Ancient Greek Architecture the Corinthian Order

Ancient Greek Architecture the Corinthian Order 
Blog #2

            Not only did the ancient Greeks use beautiful symbolism in their writings but in everything they did. Their art work lives on in every aspect of our lives, and of everything we know and study of them. I chose to concentrate in the art work of their architecture particularly of the Corinthian order. This is the most decorative of their forms of building, and the kind most loved by those in the modern world. 

           

          One of the best examples of this is the Maison Carree it is located in what is now southern France but was then ruled by the Roman Empire.  It was built in approximately B.C. 19 by Augustus Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa as a dedication to Gaius Julius Caesar Vipsanianus and Lucius Caesar the sons of the emperor Augustus. It was originally built for these boys to show their power as successors to the throne however both died young and would not be able to claim it. Since it was built the Maison Carree has had a multitude of purposes including acting as a church, a house, a stable, and as offices of the consuls of Nimes. 

                                                                         

            Explore the Maison Carree further at http://www.3dancientwonders.com/3d_maisoncaree_virtualreality.php

              The Maison Carree was built in the classic Corinthian order of the Greeks. These would always include an entablacture, column capital, column shaft, and column base.  The entablacture is the part of the structure that rest on top of the columns it is composed of three parts. The capital is the area between the shaft and the entablacture it is usually the most intricately  decorated part.  The Corinthian column is almost always fluted and is the most slender of all greek columns, it is therefore said to be the most delicate.  It is believed that the invention of the Corinthian order came from the architect Callimachus who is said to have observed the grave of a young girl with a tiled covered wild acanthus that created an image so beautiful that the Corinthian style was inspired.

                                                                           

            The Corinthian order is a beautiful form of art stemming from the Greeks like most things of the past it transcended to the future this form of architecture can be seen in many places today. It was chosen to emphasize the regality of the US Supreme Court as well as many older legal buildings and churches. Even the pillars of our very own Prescott courthouse show Corinthian order. This architecture that has been very much preserved for centuries is often dismissed as artwork at all but I believe it is beautiful and most clearly demonstrates the innovation of the time. It is unlikely that the Corinthian order will be used any further in architecture since our generation is all about the “modern” look, but it is an amazing attribute that the Greeks gave to us. Many museums, churches, and legal building of the United States were built in the Corinthian fashion, and they are very much admired to this day, as I feel they will be in the future.

                                              US Supreme Court Building

                                                                        

                                                                          

Aristotle and Education

Aristotle and Education 
Blog #3 

            Education has been in the forefront of political debates for most of my life. It is easily seen that education is very important around the world and is one of the major ways that nations compete. After reading the Glory of Greece it is the one thing that stuck with me and that really seemed to transcend from the time of the Greeks to the present world we are living in. There have been ideas changed and others forgotten from the time of Aristotle but these are the ones I choose to focus on for they are things I feel America both has benefitted greatly from in the usage of his philosophies on education and could stand to benefit more if we took those philosophies a little more to heart.
                                                                                                            A little on Aristotle

           
Two of the positive aspects of the educational philosophies of Aristotle that continue today include molding a student to fit their government, and that education should be public. Molding a student to fit their government is a particularly important function of education in our country, from a young age we are taught about the democracy of our country. That aspect of education makes our country stronger and gives hope to the future, young students are encouraged to vote in elections and to make their voices heard. This is an important aspect of our schooling because if not taught about our government we cannot help strengthen it in the future. As far as public education goes Aristotle said “And since the entire state has one end, manifestly education should be one and the same for all, and should be public and not private.” Public schools educate most of Americas student with an estimated 49.4 million children in American public schools versus the 5.8 million educated in private institutions each year. This is perhaps the most important of the philosophies of Aristotle; public education allows even the most financially unfortunate individuals to receive the education they need to be a functioning member of society. Which can easily be in seen in our high literacy rate of 99%  versus the world literacy rate of just 82%.      

Conversely Aristotle said “No one will doubt that the legislator should direct his attention above all to the education of youth; for the neglect of education does harm the constitution.”  This view of education should still be applied in the modern world; although we often proclaim that education is one of the most important things to us it is clear to see that it is often forgotten. Right down to the teachers, I have always felt that teaching is an underpaid profession, how can it be that the people who prepare others to make six digit salaries get paid such small amounts? This is discouraging my generation from becoming teachers, which is a sad reality for one of the first thing to go when we make budget cuts, is education. This is something I can say with confidence that Aristotle would frown upon, the first step to strengthening an economy should probably be educating the youth about it.

            So unlike most of the things from the past that need to be changed to fit the future, I think education needs to go backwards in time. Its hard to say when we went from caring so much about education to simply pretending we do, but the whole world would benefit from a more strongly educated America.For although the educational ideas are centuries old they are still prevalent today, and should be for all of time. Before taking this class I never realized how much we can learn from the past, I was cynical of history thinking it was a boring thing with no prevalence. Now I can see how the first developed cultures have helped to develop America in to the country it is today. I am thankful for this, I hope we continue to learn from the past, and never forget the important philosophies of the ancient Greek world.