Ancient Greek design

Greek art was popular from around 750 BC till about 180 BC.  It is divided into three main periods; The Archaic period (c 750 BC - 480 BC), the Classical period (c 480 BC - 300 BC) and The Hellenistic  period (c 300 BC - 180 BC).

The arts of ancient Greece have influenced many cultures in many different countries all over the world especially when it came to sculpture and architecture.  For example, because of the Greek influence on central Asia and India, Greco-Buddhist art became very popular . (Example taken from Wikipedia)

Exampl of Greco-Buddhist art
coming from
Gandhara in Pakistan.

Example of Greco-Buddhist art coming from
Gandhara in Pakistan.

Most of the time in Greco-Buddhist art, the main theme is the worship of the buddha.  This is clearly shown in the two examples above.  The buddha is the central figure and its worshipers surround him.

Architecture:

Very little architecture from the Archaic and Early Classical periods no longer remains because buildings during this time were built from wood or mud-brick.  Most of our knowledge of Greek architecture come fro the late Classical, Helenistic and Roman periods, since the Romans copied Greek architecture a lot. 

(Picture 3) The Parthenon 

The Parthenon, as shown in picture 3, is one of the few surviving buildings we have today that come from the Ancient Greek period.  The buildings of this period were usually cube shaped and were most of the time made from limestone which greek has an abundance of.  Marble was also used in the Parthenon however it was not usually used as it was a very expensive material.  

Styles of architecture:

There were three main styles of greek architecture. The Doric style was mainly used in mainland Greece and then spread to the greek colonies in Itlay.  The Ionic style was used on the regions of Ionia. The Doric style was more formal whilst the Ionic style was more relaxed and decorative.  The Corinthian style was a later development of the Ionic style and was by far the most decorative.  

Most of the well known surviving greek buildings use the Doric style.  The Ionic became dominant during the Helenistic period.  

The three different styles found in Greek architecture.

Today there is still a substantial amount of Greek influence in architecture.  

The White House, Washington D.C

The Acropolis inAthens.

Taking the White House as an example, we can see a great greek influence in the architecture of the building.  The White House in Washington DC, uses Doric styled columns taking its influence from The Acropolis temple in Athens.