What does the Erechtheion represent?
What does the Erechtheion represent?
The Erechtheion (or Erechtheum) is an ancient Greek temple constructed on the acropolis of Athens between 421 and 406 BCE in the Golden Age of the city in order to house the ancient wooden cult statue of Athena and generally glorify the great city at the height of its power and influence.
What is unique about the Erechtheion temple on the Athenian Acropolis?
The Erechtheion is an intricate temple. It sprang from a complex plan that was designed to accommodate the radically uneven ground on the site, and to avoid disturbing sacred shrines like the altars to Poseidon (Erechtheus), and Hephaestus, or the spot where Poseidon hit the Acropolis with his trident.
What was the function of the Erechtheion?
Ancient Greek temple
Érechthéion/Function
What is the difference between an Canephora and a caryatid?
Caryatids with baskets on their heads are called canephora (In ancient Greece, the kanephorus were maidens who carried sacred offerings in baskets upon their heads to the altar on the acropolis). The male equivalent of a caryatid is a telamon or atlas.
What was inside the Erechtheion?
Inside the entrance are altars, one to Poseidon, on which in obedience to an oracle they sacrifice also to Erekhtheus, the second to the hero Boutes, and the third to Hephaistos . . . here is also inside–the building is double–sea-water in a cistern.
What is so unusual about the Erechtheion compared to most Greek temples?
The temple, built in the last twenty years of the Vth century BC over the remains of two older temples has an unusual design compared to the usual design of Greek temples, since it is designed to house several cults, and it is also unusual for its position in a very craggy part of the Acropolis.
What does Acropolis stand for?
high city
What Is the Acropolis? The term “acropolis” means “high city” in Greek and can refer to one of many natural strongholds constructed on rocky, elevated ground in Greece, but the Acropolis of Athens is the best known.
What is a male caryatid called?
An atlas or telamon is a male version of a caryatid, i.e. a sculpted male statue serving as an architectural support.
Where can you see the Erechtheion frieze in London?
A piece of a carved female figure sculpture identified as belonging to the Erechtheion frieze was acquired by English Architect Sir John Soane and is currently on display at Sir John Soane’s museum in Holborn, London.
When was the Caryatid removed from the Erechtheion?
Between 1800 and 1803 G.B. Lusieri, acting on behalf of Lord Elgin, removed this caryatid, which stood second from the left on the front of the south porch. During the Greek War of Independence (1821-33) the Erectheion was reduced to ruins, although the caryatids survived.
Where are the fragments of the Erechtheion statue?
The statue was smashed, and its fragments were left behind. It was later reconstructed haphazardly with cement and iron rods. A piece of a carved female figure sculpture identified as belonging to the Erechtheion frieze was acquired by English Architect Sir John Soane and is currently on display at Sir John Soane’s museum in Holborn, London.
Are there any replicas of the caryatids in Athens?
All the Caryatids on site today are exact replicas, while the originals are protected by the corrosive air of modern Athens in the Acropolis museum. One of the six Caryatids can be seen in the London museum having been appropriated by Lord Elgin along with the Parthenon marbles.