Icons of Greek Art and Architecture

This interest day gives participants the chance to engage deeply with the journey of Greek Art and Architecture throughout its extended historical period of the 7th to the 2nd centuries BC
i. Dwellings for the Gods: the Art and Architecture of Ancient Greek Temples
This lecture examines the development of the ancient Greek temple from the 7th century BC, with a focus on how it became the focal point for developments in Greek art and architecture over a number of centuries. How did the design emerge as it did? What is the significance of Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian columns? What can we learn from the sculpted art on them? How were these buildings actually used? We will look at the temple of Zeus at Olympia as a worked example, and finish by examining the legacy of Greek temple design in neo-classical and modern architecture.

ii. The Parthenon: A Jewel for the Ages
The lecture focuses on the most iconic – and arguably unique – Greek temple of them all, the Parthenon. No expense was spared as leading artists, sculptors, and architects worked on its construction, at a time when Athens was undergoing an extraordinary cultural revolution: this was the age of Socrates, Euripides, Aristophanes, Herodotus, and Sophocles. The buildings on the Acropolis were constructed in a few short decades as a symbol and celebration of Athens’ democracy. The building programme, promoted by the leading democratic politician Pericles, was in fact highly controversial – and sharply divided Athenian democratic opinion in its own day. Why was this temple the greatest the ancient world ever knew?

iii. Two Hellenistic Cities: Alexandria and Pergamon
This lecture will look at the fascinating journey of Greek art and architecture in the 3rd and 2nd centuries BC, when the Hellenistic age emerged after the Classical age. In this period, two cities emerged as centres of extraordinary culture and learning. In Egypt, Alexander conceived a vision of a new city to take his name: Alexandria. It soon became the intellectual hub of the ancient world, which saw extraordinary discoveries in science and mathematics, philosophy, and
medicine. Its library was the greatest of the ancient world; moreover, its lighthouse was one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. Meanwhile, in
north-west Asia Minor, the Attalid kingdom developed a new capital city, Pergamon, as a cultural centre to rival Alexandria. It too had a remarkable
library; today the archaeological site is on the UNESCO World Heritage List, while the famed Pergamon Altar has been reconstructed in the Pergamon
Museum, Berlin. This talk explains how these two cities changed the intellectual and artistic landscape and examines their legacy.

Dates and Locations

Thursday 13 August 2025 Brisbane (QLD)

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