Greek Sanctuaries and Temple Architecture: An Introduction

Assuming no prior knowledge, this book introduces the reader to a selection of sites and temples, exploring them in detail and explaining all technical terms along the way. Intended for college-level students and the interested general reader, this book aims to equip the student of Greek architecture for further study, and can also serve as a handbook for visitors to the sanctuaries. The book covers many of the most popular sites, including Delphi, Olympia and the Athenian Acropolis. In this second edition there are new chapters on Western Greece, covering the site of Paestum in Magna Graecia (South Italy), and the unique temple of Olympian Zeus in Acragas, Sicily. The book also offers a concise account of the evolution of Greek architecture, explores aesthetic ideas underlying Greek architectural design, and gives consideration to specific buildings in their social and religious context. This second edition has expanded the discussion of the most important temples and lays emphasis on architectural sculpture as part of the meaning of the whole building. Along with an updated bibliography and a glossary, an abundance of plans, photos and drawings helps clarify the text.

Table of Contents:
Preface to second edition Acknowledgments List of illustrations Maps 1. Introduction 2. What was a sanctuary? 3. From mud hut to marble temple: Doric and Ionic orders 4. Architectural sculpture 5. Delphi 6. Olympia 7. The Athenian Acropolis: historical background 8. The Parthenon 9. The Propylaia 10. The sanctuary of Athene Nike 11. The Erechtheion 12. The Hephaisteion 13. Views and their meanings: the Acropolis and its surroundings 14. The sanctuary of Apollo Epikourios at Bassae 15. The age of Greek expansion to the west: Paestum 16. The temple of Olympian Zeus at Acragas, Sicily 17. Looking at art in sanctuaries Bibliography Glossary Index

About the Author :
Mary Emerson currently teaches Art History at the Open University, UK and previously taught Classics at Norwich School, UK.

Review :
Written for students new to the subject, the book offers an overview of temple architecture and function in Greece and its western colonies. The book retains the appeal of the first edition: the prose is crisp, the chapters are brief, and there is a glossary of technical terms. Summing Up: Recommended. This slim and affordable volume [is] … an attractive volume to assign for an introductory class. [A] sound and helpful guide to the basics of Greek architecture in the major sanctuaries. This book is much more than a work of armchair scholarship (although that aspect is well done): it bears the imprint of fresh insights and observations which are the author's own, based, it seems, on extensive autopsy. If you seek one comprehensive volume about major Greek temples, in both Greece and Italy, you could do no better than to pick up Emerson's readable, stimulating and newly revised book. In this meticulously researched - yet entirely accessible - introduction to ancient Greek sanctuaries and their temples, Mary Emerson brings together the most recent scholarship with her own careful observations to paint a picture of Greek religious life that is vivid, embodied, and real. Designed for generalists and undergraduates alike, it deserves inclusion in the libraries of all students of antiquity. Succinct yet thorough, this lively introduction is highly readable, always interesting, and nicely illustrated. I especially appreciate Emerson's discussion of Greek temples in Sicily and southern Italy, as she includes their historical context and what makes them distinctive. Excellent for students of archaeology, architecture and ancient religion, and for travelers!