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CELLA

Parthenon Acropolis, Athens 447-432 B.C. In spite of the heavy damage to the cella wall, it is still possible to imagine what the original marble looked like, with the carefully cut and polished blocks. The entire temple was polished to catch the light. Notice the large lintel block over the doorway. The statue of Athena stood on the platform on t...

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IRIS

Parthenon, West pediment Acropolis, Athens 437-432 B.C. British Museum, London The divine winged messenger Iris stood by Athena's side on the west pediment. Her wings gone, the wind still blows through and against the fabric of her tunic. Her energy, expansive yet in balance, typifies the classic Greek ideal and the standard maintained throughout ...

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Gaius Julius Lacer

Roman bridge Alcántara, Spain 106 Built of square hewn granite stones, this handsome bridge uses six arches to cross the river. The two central arches are 157 feet high and almost 100 feet across. A triumphal arch is over the central pillar....

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TEMPLE OF HERCULES

Cori Late 2nd century B.C. A small Doric temple with columns fluted on the upper two-thirds. The bottom part was probably stuccoed red, a common feature in Pompeian columns. The depth of the porch is equal to its width. Notice the platform made of cement and stone....

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Giovanni Paolo Panini

PANTHEON c. 1750 National Gallery of Art, Washington This eighteenth century painting captures the full magnificence of the Pantheon's interior space, the first such open interior in architectural history. The sun lights up the space and as it travels across the sky casts an intense glow on the walls. Notice how the building's simple design of cir...

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IMPERIAL BATHS

Trier c. 300 Natural light from windows is a primary element in Roman architecture. This is especially so of the buildings which house the baths, where sunlight is that much more desirable. These arched windows almost filling up the wall are from the southern apse of the Imperial Baths at Trier....

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COLOSSEUM

Rome 70-82 The Coliseum is an elliptical building made to hold 50,000 spectators for sporting and theatrical events. It is four stories high with rings of arcades on the first three levels. The arches have attached three-quarter columns, Doric on the first level, Ionic on the second, and Corinthian on the third. The top story has Corinthian pilast...

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SPHINX OF THE NAXIANS

From the sanctuary at Delphi c. 560 B.C. Museum, Delphi The sphinx of the Naxians, a wealthy Cyc1adic island people, sits on an elegant Ionic column which stood not far from the temple of Apollo at Delphi. This was the Naxians' gift to the sanctuary....

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FRAGMENT OF A MIXING BOWL

From Tarentum Mid-4th century B.C. Martin von Wagner Museum Wurzberg Acroderia or ornamental figures adorn the roof above the center and the two ends of the pediment. Mask like faces cover the tile ends along the gutter of the roof. A dentil ornament is above the architrave. The porch ceiling is coffered. This shard of pottery gives a clear indica...

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CHAIR AND SMALL TABLE

Vase painting 475-450 B.C. Torno Collection, Milan In the klismos, the classic chair, the legs swing outward and the back swings upward in a continuous line. Early in the fifth century the leg has no foot. A broad horizontal slat is added to the top of the back which encircles the shoulders. The three legs of the small table curve in the same line...

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