate someone, and for entertainment. Two examples of religious spaces from separate cultures can be seen in the Temple of Amen-Re from the New Kingdom in Egypt, and the Theater of Epidauros, from the Late Classical period in Ancient Greece. Although they do not focus on the same gods, or have the same beliefs, both the Temple of Amen-Re and the Theater of Epidauros are sacred spaces within their societies, and accommodate religious practices and beliefs within their cultures.
The Temple of Amen-Re, built largely in the 19th Dynasty in Egypt, served as a sacred space to the Egyptians in Karnak during the New Kingdom. The temple focused mainly on Egyptian beliefs regarding the creation of the world, and featured an artificial sacred lake, in reference to the primeval waters before creation, called Nun, which according to the Egyptians stood alone in the darkness before the world began. Also, the temple rose from the ground, just as they believed the original sacred mound rose up from the primeval waters. Similar to other New Kingdom Temples, Amen-Re had a typical pylon temple that ran from an approaching avenue into a dimly lit sanctuary, where only priests & pharaohs could pray to the supreme god Amen and the god of the sun, Re. Other higher-class Egyptians prayed to the gods in a columnar hall, while the majority of people prayed in an open court with a high wall. Between the court and the sanctuary was a hypostyle hall, where there were horizontal bands of sunken relief sculptures, where images and messages about the pharaoh and the gods were depicted.
Centuries later, the Theater of Epidauros was built by Polykleitos the Younger during the Late Classical period in Ancient Greece, and was used for performances of various Greek dramas. During that time period, not only were acts and performances used strictly for entertainment, but were also closely connected to religious rites, and were only performed during sacred festivals, therefore making the theater a sacred space. The Theater of Epidauros featured a circular orchestra in the center of everything that not only featured ancient songs, rites, and dance, but also had an altar dedicated to Dionysus (Bacchus) the god of both the arts and wine. Spectators of these sacred festivals sat on a slope called the theatron, and though not all seats had great views of the entire act, all had unobstructed views of both the orchestra and the altar.
In conclusion, both the Temple of Amen-Re and the Theater of Epidauros were sacred spaces in their own ways. While the Egyptian temple was used to worship Amen-Re and the Theater of Epidauros featured an altar of Dionysus, each housed religious practices and beliefs from their culture, and provided a place for people to pray and get in touch with their spirituality.
Okay, I'll grade Laura's essay :)
ReplyDeleteOver all, I would give Laura's essay an 9, because she selected and fully identified two examples of sacred spaces, the Temple of Amen-Re, and the Greek temple of Hera I, with one being beyond the European tradition (Temple Amen-Re). She shows a great understanding of both sacred spaces, and mentions in the essay how each accommodates religious beliefs and practices, with very specific details about each temple and no major errors that I can find.
I'll grade Chelley's then, because i love her <3
ReplyDeleteSo, I would give Chelley a 9 for her essay. She fully identifies 2 of the sacred spaces structurally and also explains the beliefs of both cultures. The only issues I have are minor errors. For example, she says that the temple of Amen-Re was built largely in the 19th instead of the 18th dynasty. But other than that, she shows a great understand of the history behind the structures and their purposes. You rock Chelle-Chelle! :)
Jack Thomas Sherry: Gypsy Fighter
ReplyDeleteMany things make up a culture, and generally speaking, the most important things is their religion. Even back thousands of years, you see examples of religious centers that entire cultures revolve around. Two examples of these sacred spaces in history are the White Temple and Ziggurat of Uruk and the Theater of Epidauros. Both of these places, while from very different time periods and cultures, served the similar purposes of gathering people for religious events.
Although not much of the White Temple remains in Uruk today, we are fairly certain of how it arranged. On top of the high rising platform rested the temple. The corners of the platform pointed in the four cardinal directions of the compass, as was tradition. The main room of the temple was only 16 by 16 feet, showing that it was a sacred place and was set aside for only the most important people in the community. The platform reaches forty feet in the air, placing the temple, along with the worshippers, closer to the gods up in the sky.
The theater of Epidauros, while also used for entertainment, was another place used for religious purposes. The theater, dedicated to the god Dionysos, is formed into the mountainside in a near half circle. This allowed every row to be facing the center orchestra. Each row is higher than the one in front of it, giving everyone an equal view. The shape not only helped the viewing process, but also helped contain the sound the sound and carry it so all the tens-of-thousands of spectators could hear. This made the Theater of Epidarous perfect for the many sacred festivals and religious gatherings held there.
