Ancient Art

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Name of Professor

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The Colosseum ' and Temple of Athena

The Roman 's Colosseum ' and Greek 's Temple of Athena ' are ancient arts , having certain similarities and differences , which have stood the test of time . They were completed or built on 80 A .D . and earlier sixth century , respectively , and yet today , we still manage to admire both their magnificence

Structurally , the Colloseum differs from the Temple of Athena . Athena 's temple is a four column ionic structure . This building also uses amphiprostyle and could only

house few Greeks . On the contrary , the Colloseum is an amphitheatre . It is elliptical in plan and has an outer wall . Based on Codex-Calendar of 354 , it is capable of holding 87 ,000 Romans , though modern estimates show it can only hold 50 ,000 (DuTemple 2003 . Nevertheless , its capacity is greater than the temple of Athena

However , both Colosseum and Temple of Athena symbolically and literally deals with similar themes . Gladiators , warriors and the like , battle and perform in the Colosseum , highlighting battle victories or hunts . On the other hand , the Temple of Athena is also referred to as The Temple of Athena Nike , where Nike ' literally means victory in Greek . Athena is also the goddess of victory . Both ancient arts also have historical significance . A show in the Colloseum called munera ' has a strong religious element to it . In addition to this , the Colluseum is considered to be the setting of Christian martyrdoms . On the other hand Temple of Athena was constructed to serve as the place for worshipping Athena . It also served as the place for people to pray for their battles (Willett 2004 . Politically , both ancient arts show the prestige , power and ambitions of the state

At first glance , audience would fall prey to the illusion of their differences . However , by looking deeper at the content and subject matter of these ancient arts , they become equipped with a tool to look further beyond the illusion and be amazed by their wonders Works Cited

DuTemple , Lesley A . The Colosseum . Minneapolis : Lerner Publications Company , 2003

Willett , David . Greece . New York : Lonely Planet , 2004

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