How the Greeks built Temples [11:49]

--> YouTube-Generated Transcript <--
· Introduction
0:00 · Here at Selinus, on the south coast of Sicily, are the ruins of one of the largest Greek temples
0:16 · ever built. Its columns, more than 50 feet high, were 11 feet thick, and made -- as you can see --
0:23 · from colossal stone drums. Some blocks weighed as much as 100 tons. Today's video will explore how,
0:28 · despite limited resources and only the simplest technology, Greek city-states were capable of
0:33 · constructing some of the ancient world's most impressive, and most beautiful, monuments.
· Form and function
0:40 · A Greek temple was nothing more or less than the dwelling place of a god. It sheltered the
0:47 · god's statue. It protected the god's possessions -- votives and offerings,
0:53 · curiosities and artistic wonders. It provided a spectacular backdrop for the sacrifices,
1:01 · hymns, and communal meals that made up the public part of ancient Greek religion.
1:08 · The first Greek temples were simple mud-brick structures with thatched roofs and wooden porches.
1:14 · It was only in the seventh century BC,
1:18 · probably inspired by contact with Egypt, that the Greeks began to build in stone.
1:24 · Almost immediately, temples assumed the form they would have for the next thousand years.
1:30 · Their most distinctive feature was a peristyle -- a colonnaded porch on all
1:35 · four sides. Behind was the stone chamber known as the cella, which housed the god's statue.
1:43 · Above was a gabled roof supported by wooden trusses and covered with tiles.
1:50 · Two architectural styles developed. The Doric order, used on the Greek mainland
1:56 · and in the colonies of Sicily and Italy, was less ornamental, with heavy columns and plain capitals.
2:04 · Ionic, dominant in the Aegean islands and Asia Minor, was lighter, and characterized by graceful
2:11 · scroll capitals. The more elaborate Corinthian order only became prominent under the Romans.
· Planning
2:18 · Greek temples were almost always built by a polis -- by, in other words, the corporate community of a
2:25 · city-state. Since they were public projects, construction was supervised by one or more
2:31 · committees appointed by the city government. An architect, responsible for providing a detailed
2:38 · design and specifications, was chosen at the outset. Contracts were then let out
2:45 · to master builders and artisans, who would be assisted by both free and slave laborers.
· Variables
2:52 · The pace of construction was set by several factors. Especially in the Archaic period,
2:58 · the most ambitious projects tended to be undertaken by tyrants, eager to legitimize their
3:04 · rule and willing to mobilize every available resource. As long as he remained in power,
3:10 · a tyrant could build more quickly than any democracy or oligarchy. If he was dethroned,
3:16 · however, the regime that replaced him was seldom motivated to complete his vanity projects.
3:23 · A related variable was the size of the temple. As column drums and architrave blocks grew,
3:30 · so did the complexity of construction. Even with all the resources of the Athenian Empire,
3:36 · cutting, shaping, and lifting the 50,000 cubic feet of marble used
3:40 · in the Parthenon -- a large, but not colossal, temple -- took nine years.
3:47 · Technology was another contributing factor. Cranes, compound pulleys
3:52 · supported by wooden frames, appeared around the end of the sixth century BC.
3:57 · Since the loads they could carry were limited,
4:00 · their use reduced the average size of blocks and drums. They accelerated the work, however,
4:06 · by allowing stones to be lifted into place by relatively small teams of professional workmen.
4:13 · We'll discuss the process of building a temple after a brief word about this video's sponsor.
· Flexispot
4:20 · [ad text redacted]
5:43 · Returning to our topic. In all periods, and whatever
· Location and materials
5:47 · the scale of the project, construction began with choosing a site. Temples were
5:52 · most often built in a prominent place near the center of a city. Sometimes,
5:58 · the location had sacred significance; a hole was left in the porch of the Erechtheion at Athens
6:04 · to expose a fissure made by Poseidon's trident. Temples were frequently designed to face east,
6:11 · so that the morning sun could pour through the doors during sacrifices.
