The Corinthian is the most florid of the Greek styles, and although invented by the Greeks, it was not brought into use till after the power of the republics, to which we owe the finest works of Greek art, had begun to wane. This style, from its richness and splendor, became afterwards the greatest favorite with the Romans, in whose hands Greek art became spread over the whole empire.
Caryatides.—Besides the above styles, which constitute the Greek 07•lers of classic writers, the Greeks also used caryatides (q.v.), or female figures, in place of columns, as in the erechtheum and telamones (q.v.), or giants, as at Agiagentuin. These were prob ably derived from the figures used by the Egyptians in their architecture, but the latter never used them as columns; they always placed them as statues in front of the columns.
Greek temples are technically classed and designated by the mode in which the columns of the porticoes are arranged. The cell, or temple proper, is a square chamber contained within four walls; the simplest form of portico is called distyle in antis, the two side-walls being continued past the end-wall, and terminated with antm, or pilasters, with two columns between.
When the portico has four columns between the mitre, it is called tetrastyle. The temples have generally the same arrangement at both ends.
In front of both ends of the plan distyle in antis, there is frequently placed a range of six columns, and from the flank columns a row is continued along both sides. Such an arrangement is called peripteral, and the temple is designated hexastyle and perip teral. This was a common arrangement.
The Parthenon is an exception to the general rule: it has a hexastyle portico at each end of the cell, in front of which is placed an octostyle portico, and seventeen columns at each side.
The great temple at Agrigentum had seven columns at each end, and fourteen at each side, and was peculiar in having the space between the columns all round filled up with a wall. The reason probably was, that the space between the Columns was too great to be spanned by architraves in single stones. The wall was pierced with windows.
Considerable doubt has existed as to the mode adopted by the Greeks for lighting the interior of their temples; that suggested by Mr. Fergusson seems the most probable,
as being similar to the plan used by the Egyptians and Assyrians. The interior had generally a double row of columns, one over the other, dividing the width into three spans. This arrangement still exists in the temple of Neptune at Pirstum. Mr. Pergusson supposes that the light was introduced by counter-sinking a part of the roof, so as to admit the light between the pillars of the upper range, thus forming a kind of clerestory. Windows, however, were also used, as in the temple at Agrigeutum and In the erechtheum.
The theaters of the Greeks formed another very important class of works; they con sisted of semi-circular rows of seats cut in the rock, or partly built. Remains of these structures are found in all the countries inhabited by the Greeks, and were frequently of great size—that, at Dramyssus being 443 ft. across. The proscenia were the parts on which architectural design was chiefly displayed; but these have unfortunately all perished.
None of the palaces or domestic edifices of the Greeks remain to us; we are thus totally deprived of a very interesting chapter in the history of domestic architecture, for it is highly probable that the streets and houses of Greece, although not so splendid and enduring as the temples, were more varied in style, and exhibited many picturesque and beautiful forms, which are now entirely lost.
The attempt has been made in modern times to revive Greek architecture, and some ingenious modifications and adaptations of it have been carried out. But it was found that this style, so beautiful and appropriate in the warm and genial climate of Greece, was quite unsuited for our northern latitudes. The porticoes are useless in a climate where external painting cannot last, and where time sunshine is courted rather than excluded; the pitch of the roof is not high enough to throw off our snows; and windows of sufficient size for our dark skies are not admissible. Grecian architecture has there fore.been abandoned; and its place is now taken by a style more appropriate to our climate, and more suited to the feelings of the people.