The two structures, although of different cultures, were perfect examples, in form and function, of sacred spaces from history.
Now I go dance.
Throughout history, religion and cultural beliefs have always been a constant. With that constant there will always be “sacred spaces” within the religion for worshiping and praying. In Minoan architecture the Palace at Knossos and in Greek architecture the Temple of Aphaia, Aegina are examples of sacred spaces used for worshipping.
ReplyDeleteBuilt during the Bronze age, the Palace at Knossos is the largest of the palaces at Knossos. This palace was the home of King Minos. The palace has a famous mythological background. It is said that the hero Theseus battled with the Minotaur, when the king’s daughter, Ariadne, gave him a ball of thread to help him escape the maze-like palace. Within the palace are many ceremonial rooms just for worship and pray. One of the most famous rooms would be the “Throne Room.” Contained in this room was a built in throne on the north wall. This room is seen to be a place where someone would go to sit and pray in silence. The palace is filled with many mythological paintings and sculptures of gods and goddesses.
During the Classical Period in Greek history, the Temple of Aphaia, Aegina was built. Dedicated to the goddess Aphaia, the temple is six Doric columns wide and twelve columns long. This column ratio is consistent with the Classical Period column equation of y= 2x + 1. The columns are all evenly spaced around the temple with an opening in the front and the worshippers would stand outside of the temple to worship and would peer through the columns and have an unobstructed view of the statue commemorating Aphaia. There are two pediments featuring high-relief painted life-like statues. The theme of both pediments is the Greek and Trojan War. Athena is the center of both and larger than everyone in the pediments being a goddess and everyone else is relatively the same size.
The Palace of Knossos and the Temple of Aphaia portray sacred spaces. The Palace of Knossos has a major mythological background with spaces inside the palace designated just for worshipping. The Temple of Aphaia was a temple to worship a single goddess and allow the public to worship her. Both of these places, with similar yet different cultures, both show the example of sacred spaces.
Have fun at homecoming everyone!
Since I'm here...I'll comment on Jack's!
ReplyDeleteI give you a....9. You correctly identified two "sacred spaces" and described their relationship to the culture's religion and beliefs.
Now dance!
The stupid thing is only letting me comment through aim....so I figured I should say my name since it isn't showing up! Andrea Petruccelli
ReplyDeleteThroughout history, and even today, different cultures and religions around the world have designed and built sacred spaces for their society. These scared spaces are made specific to their beliefs and with their religious practices kept in mind. Two examples of such scared spaces include the Temple of Ramses II in Ancient Egypt and the Temple of Hera I in Ancient Greece.
ReplyDeleteThe Temple of Ramses II in Egypt is a sacred space, which can be easily identified, because it is dedicated to the Pharaoh Ramses and the sun God. The dedication to Ramses is shown with four statues of the Pharaoh himself, at the entrance, which are absolutely huge. These statues are surrounded by smaller statues of Ramses' favorite family members. This use of hierarchical scale shows how important the Pharaoh was viewed in comparison to everyone else in the Egyptian culture. Inside of the temple, the hallway has male figures that serve as columns, which are called atlantids, and it leads back to the chapel, where people could worship. The chapel was built so that twice a year it was in the exact position for the sun to light it up as it was rising, which was an appropriate design since the temple was also built to worship and honor the sun god.
On the other hand, a completely different example of a sacred space is the Temple of Hera I in Ancient Greece. This temple differed from previous symmetrical designs. Instead of having two columns to allow for a view of one large statue in the center of the temple it has 3 columns. The column in the middle no longer allowed for one statue in the center of the temple. It is believed that the temple was designed this way to allow for two large statues, one on either side, instead of just one. In this case, the temple was probably built to worship either, Zeus and Hera, Posiedon and Hera, or just Hera, but in that case there would have been two statues of her, not just one. This shows how large statues were viewed as the ultimate votive offering, and at times the temples in which they were housed were even built with them in mind.
Jessica McLaughlin~Sacred Spaces
ReplyDeleteReligion is important to many people and is evident in many different societies around the world. The incorporation of these religions into daily life can be seen in two societies in particular; the Sumerians and the Greeks. The White Temple in Uruk and the temple of Aphaia in Aegina are two great examples of both religious beliefs and practices.