6:16 · Since overland transport was difficult and expensive, stone was sourced as close
6:21 · as possible to the construction site. Blocks were carved out with iron picks,
6:27 · and detached from their beds with metal or wooden wedges. Though not finished in the
6:33 · quarry, they were shaped to reduce their weight. Quarrying usually took place in the summer months,
6:39 · when the roads were hardest and oxen for the stone carts could be hired from local farmers.
· Construction
6:45 · After the foundations were laid, the colonnade was usually built first. Unlike Roman temples,
6:51 · which often employed monolithic columns, Greek columns were made up of drums,
6:56 · held together by central dowel rods. In the first stone temples, column drums were hauled
7:04 · up dirt ramps. After cranes came into use, blocks were lifted with ropes looped around projecting
7:11 · bosses or carved channels. A simple derrick sufficed for small stones. The largest blocks,
7:19 · like the lintel of the Temple of Apollo at Didyma, required two massive hoists working in unison.
7:27 · Greek masons never used mortar. Initially, stones were held in place by their own weight. Later,
7:34 · they were bonded with dowels and clamps -- usually bronze or iron,
7:39 · sometimes cypress wood -- sealed in place with lead.
7:44 · Since Greece has few large trees, obtaining beams to support a temple's roof was often a problem.
7:52 · Timber for the trusses of the Temple of Asclepius at Epidaurus, for example,
7:57 · had to be imported all the way from Crete. Partly because wood was in such short supply,
8:03 · the largest temples were often left partially uncovered, with the cella open to the sky.
· Decoration
8:09 · Once all the blocks and columns were in place, the outer faces of the walls
8:13 · were smoothened with fine-toothed chisels and the columns were fluted. Marble was polished;
8:21 · limestone was coated with stucco.
8:24 · The rooflines of Ionic temples often featured a continuous band of reliefs.
8:30 · Doric temples were ornamented with the relief panels known as metopes,
8:34 · and sometimes had free-standing statues in their pediments. All this sculpture
8:40 · was painted. In fact, everything above the tops of the columns, sometimes including the roof,
8:46 · was splashed with color. Red, blue, and black seem to have been especially popular.
8:53 · Finally, the cult statue, the physical embodiment of the god,
8:57 · was installed in the cella. Although this might be a timeworn wooden figurine or unshaped stone,
9:04 · more often it was a magnificent colossal sculpture. The most famous examples,
9:09 · like the Athena in the Parthenon and Zeus at Olympia, were made of gold and ivory.
· Financing
9:16 · Funding often ran out before a temple was completed. Fluting a single column in the Temple
9:22 · of Apollo at Didyma, for example, is thought to have cost about 4,500 drachmas, at a time when a
9:29 · family could live comfortably for a year on 200. Building even a small temple required 20 or 30
9:36 · talents, roughly the scale of the largest private fortunes in Classical Athens. The Parthenon
9:44 · probably cost about 500 talents -- as much as the annual income of the entire Athenian Empire.
9:52 · Athens paid for the Parthenon with the contributions of her subject allies.
9:57 · Most Greek cities, forced to rely on their own resources, could only raise a small fraction
10:02 · of that sum. Public money might be supplemented by subscriptions or with donations from wealthy
10:09 · citizens. During the Hellenistic era, kings sometimes intervened; Alexander the Great
10:16 · provided money to finish the Temple of Athena at Priene. Even with such assistance, construction
10:23 · tended to proceed in fits and starts, frequently grinding to a halt. But when it was done -- if it
· Conclusion
10:30 · was done -- a temple was a work of art, unblemished and imperishable, fit for the immortal gods.
10:39 · Speaking of unblemished works of art -- why not check out the Toldinstone Patreon,
10:44 · where Grecian perfection awaits? You'll find a link in the description. And if you'd like to
10:50 · see a few Greek temples in person, you might be interested in my upcoming trip to Greece,
10:56 · also linked below. Please check out my other channels,
11:00 · Toldinstone Footnotes and Scenic Routes to the Past. And as always, thanks for watching.

