Preparation Part 1.1

Transcription

1 Part 1.1 What you ll learn: What was the Parthenon, when was it built, and what was inside it? What to do: Read the following text as in introduction to the Parthenon. Sitting on top of a hill in the center of Athens, Greece is the Acropolis, a group of temples dedicated to several Greek gods. Most notable is the goddess Athena, the goddess of wisdom and the patron goddess of Athens, with several temples built in her honor. The largest of these, and the most famous of all Greek temples, is the Parthenon. The Parthenon was built in the Doric style and is one of the best examples of ancient Greek architecture. The Parthenon was built between 447 and 432 B.C. It consisted of an outer colonnade, or rows of columns, surrounding an inner building. After crossing the colonnade, there were entry areas, like porches, at the front and back. The porches had several columns on one side, and a wall with a giant double door on the other. Between the porch columns were tall grilles, like gates, that could be closed and locked at night. The giant double doors led to the huge worship room on one side, and a smaller storage room on the other. Inside the large worship room was a 42 foot (12m) tall statue of the goddess Athena. The statue was constructed from gold and ivory placed over a wooden inner structure. In one hand, Athena holds a spear and shield; in her other hand she is holds up a statue of Nike, the goddess of victory. Unfortunately the original statue of Athena no longer exists, but we know what the statue looked like because it was described by Greek writers, carved into Greek coins, and copied by Roman Sculptors. In the following class, you build a 3D replica of the Parthenon using Maya on a computer. You will then make a walkthrough of the Parthenon showing what it would have looked like to people as they approached it and walked inside. Part 1.1 page 1 of 1

2 Part 1.2 What you ll learn: What words will you need to know while researching the Parthenon? What to do: Write each of the following words in your notebook, leaving several lines between each word. Then look them up on the Internet and write their definitions. Before you begin modeling the Parthenon, it is important to make sure you know the terminology involved. In this section you look up the words used to describe the Parthenon and classical architecture in general, and define them. You will later be tested on your knowledge of the Parthenon and its architecture. The teacher will go over the process you should use to look up the following word, and why you will need to know them for modeling. Abacus Architrave Capital Cella Colonnade Crepidoma Doric Echinus Entablature Entasis Frieze Ionic Metope Naos Opisthodomos Opisthonaos Pediments Peripteral Peristyle Plinth Pronaos Prostyle Stylobate Triglyph The Background Information includes web pages you can use as starting points. Part 1.2 page 1 of 2

3 Part 1.2 Use the following images to help you remember some of the vocabulary. Part 1.2 page 2 of 2

4 Part 1.3 What you ll learn: How big was the Parthenon? How many columns did it have? What else do you need to know to model the Parthenon? What to do: Read the text and start looking up the information you will need. The more you have, the easier it will be to model the Parthenon. To prepare for modeling the Parthenon, you need to look up all the information necessary to design it. This will include the necessary dimensions, such as its length, width, height, and the height and diameter of its columns; and important numbers, such as how many columns were in the front and back, and how many on each side. You will use the Internet to find the necessary information. Your teacher will discuss the process you will be following: drawing the necessary pictures and looking up the information from the Internet. Divide into groups of 3 or 4. Using the web pages mentioned in the Background Information, look up various views of the Parthenon and the Acropolis. In your notebook, use one page to draw a plan view of the Parthenon. A plan view is a view from above with the inner walls and columns shown. On the next page, draw a front view of the Parthenon, showing the location of the columns and doors. On the third page draw a picture of the long side of the Parthenon. On a fourth page, draw a picture of one of the outer columns, the doors, one of the grilles, and a basic outline of the statue of Athena. Part 1.3 page 1 of 4

5 Part 1.3 Enter as much information as you can on your pictures of the Parthenon. Make sure to include the length and width of the bottom step, the height of the roof, the sizes of the inner rooms, height and various diameters of the columns, the dimensions of the doors, and the size of the statue of Athena. You ll also want to note how many columns are located around the Parthenon and across the entry areas and inside the rooms. Also, make notes of any other information you may need to accurately model the Parthenon. As you find out any new information, you may want to consider refining your drawings of the Parthenon. For the next step, you will want to reproduce several of your pictures accurately on the computer. Most important will be drawing a plan view of the Parthenon, a front view of the doorway and grilles, and a front view of the statue of Athena. These images will then be loaded into Maya and used as templates for your modeling. You may also use a plan of the Parthenon that you find online as a template for your plan view of the Parthenon, but make sure it has the correct dimensions on it. Having the correct dimensions in your templates is important for building the various 3D parts of the Parthenon. If your dimensions are wrong, your Parthenon will look wrong. Part 1.3 page 2 of 4

6 Part 1.3 An easy way to keep dimensions correct when using the computer is to use multiples of them in the image. For example, if you are making a section that is 20 feet (20 ) by 40 feet (40 ) (6.1m by 12.2m), you will want to make it 200 by 400 pixels on the computer. Also, remember that when using feet and inches, you have to divide the number of inches by 12 before adding them to the number of feet. So 6 feet 6 inches (6 6 ) (1m 98cm) equals 6.5 feet (6.5 ) (1.98m). If you are using meters, multiply them by numbers that will give you a large enough image to work with. For example, a section that is 6m by 12m can be drawn at 180 by 360 pixels (6 30 by 12 30). Another important trick to use when figuring out the various sizes of parts of the Parthenon from pictures is to use ratios. Ratios work because the relative sizes of things in the real world keep their size relationship when shrunk down. This works great in pictures, as long as the perspective isn t too much. The basic rule to use is: This simplifies to: Part 1.3 page 3 of 4

7 Part 1.3 Once you know the size of one of the columns, and you have a good front view of the Parthenon, you can quickly solve for the sizes of the other parts of the front of the Parthenon. You can use a standard calculator, or the calculator in your computer, to solve this equation. In the example below, you can see how the sizes of the various parts of the column and entablature were found by knowing the height of the columns. Part 1.3 page 4 of 4

8 Part 1.4 What you ll learn: Do you have enough of the information necessary to build the Parthenon? What to do: Answer the following questions in your notebook and go over the answers in class. Before proceeding with modeling the Parthenon, you need to make sure you have enough information to start designing it. Think over the following questions. Write the questions down and answer them in your notebook. See if you can answer them using what you have learned and the notes you have taken. The teacher will then go over the correct answers. 1. What identifies the Acropolis as a Doric temple? Why is it special/different? 2. How many columns are there across the front of the Parthenon? Why is this number special? 3. How many columns are there along the sides of the Parthenon? 4. How many columns are across the pronaos? 5. What is a colonnade? 6. What is the significance of entasis and why did the Greeks use it? 7. What special technique did the Greeks use in designing the Plinth that the Parthenon sits on? Why did they do this? 8. What are the differences between the entablature, the frieze, and the metopes? 9. How big was the plinth? 10. How big are the naos and opisthodomos? 11. How tall are the outer columns? What are their diameters at the base and top? Part 1.3 page 1 of 1