Religious practice for people in the time of the Sumerians was a pivotal part of living. Their temples and places of worship were prominent town centers and served as places for government as well. The White Temple showcases how grand these structures could be and how they valued in importance. The temple was built on the cardinal point of the compass to honor the god of the sun. The main room, or "cella", itself was small and only accomodated a select few priests and important people. Main worshippers could not be admitted, for belief was that the temple itself was a waiting room or house for the god.
Gods in Ancient Greek society were viewed differently than in the time of the Sumerians. The Greeks were very humanity driven and shaped even the gods that they worshipped into their own human form. They did, however, in their temples take on a similar point of view as the Sumerians; that the majority of worshippers should remain outside. The Temple of Aphaia made this more possible with its double colonnade design allowing the statue of the god to be placed on the center axis of the temple, with no columns obstructing the outside viewer's gaze onto the god inside.
Form, in architecture, follows function and this is evident in both of the sacred spaces of these two societies. The ziggurat that was a grand tribute to the god Anu and served as a daily reminder of religion integrated into life, and the temple in Greece that provided a more personal and revolutionary experience with the worshippers crowding around the perimeter. Both structures show religion in belief and practice.
I'm grading Andrea's.
ReplyDeleteI would give her a 9 because she fully identifies two spaces. She describes them structurally and explains how they were designed specifically for that religion with impressive detail. Good job! :)
I think i'll grade claudia's!
ReplyDeleteI think her essay is nifty. right away it states two different sacred spaces from two different cultures. It fully identifies both structures and says how their layout and features reinforce their religious purposes. Overall i think this essay is snazzy. I give it a nine!
I call Kasey's!
ReplyDeleteKasey's paper was very well developed and explained everything very thoroughly. I was impressed with how much she included and the depth she went into with each one. She fully explained both the beliefs and practices and their incorporations into the sacred spaces in which she was discussing. There were a few grammatical errors, and the organization was good but a tiny bit wonky. It just threw me off ever so slightly. Other than that, fantastic!
Score: 8
:)
Megan Forester - Sacred Spaces Essay
ReplyDeleteThroughout history, cultures have built great buildings in honor of their religion and gods. Egypt’s Temple of Amen-Re and the Parthenon in Greece are two excellent examples of impressive monuments to sacred beings.
The Temple of Amen-Re was built over a long period of times with different sections added by several different Pharaohs, including Hatshepsut and Ramses II. The temple has a large pool out front that mimics the myth of the sacred waters which the Egyptians believed the world originated from. It was also so sacred that only the Pharaoh and priest were aloud inside, not ordinary citizens.
The temple has pillars that go above the main roof, with another slab of stone on top of them as a higher roof, in order to let in light, seeing as they had no way to artificially light the temple, except for maybe fire, which would had needed vents to allow the smoke to escape anyway. Another interesting part of the temple were the columns, which have engraved relief sculptures on them. The are indented into the columns as not to cause them to look wavy from the sides, like they would if they were sticking out.
Another sacred space from history would be the famous Parthenon in Greece. Although actually used throughout it’s long life as a sacred space for several different religions, including a basilica and a mosque, it was originally a temple to the goddess Athena.
The Parthenon has an unusual plan for most Greek temples, it being unusually wide. This may be due to the huge sculpture of Athena inside, which, if it had been built before the temple, would have had to be build around. The statue shows Athena with the goddess Nike in her hand, signifying victory. It also has several friezes on the statue itself, including the Gigantomachy and the Centauromachy, both signifying the defeat of the Persians in the recent war.
Another thing about the Parthenon is the slightly irregular features it has. The lines of the roof and floor are slightly curved, as well as the columns on the corners being slightly closer together. These are in place to offset natural illusions that are seen from afar, showing how much the Greeks considered how their buildings looked from far away.
These two building are excellent examples of how much consideration and effort went into buildings for the gods long ago. The temple of Amen-Re was worked on for lifetimes, while the Parthenon was part of a huge building project that cost an enormous amount of money. They show us the length of the belief of the people of these times to their gods, and how much they wished to please them.
Megan Forester
ReplyDeleteI'll grade Jessica's.