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--> YouTube-Generated Transcript <--
	·	Introduction
0:00	·	Here at Selinus, on the south coast of Sicily, are the ruins of one of the largest Greek temples
0:16	·	ever built. Its columns, more than 50 feet high, were 11 feet thick, and made -- as you can see --
0:23	·	from colossal stone drums. Some blocks weighed as much as 100 tons. Today's video will explore how,
0:28	·	despite limited resources and only the simplest technology, Greek city-states were capable of
0:33	·	constructing some of the ancient world's most impressive, and most beautiful, monuments.
	·	Form and function
0:40	·	A Greek temple was nothing more or less than the dwelling place of a god. It sheltered the
0:47	·	god's statue. It protected the god's possessions -- votives and offerings,
0:53	·	curiosities and artistic wonders. It provided a spectacular backdrop for the sacrifices,
1:01	·	hymns, and communal meals that made up the public part of ancient Greek religion.
1:08	·	The first Greek temples were simple mud-brick structures with thatched roofs and wooden porches.
1:14	·	It was only in the seventh century BC,
1:18	·	probably inspired by contact with Egypt, that the Greeks began to build in stone.
1:24	·	Almost immediately, temples assumed the form they would have for the next thousand years.
1:30	·	Their most distinctive feature was a peristyle -- a colonnaded porch on all
1:35	·	four sides. Behind was the stone chamber known as the cella, which housed the god's statue.
1:43	·	Above was a gabled roof supported by wooden trusses and covered with tiles.
1:50	·	Two architectural styles developed. The Doric order, used on the Greek mainland
1:56	·	and in the colonies of Sicily and Italy, was less ornamental, with heavy columns and plain capitals.
2:04	·	Ionic, dominant in the Aegean islands and Asia Minor, was lighter, and characterized by graceful
2:11	·	scroll capitals. The more elaborate Corinthian order only became prominent under the Romans.
	·	Planning
2:18	·	Greek temples were almost always built by a polis -- by, in other words, the corporate community of a
2:25	·	city-state. Since they were public projects, construction was supervised by one or more
2:31	·	committees appointed by the city government. An architect, responsible for providing a detailed
2:38	·	design and specifications, was chosen at the outset. Contracts were then let out
2:45	·	to master builders and artisans, who would be assisted by both free and slave laborers.
	·	Variables
2:52	·	The pace of construction was set by several factors. Especially in the Archaic period,
2:58	·	the most ambitious projects tended to be undertaken by tyrants, eager to legitimize their
3:04	·	rule and willing to mobilize every available resource. As long as he remained in power,
3:10	·	a tyrant could build more quickly than any democracy or oligarchy. If he was dethroned,
3:16	·	however, the regime that replaced him was seldom motivated to complete his vanity projects.
3:23	·	A related variable was the size of the temple. As column drums and architrave blocks grew,
3:30	·	so did the complexity of construction. Even with all the resources of the Athenian Empire,
3:36	·	cutting, shaping, and lifting the 50,000 cubic feet of marble used
3:40	·	in the Parthenon -- a large, but not colossal, temple -- took nine years.
3:47	·	Technology was another contributing factor. Cranes, compound pulleys
3:52	·	supported by wooden frames, appeared around the end of the sixth century BC.
3:57	·	Since the loads they could carry were limited,
4:00	·	their use reduced the average size of blocks and drums. They accelerated the work, however,
4:06	·	by allowing stones to be lifted into place by relatively small teams of professional workmen.
4:13	·	We'll discuss the process of building a temple after a brief word about this video's sponsor.
	·	Flexispot
4:20	·	[ad text redacted]
5:43	·	Returning to our topic. In all periods, and whatever
	·	Location and materials
5:47	·	the scale of the project, construction began with choosing a site. Temples were
5:52	·	most often built in a prominent place near the center of a city. Sometimes,
5:58	·	the location had sacred significance; a hole was left in the porch of the Erechtheion at Athens
6:04	·	to expose a fissure made by Poseidon's trident. Temples were frequently designed to face east,
6:11	·	so that the morning sun could pour through the doors during sacrifices.
