Ancient Athens Research Paper

749 Words3 Pages

Athens experienced an economic growth and a boom in culture, also known as the Athenian Golden Ages. This flourishing period began in 478 BC after the defeat of the Persian Invasion, in which the Delian League, a coalition of greek city states, defeated the Persian Army keeping the greek cities free. With the rule of Pericles in addition to the Delian League treasury being moved to Athens, Athens produced some of the most influential figures of the western world. Athens truly experienced a Golden Age due to advances in subjects such as philosophy, math, and architecture which helped shape the west to become what it is today.

The founding of western philosophy can be routed to the philosophers of 5th century Athens. One of the most well known …show more content…

The Athenians accomplished great feats of architecture. The Parthenon, costing over 3 Billion dollars in today's time, it is considered on of the marvels of the Ancient World. The Parthenon was originally built as a massive upscale Greek temple but has gone through many changes over the ages. It had vast amounts of gold and silver as well as a monumental statue of Athena. The temple, wrote John Julius Cooper, "enjoys the reputation of being the most perfect Doric temple ever built. Even in antiquity, its architectural refinements were legendary, especially the subtle correspondence between the curvature of the stylobate, the taper of the naos walls and the entasis of the columns." (Cooper pg 63)The basic principles of Greek Architecture can be traced back to this time. The goal of Greek Architecture was to have the greatest buildings in all of Greece in order to bring prestige and recognition to Athens. The architecture was meant to be harmonious, symmetrical, as well as aesthetically pleasing. Columns were also a large part of Greek architecture and were found in 3 different styles, Doric, Ionic, as well as Corinthian. These styles are still examined and used today. Greek architecture was truly the field in which other advancements such as mathematics and philosophy worked together to form breathtaking masterpieces. A new level of design and in depth architecture confirms the Athenian Golden