I give it a nine. It fully identifies the two spaces and gives a thorow explination of how religion was an important part of both civilizations daily lives. It also does a good job of showing how function was concidered in the building plans and what they did to accominate that.
The importance of religion in culture is almost unquestionable. Every culture throughout history has a common belief or a majority of the population agrees on a religion. These religions and cultures have always made certain areas for prayer or ways for a worshiper to express their belief. Sacred spaces are a big part of ancient architecture and play a large factor in how we decipher ancient religions and practices. The Pyramids of Gizeh and the Temple of Apollo in Turkey are two very good examples of cultural influence and religion.
ReplyDeleteThe Pyramids of Gizeh in Egypt are a well known tourist attraction. Many are drawn to the power and strength it shows in the Ancient Egyptian culture. For them to be able to build these monuments without our modern technology is an awesome thought but they show more than just their architectural abilities in these three pyramids. All three were built in the fourth dynasty of pharaohs, and took about 75 years to finish. The Pyramids of Gizeh served as Khufu, Khafre, and Menkaure’s tombs. When an Ancient Egyptian died, they were mummified to preserve their natural body, so that the person’s ka, the life force, would inhabit the body in the afterlife. Egyptians would decorate the pyramids with paintings depicting the deceased ruler in the afterlife enjoying themselves and in some cases their judgment in front of the gods over if they were worthy of a happy afterlife. The tombs were also filled with statues of the deceased and servants. It was believed that if the deceased king’s body was ever damaged, the ka would inhabit the stone replica and the servants were for the king’s use in the afterlife. The structure of these enormous tombs is also a very important factor to consider. The tunnels into the pyramids were intersected with diversion tunnels and false chambers, meant to lose tomb robbers. The outside has perfectly smooth and triangular faces made from stone blocks and a limestone covering. They are shaped this way to emulate the sun’s rays, signifying the dead king’s passage into the afterlife toward the sun god, Amen-Re. The pyramids, however, are not visitor friendly and were meant to be like that so the kings would be left undisturbed in.
The Temple of Apollo in Turkey was a product of the Hellenistic Period, meaning it was after Alexander the Great had conquered Egypt and made his way to India. Alexander’s achievements forced a lot of cultures to accept the styles of Greek art but each civilization had its own style. The temple of Apollo is a great example of Hellenistic architecture because it has the same column ratios of Classical Greece (x=2y+1) but is essentially nothing like a Greek temple. The building is dipteral, meaning there are two rows of columns all the way around it. Something we haven’t seen before in Greek temples is its grand doorway, which is elevated about five feet, and was probably meant for the oracle of Apollo to interact with the worshipers while being on a stage. The most notable feature of this building is its lack of a roof, making it hapaethral, which is because it has a courtyard in the center of it. This is really important because it’s the first temple in the Ancient Greek culture that was built so worshipers could enter the temple instead of worship from the outside looking in. To enter the courtyard, worshipers had to go through single-file tunnels beside the grand doorway. The courtyard had a fountain, laurel trees, the tree of the patron god, and a small shrine. At the front of the courtyard are stairs that lead to the oracle’s rooms.
Although the Pyramids of Gizeh represents death and the Temple of Apollo is a temple, they show us that religion was important in these cultures and how each culture was able to interact with those religions in each sacred space.
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ReplyDeleteI'll grade Megan's.
ReplyDeleteShe did a good job describing both the egyptian temple of Amen-Re and the Greek Parthenon and how they accommodate religious beliefs. I felt that she could have elaborated more on how these sacred spaces accommodated religious practices and how the people would go about with these practices. I gave it a 7.
Otherwise though, the organization was good and balanced.
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ReplyDeleteI will grade Sam's:
ReplyDeleteI give it a 9. He fully identifies two sacred spaces and describes their distinctive features well. He addresses how they were built for the religion of each culture and how the citizens were able to worship in, or in this case outside, the sacred spaces. His writing style makes his points transition easily.
The little time I was home this weekend I was doing homework, and my supreme organizational skills (not) let me down, because I fell behind in this class. Like a lot. But here's mine, better late than never.
ReplyDeleteI'll do Genevieve's. She did a great job finding specific details relating to each culture's respective religions, and describing each monument. However, not every detail was completely relevant to the specific religious monument it was meant to describe, so I'll give the essay a 7. I think with a little more explanation it could have been an 8 or a 9.