The Parthenon in
Athens
The images of gold and
ivory, which were set up in the years after 430 BCE in the temple of
Zeus at Olympia and in the Parthenon in Athens, required new
interiors because they were far larger than life. In Olympia, the
temple had already been built thirty years earlier, whilst in Athens
the time-gap was only about ten years. Here, the extensive interior
with columns running all around the image of Athena Parthenos
underlined the powerful effect of this image, while the conventional
positioning in the temple at Olympia created a conflict between image
and interior, which later found its expression in the slightly
ironical statement that Zeus when he rose from his throne, would
break the roof of the temple.
The solution found
for the Parthenon was crucial for the subsequent period, as is shown
by the string of varied solutions it inspired in many temples of the
late fifth and fourth centuries BCE. The temple in Epidauros is a
good example, as are the temples of Athena in Tegea or that of Zeus
in Nemea. The surrounding colonnades underlined the autonomous
manifestation of the interior, which was also expressed by employing
other architectural orders or by their close connection with the
walls.
Whilst during the
archaic and early classical period the columns in the interior of the
temples did not usually differ from those of the outer order, and
thus emphasized the strong coherence of the entire building, the
interior later became a sort of precious room, introverted and closed
around itself like a small treasure chest.
At the same time,
new forms and effects were used to attract visitors, as is already
visible in the late Archaic Temple of Athena at Paestum in which
Ionic columns were used in front of the cella in contrast to the
Doric columns that surrounded the rest of the exterior. In the
various temples of Athens these zones of transition later came to be
emphasized by means of the inner friezes.
The overwhelming
aesthetic effect of the cult images in the Classical period was
probably the result of the increase in ostensive power demonstrations
in these times, in which these images were used by the cities. The
best-known example is the Athena Parthenos, laden with gold plates
which formed part of the treasure of the Athenian confederacy, and
therefore had to be weighed each year. The statue of Zeus at Olympia
was an expression of the new position of Elis, now organized as the
main polis connected to the sanctuary; the situation was probably
similar at Epidauros with the temple and image of Asklepios. Besides
these new forms, however, the old images of the gods still existed
and kept the old tradition alive.
These new forms were
crucial for further developments. The isolation of the interior of
the temples corresponded to certain changes in the appearance of the
images of the deities themselves. It has often been observed that,
particularly in the fourth century BCE, these images seem to be
concentrating on themselves, giving the viewer the impression that
they are tranquil, quietly reposing in themselves. The experience of
epiphany was thus created in a new way, causing the viewer to appear
even more surprised by contrast. This seems to agree with the idea
that the images should not be more than life-sized. The statue of
Aphrodite by Praxiteles, which was commissioned by the citizens of
Knidos, showed the goddess naked for the first time, as far as we
know. Whether it was placed in a round building depends on the
interpretation of a possible copy in the villa of Hadrian at Tivoli.
But tholoi with their circular cellae, which became common in this
period, were certainly well suited to bring out the new quality of
these effects (Despinis 1979, 2005; Elsner 1996; Scheer 2000; Fehr
2001; Nick 2002; Mertens 2006).
A special case, the
temple of Eshmun in Sidon, provides us with a significant sidelight
on Greek understanding. The outer form follows the Greek prototype to
the letter, but the image is enclosed in a sort of canopy with
columns following Iranian models. The details are not well preserved,
but in contrast to the Greek models which aim to create distance
between image and visitors, the interior of the temple at Sidon
allows the image to dominate (Stucky 2005).
The Hellenistic
period is characterized by different strategies to emphasize the cult
image. Even royal residential towns often feature only small temples
with corresponding interiors. The Pergamene kings never had – or
never carried out – the idea of transforming the ancient temple of
Athena on their acropolis into a magnificent building based on the
Athenian model, although they did imitate this model in some other
respects and sufficient financial resources were certainly available.
The same is true even of Alexandria and the Ptolemies.
The splendor of the
interior was achieved by means other than size. Often there are huge
bases with groups of images, as in Lykosura or Klaros. Often, images
of rulers were added, such as in the Temple of Hera at Pergamon or in
the Temple of Dionysos at Teos. The appearance was also enriched by
canopies, various forms of interior boundaries, honorary statues and
mosaic floors. In a particularly unusual case, Antiochus IV dedicated
a purple curtain to shroud the statue of Zeus in the temple at
Olympia. This undoubtedly theatrically increased the epiphanic
effect. The new temple of the poleis were, however, often very large,
such as those in Magnesia on the M. for Artemis or for Apollo at
Klaros.
No dominant pattern
emerges in the design of the interior spaces at this time. Everything
seems to have been possible, from rich colonnades lining the walls,
as in the temple of Leto at the Xanthian Letoon, to the simple smooth
inner walls. Even the Archaic and early Classical concept of rows of
columns that lead into the interior towards the cult image was used
again (with some modifications) in the temples of Artemis at Sardis
and Magnesia, where the anteroom was more strongly structured with
various forms of transitions and barriers (Cain 1995; Faulstich 1997;
Bergbach-Bitter 2008; Mylonopoulos 2011).
