The Temple of Nike Athena
The Temple of Nike Athena is a small, but important part of Athenian worship. This building rests on the Athenian Acropolis and is a tribute to Nike the goddess of victory and Athena the city patron goddess.
The archetecture:
This building is a great tribute to the Ionic style of building. Built in 427 B.C. by Callicrates it was the first temple built on the Acropolis built in Ionic syle. There are four colmns surrounding the two porches of the buiding. The cella ( the inner chamber) has undecorated walls but there are many reliefs spread throughout the stucture. The site on wich this templ was built is also said to be the rock from which Aegeus jumped when he saw his son returning from Crete with black sails. His son was supposed to change the sails if he successfully killed the minotar and he forgot to. This temple is in a sacred area of the city and was and is an important part of the Athein Acrpolis.
How it was built.
The Temple of Athena Nike, around the Mediteranian, was designed by architects of the Parthenon, Callicrates and built in 427 BC. This temple was was made of cut stone and bearing masonry, and planned to be 12 feet and 10 fingers by 14 feet. The colummns of this temple are 13 feet and 54 fingers tall, but the all the designs that are above the columns make up the rest of the 14 feet. The temple's small scale and elongated shape, sits beside the gateway to the Acropolis, at each projecting porch therer are four columns.
Athens, Temple of Athena, c. 427-424 BC; photo credit: Erich Lessing/ Art Resource, NY
The Beginning and founding of the Temple:
This Temple was begun in 427 B.C., but there is evedence that is was planned before that. It was planned before the Parthonon but, it was finished after the Parthonon indicating its relitive importance. This temple used for religous ceromonies in Classical times, was as the rest of the Athenian Acropolis was abondoned, not until it was excavated by Turkish gun-men it see the sun again.
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