To answer the synthesis question we chose the Temple of Zeus. The temple was constructed by the architect Libon between 472 and 456 BCE. It was a model of a fully developed classical Greek temple of the Doric order. The building was made of low quality limestone that was unappealing to the eye. To resolve this problem, the builders coated it with a thin layer of stucco to make it appear to be marble. To them the perfect temple contained the allure of a marble exterior and a simple yet elegant geometry that consisted of carefully planned symmetry and perfect “ratios” of different components. To them, scientific perception of the world was mostly interlocked with their religious beliefs. Natural phenomenons were viewed as an act of the gods, so people attempted to please the gods through various methods. One such method was the temples; the temples were constructed to “house” the gods, this temple in particular housed Zeus, the king of gods. In ancient Greece sciences was very primitive and intricately linked to their religious. Therefore, their solution to everything was not trial and error, but rather prayer or some sort of appeasement to the god of the temple asking for prosperity or forgiveness, depending on the situation. Inside this temple is a famous statue of Zeus, built by Phidias. Ancient Greek statues usually lacked pupils in the eyes and emotions on their faces, reflecting their belief in stoicism which was viewed as fitting of a “perfect” being. The temple was a coalition of the Greek’s different cultures and beliefs, where beauty met religion and science.
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
Asher.p4.t9 Greek/Roman Synthesis Question
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We believe it was a good choice to write about the temple because every facet of the question (science, religion, aesthetics, and influence on society) can easily be answered using it. This shows that you spent time and searched for the best possible thing. However your execution of it was slightly lacking.
ReplyDeleteYou, indeed, allude to the use of science in constructing the temple in this statement, “Simple yet elegant geometry that consisted of carefully planned symmetry and perfect “ratios” of different components”, but you fail to tell us how they learned to achieve symmetry and to use ratios. You could also deepen our understanding of the subject by giving us specific examples such as: how they raised the columns into place and how the sculpture uses ratios in their work.
You also explain the relationship of religion to the work of art very nicely, you also try to relate science to religion, but your references are flawed. “In ancient Greece … depending on the situation.” Has some incorrect information like the lack of trial-and-error (the Greeks did try to solve their problems through trial-and-error, but when they got to a dead end that is when they prayed to the gods), it also sound like you are stating that they only prayed to Zeus, but in fact they prayed to whichever good they needed too. The only reason this didn’t work was because of word choice.
The biggest mess up we saw was your showing of the aesthetic values of the society. It was inferred to they liked marble more then lime stone and that a stoic face on a statue was customary, but we would have liked to have seen how they came to these conclusions and other examples of pleasing aesthetic choices in the temple.
Your closing statement was also plagued by poor word choices in that the Greeks had their own distinct culture and were not a conglomeration of different cultures like the US, instead you could have said ideals or values. The word coalition brings to mind something very structure and arranged by a contract, but a better choice would be to use merging or conglomeration. In future answers, just be sure that your word choice and grammar are correct because it might distract the reader from what you’re trying to say.
Asher Per.2 Team 4