Greece & Italy

 We meet again!

This week we traveled to Greece and Italy! 🥰 Perhaps the most defining element of Greek and Italian architecture is their innovation and use of columns, or capitals.  

Although I have seen these types of columns throughout my life, I must admit, I never really understood the history behind them, and this was very interesting to learn about.  Here are my (not so great) sketches of each different type of capital.  Each capital has defining elements, which indicate their time period and Greek or Roman origin.  

The Greeks are well known for many things, but one aspect of Greek culture that has stood the test of time is their beliefs in gods and goddesses.  Let's delve a little deeper into the life and times of Hera, goddess of marriage, women, and family, protector of women during childbirth.  Hera was the sister and wife of Zeus, god of thunder and sky.  Zeus had a thing for the ladies and Hera was often jealous and rageful.  Zeus had many children outside of his marriage (including the infamous Hercules, whom Hera had a great disdain for).  Despite Zeus' adulterous ways, Hera remained loyal and faithful to her husband.  Because of this, the Greek prayed to Hera during weddings, believing she would provide strong marriages.  They also prayed to her during childbirth, hoping she would bring protection to the mother and baby. 

Seen here is the Temple of Hera.  It was built at Olympia in 600-590 B.C.  In the early 4th Century, it was destroyed by an earthquake and little attempts were made to restore it. 

The Romans and Greeks have an astounding lasting influence on our modern day world.  Here are a few items that are for sale today that reflect Roman and Greek culture. 

 This pillow is available at Wayfair.com.  It features the very distinctive Greek Key symbol. 

Shown here is a stool from the Roman Empire.  

When searching for roman stool, there were LOTS of stools mimicking this style.  Here's one example from Amazon:

And lastly, I cannot end this post without mentioning concrete.  Concrete was first used by the Romans.  And oh, how it changed everything. It changed the shape and strength of buildings, allowing for more freedom of expression. The colosseum? The Pantheon? Concrete!  And it goes without saying, that we still use concrete today, and it is everywhere!  

That's all for now! Next week: The Renaissance!