6:16	·	Since overland transport was difficult and expensive, stone was sourced as close
6:21	·	as possible to the construction site. Blocks were carved out with iron picks,
6:27	·	and detached from their beds with metal or wooden wedges. Though not finished in the
6:33	·	quarry, they were shaped to reduce their weight. Quarrying usually took place in the summer months,
6:39	·	when the roads were hardest and oxen for the stone carts could be hired from local farmers.
	·	Construction
6:45	·	After the foundations were laid, the colonnade was usually built first. Unlike Roman temples,
6:51	·	which often employed monolithic columns, Greek columns were made up of drums,
6:56	·	held together by central dowel rods. In the first stone temples, column drums were hauled
7:04	·	up dirt ramps. After cranes came into use, blocks were lifted with ropes looped around projecting
7:11	·	bosses or carved channels. A simple derrick sufficed for small stones. The largest blocks,
7:19	·	like the lintel of the Temple of Apollo at Didyma, required two massive hoists working in unison.
7:27	·	Greek masons never used mortar. Initially, stones were held in place by their own weight. Later,
7:34	·	they were bonded with dowels and clamps -- usually bronze or iron,
7:39	·	sometimes cypress wood -- sealed in place with lead.
7:44	·	Since Greece has few large trees, obtaining beams to support a temple's roof was often a problem.
7:52	·	Timber for the trusses of the Temple of Asclepius at Epidaurus, for example,
7:57	·	had to be imported all the way from Crete. Partly because wood was in such short supply,
8:03	·	the largest temples were often left partially uncovered, with the cella open to the sky.
	·	Decoration
8:09	·	Once all the blocks and columns were in place, the outer faces of the walls
8:13	·	were smoothened with fine-toothed chisels and the columns were fluted. Marble was polished;
8:21	·	limestone was coated with stucco.
8:24	·	The rooflines of Ionic temples often featured a continuous band of reliefs.
8:30	·	Doric temples were ornamented with the relief panels known as metopes,
8:34	·	and sometimes had free-standing statues in their pediments. All this sculpture
8:40	·	was painted. In fact, everything above the tops of the columns, sometimes including the roof,
8:46	·	was splashed with color. Red, blue, and black seem to have been especially popular.
8:53	·	Finally, the cult statue, the physical embodiment of the god,
8:57	·	was installed in the cella. Although this might be a timeworn wooden figurine or unshaped stone,
9:04	·	more often it was a magnificent colossal sculpture. The most famous examples,
9:09	·	like the Athena in the Parthenon and Zeus at Olympia, were made of gold and ivory.
	·	Financing
9:16	·	Funding often ran out before a temple was completed. Fluting a single column in the Temple
9:22	·	of Apollo at Didyma, for example, is thought to have cost about 4,500 drachmas, at a time when a
9:29	·	family could live comfortably for a year on 200. Building even a small temple required 20 or 30
9:36	·	talents, roughly the scale of the largest private fortunes in Classical Athens. The Parthenon
9:44	·	probably cost about 500 talents -- as much as the annual income of the entire Athenian Empire.
9:52	·	Athens paid for the Parthenon with the contributions of her subject allies.
9:57	·	Most Greek cities, forced to rely on their own resources, could only raise a small fraction
10:02	·	of that sum. Public money might be supplemented by subscriptions or with donations from wealthy
10:09	·	citizens. During the Hellenistic era, kings sometimes intervened; Alexander the Great
10:16	·	provided money to finish the Temple of Athena at Priene. Even with such assistance, construction
10:23	·	tended to proceed in fits and starts, frequently grinding to a halt. But when it was done -- if it
	·	Conclusion
10:30	·	was done -- a temple was a work of art, unblemished and imperishable, fit for the immortal gods.
10:39	·	Speaking of unblemished works of art -- why not check out the Toldinstone Patreon,
10:44	·	where Grecian perfection awaits? You'll find a link in the description. And if you'd like to
10:50	·	see a few Greek temples in person, you might be interested in my upcoming trip to Greece,
10:56	·	also linked below. Please check out my other channels,
11:00	·	Toldinstone Footnotes and Scenic Routes to the Past. And as always, thanks for watching.