The other edifices of Grecian architecture were, like the temples, for the benefit and use of the entire pop- ulation. They consisted mostly of fortifications, for- tified entrances (prop3'lrea), and halls of justice (basil- ica). These partook of the general stj'le of architec- ture in which the temples were built.
So different in principles of construction, and in the object for which the}' were designed, were the edifices of ancient Greece, that only with the greatest modifi- cation of detail can their stA'le, and much less their plan, be adapted to the wants of modern life. Least
GRECIAN ARCHITECTURE 978 GRECIAN ARCHITECTURE
of all is the Grecian temple i.Japted to the purposes of a Christian church.
The history of Grecian architeuturo extends from the 7th centurj- B.C. till the conquest of the Orient by Rome. The greater p;irt of the earlier monuments of this architecture are found in the western colonies of Sicilj' and Grecia Magna. Jlost of the ancient tem- ples in Greece itself were destroyed by the Persians. Most of the temples in Ionia and the further Orient vcre built during or after the reign of Alexander the yireat. The Doric style prevailed mostly in Sicily, Grecia Magna, the Peloponnesus, and the northern part of Greece. The Ionic and Corinthian styles pre- vailed mostly in Asia Minor, while all three styles were found in Attica, and especially in Athens.
In Sicil}' there were over twenty temples that were famous for their size and splendor. They were most- Iv built in the 5tli and Gth centuries B.C. The largest of these was the temple of Jupiter at Selinus, which was 350 feet long and 170 feet wide. The temple of Diana at Syracuse is remarkable for the indications of the influence of Egyptian architecture in its style and construction. The temple of Jlinerva at S3'racuse was famous for its costly ornamentation. Hiero II built also at Syracuse a colossal altar, which rested on a lofty base C25 feet long and 73 feet wide, and was re- markable for the elegance of its architectural propor- tions. In Agrigentum were three imposing temples, the largest of them, that of Jupiter Olympus, being 344 feet long and 17G wide. At Psestum, in Itah', are the remains of two temples and of a basilica, that rank among the finest ruins of Grecian architecture. They show still the heavj' influence of Egyptian architec- ture upon the Doric style, but j'et they are marked by great freedom of treatment and harmony of proportion.
One of the most remarkable temples in the Pelopon- nesus was that of Neptune at Corinth, of which but seven columns and the architrave above them remain. As the earliest ruins of Greek architecture extant, these are characterized by a heaviness of proportion that is not found in any later edifices. This temple dates from GoO B.C. The temple of Minerva, on the island of Egina, is remarkable for the traces of color- ing yet remaining in the architectural ornamentation, and for the archaic character of the sculpture of the pediments, now in the Glyptothek at Munich. Among the most famous temples in Greece itself was that of Jupiter Olympius at Olympia. It was 205 feet long and 93 feet wide, and was adorned with most choice works of Grecian sculpture.
The glory of G:eiian architecture is, however, to be seen in Athens. This citj', with all of its tem])les, was utterly destroyed by the Persians 480 B.C. First among the temples of the newly rebuilt city was that of Theseus. This is to-day the best preserved of all ancient Grecian temjiles. In symmetr}' of proportion it surpassed all other temples that were built before it. The second temple in the new city was that of Victoria Aptera. This temple was taken down by the Turks in the 17th centurj- to build a batterj' with. All of its parts were found in 1835, and the temple was completely restored. It is one of the most graceful monuments of Grecian architecture. The Parthenon at Athens is, however, the crowning glorj' of Grecian architecture. It was erected 448 B.C. Its length was •230 feet, and its breadth 102 feet. In the perfection of proportion of all the parts, and in the harmony of their union in an entire edifice, the Parthenon equals or sur- passes all other edifices ever erected by the hand of man. It was also adorned with statues and other works of sculpture by the best sculptors that Greece or the world has ever produced. The Erechtheum and the Propj'lffium also showed the freedom with which the Greek architects varied the plans and construction of their edifices, without losing the character of the architecture, or grace of proportion and unity of ef- fect. Nearlj' equal to the Parthenon was the tem- ple of Diana at Eleusis, in which the mysteries were performed. Tiiere are but few ruins of the famous temple of Apollo at Delphi, which was burnt in the Gth century B.C., and the rebuilding of which was hardh' completed at the time of the Roman conquest.
In size and costly magnificence, the temple of Di- ana at Ephesus exceeded all other temples of Grecian art. This magnificent edifice was completed in B.C. 400. It was 425 feet long and 220 feet wide. Ero- stratus set fire to it in B.C. 355, but it was rebuilt with renewed magnificence by Alexander the Great. It was plundered by the Goths, and later overthrown 1)3' an earthquake. It furnished much of the material for building the church of Santa Sophia (q. v.), and still its colossal ruins are the wonder of the antiquari- an. The temple of Apollo at Didj'mus, near Miletus, destroyed bj- the Persians B.C. 496, and rebuilt B.C. .390, was one of the edifices in which the Oriental or- igin of the Ionic order is most plainly seen. It was also one of the largest and most elegant temples of antiquity. The Mausoleum at Halicarnassus was so large and costly as to be reckoned among the wonders of the world. It was 410 feet long, had nearly *he