Art and architecture in Greece during the classical period focused on magnificent statues, structures, and vases. This was apparent in Athenian architect Kallikartes' Temple of Athena Nike in Athens, the first Ionic structure built on Acropolis in 427 BC. As common during this time period, art reflected historical events. In this paper, I will discuss the construction and history of the temple and its importance in Greek art. .
Greek art was an expression of general life. The temple was as much political in purpose as it was aesthetic. Athena Nike was built as an expression of Athens' ambitions to defeat Sparta and become a world power. The temple was dedicated to the goddess Athena, the bringer of victory. It sat atop a hill on the southern edge of the Acropolis facing the Athenian people, who could then worship Athena in hopes for a favorable outcome from the war with Sparta. .
The white Pentelic marble temple contained four columns front and back, a cella, and a continuous ionic frieze along the North, South, East, and West borders. The temple's architecture was simple in structural form. It's essential elements were: (1) the cella or nucleus of the building, which was a rectangular chamber to house the statue of the god; (2) the columns, which formed the porch and surrounded the cella; (3) the entablature, which rested upon the columns and supported the roof; (4) the roof itself; and (5) the parapet. .
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The Temple of Athena Nike is a tetra-style Ionic temple with colonnaded porticoes in the front and back. Its dimensions are: 27 feet long, 18 1/2 feet wide, and 23 feet tall. The ratio of height to diameter of the columns is 7:1, atypical to the normal 9:1 or 10:1 of Ionic buildings. The four-columned structure featured four steps in the front and back, leading to the entryway of the temple. Ionic structures have more slender and graceful columns with flat flutings, a triple base, and a scroll or volute capital.