#acroterion

Temple of Zeus

Aizanoi, Turkey

2nd century CE

35 m × 53 m

The construction of the temple, which was the main religious sanctuary of the city, started in the last half of the 2nd century AD. The preserved inscriptions indicate that emperor Hadrian was responsible for its commission.

The temple stands on a many-stepped podium and was built of marble. It is surrounded by a peristasis in a pseudodipteral arrangement, originally with 15 Ionic columns on its long side and 8 on the short side. The podiom itself measures 33 X 37 meters. Nowadays, only the columns on the western and northern side are still standing.

The temple was dedicated to two deities. Zeus - the ruler of the Olympians - was worshipped in its aboveground section, and the underground part of the building was the place of Cybele cult. Stylistically, the part dedicated to Zeus was built in accordance with the Greek patterns and the underground section - with the Roman ones as the barrel vaults are clearly visible.

From the Greek word ‘acroterion’, the ‘summit or extremity’. Acroterion may be a palmate, statue or a pedestal.

Refers to the small pedestal or plinth placed either side of the pediment (the triangular gable).

Terracotta acroterion of a griffin Early 5th c.

This is not architecture – at least not in the traditional sense – this is a small piece of furniture with architectural referent.  It stems from Michael Graves and his explorations of architectural tropes within product design.  But it asks important questions regarding architectural language, offering the position that the language of building can be adapted and applied to other parts of our…

I’ve been busy with new designs that will be embossed onto leather for new bags and wanted to share.

The design is based on acroterion, a decorative element on classical Greek architecture.  It is a design feature that can still be seen on the beautiful neoclassical buildings in Athens and throughout Greece.

More soon.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.