The Greeks were influenced by the religion, art, and science of many earlier peoples through trade, travel, and diplomacy. The early ancestors of the Greeks, including the Mycenaeans, Minoans, and later the Dorians, Ionians, Aeolians, and Achaeans, likely migrated into the Greek peninsula during the Neolithic to Bronze Age, between 3000 BCE - 2000 BCE.
The Dorians were known for their military focus and rigid social structures where individuals had little freedom to change their status. They were one of four major tribes and settled in Greece around 1200 BCE. The Doric style of architecture, emerged around 700 BCE, and is the oldest and simplest of the classical orders. Famous Doric architecture includes the Parthenon, the Temple of Hephaestus and the Temple of Poseidon at Sounion.
The Ionians were more focused more on trade, art, and philosophy. The Ionians had settled earlier, around 1500 BCE, mainly in the eastern parts of Greece and the Aegean Islands. Famous Ionic architecture include Temple of Artemis (Ephesus), Erechtheion (Athens), Temple of Hera (Samos).
The Corinthians became renowned for their wealth and cultural importance. They lived in the city of Corinth, a Dorian city-state located between mainland Greece and the Peloponnese (also home to city-states like Sparta, and Argos). Corinth was destroyed in 146 BCE and rebuilt as a Roman colony in 44 BCE by Julius Caesar. Famous Corinthian architecture Temple of Apollo Epicurius, Tholos of Delphi, Temple of Olympian Zeus, Pantheon (Rome).
About 2,400 years ago, the Romans adopted the Doric, Ionic and Corinthian styles from the Greeks and formalised them into the classical orders, later adding the Tuscan and Composite types. These architectural rules reflected the belief that the universe was governed by divine order and perfect natural balance. The Roman architect Vitruvius recorded the orders in De Architectura, written around 100 BCE under Emperor Augustus. After the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 CE, much of this knowledge was lost, and architecture in Europe shifted towards more fortified and functional styles during the Middle Ages.
The classical orders were rediscovered during the Renaissance between about 1400 and 1600, through the study of ancient buildings and the writings of Vitruvius. In 1414, a copy of De Architectura was found in a Swiss monastery. As the only complete surviving text on classical architecture, it had a major impact on Renaissance architects. This revival of classical ideals led to new styles such as Mannerism, the dramatic Baroque style from 1600 to 1750, and the playful Rococo style from 1720 to 1780.
Neoclassicism in the 1700s was a return to the classical order of simplicity, balance and seriousness. It was inspired by a renewed fascination with the ancient world following the rediscovery of Herculaneum in 1738 and Pompeii in 1748, where people could see Roman houses, temples, paintings and everyday objects preserved for over 1600 years. Gothic Revival followed in late 1700s and peaked during the Victorian era, drawing on medieval pointed arches and spires.
Thousands of years of architecture, monarchy and the politics inspired Victorian (1837-1901) and Edwardian architecture (1901-1914). British settlers brought these ideas to New Zealand, reinterpreting them to express tradition, stability, progress, trust and a connection to home.
Greeks developed three of the five Classical Orders: Doric (northern Greece, heavy and plain). Ionic (southern Greece, slender and decorative). Corinthian (very ornate, acanthus leaves). Romans added two more: Tuscan (very simple, based on Doric but unfluted columns). Composite (mixeing Ionic volutes with Corinthian foliage).
The Ideal Temple Design: The Eu-Style Temple According to Vitruvius
Vitruvius’ key principles perfect proportions: Firmitas (strength), Utilitas (functionality), And Venustas (beauty)
In 1414, ten books De Architectura (On Architecture) were rediscovered in a Swiss monastery, written by the Roman architect Vitruvius around 100 BCE. They helped to revive classical Greek and Roman architectural principles with rules on symmetry, proportion and use of classic orders. Vitruvius stated that architecture, particularly temples, should reflect human proportions, linking natural and divine harmony. This connection to divine order influenced design theory, education, and the revival of classical styles, shaping modern architecture.
Vitruvius said architecture was an imitation of nature. His belief that buildings should reflect the proportions of a human body inspired Leonardo da Vinci’s famous 1490 drawing, the Vitruvian Man, and influenced many artists, including Francesco di Giorgio Martini.
The Vitruvian Man (LEFT). and Renaissance architect, engineer, painter, sculptor, and writer Martini, Francesco wrote the Italian Manuscript 1477 di Giorgio, 1439-1502 (CENTRE and RIGHT). Trattati di archittetura ingegneria e arte militare. - Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library. MS 491.
Vitruvius wrote that Callimachus invented the Corinthian order around 400 BCE, inspired by acanthus leaves curling around a basket on a young girl’s grave, creating the most ornate of the Greek column styles.
From a 1684 book that translated Vitruvius work into French. Vitruvius, Les Dix Livre d'Architecture de Vitruve, Paris: Coignard, 1684. - MetMuseum 41.100.388. Bequest of W. Gedney Beatty, 1941