How innovative was the fourth-century Temple of Athena at Priene. How does it relate to the supposed Ionian Renaissance

The influence of the Priene on the Ionian renaissance

(Author’s name)

(Institutional Affiliation)

The focus of this paper is to provide an analysis of the history of the temple of Athena. The paper covers the history of the temple from the time of its inception. The paper addresses the innovative nature of the fourth –century Temple of Athena at Priene. It then relates the existence of the temple to the contribution of supposed Ionian Renaissance more generally. The paper finally provides a concluding sentence which summarizes the contents of the paper.

How innovative was the temple of Athena at Priene

Greece is known for its rich and innovative culture due to its history. Most of the current practices and events in the present society owe their existence to the country of Greece. The country is credited for its role in the ancient philosophical ideologies. This is merged with their great art and architecture making the country one of the most monumental innovators to date. Art is a way of life in that it is reflective of the culture of each community. Most of the art pieces are inspired by the lifestyle of the natives in the area. One of the ways of expressing art is through building structures that are out of the ordinary. One of the great structures in the world of Greek art is the Priene.

The history of the temple of Athena

The Temple of Priene is located in the Hellenistic lands of Greece. It dates from 340 BC-150BC making it one of the ancient structures in the world. The building was created in honor of Alexander the great who was the ruler of Rome. The structure is in form of ruins due to the amount of time it has been in existence. The temple of Athena is a reflection of the religious culture of the Greeks during this period. Religion was a significant aspect in the lives of the people of Greece. Most of their activities were geared at pleasing the gods so as to gain their mercy and blessings. The temple has on it a number of inscriptions that are religious in nature. The remaining structures display the pillars which continue to show a considerable amount of strength. This showcases the level of development of the art and architecture during this time.

Innovative nature of the temple of Athena

The temple has since become a simple of unity of the people of Greece. The structure attracted a vast number of travelers making it a tourist attraction for different nationalities. A picture of the structure displays the level of extent to which the building has been ruined. This however is one of the reasons for the success of the structure. The ruins have caused a significant amount of attention from credible societies across the globe. This has earned it a number of recognitions such as its membership in the Ionian league. This has elevated the status of the city in which is located making Athens one of the holy cities in the continent. The city has a result hosted many rulers from different countries such as the Romans and the Persians. One of the nationalities to grace the Priene was the Ionians in the 11th Century before Christ. This alone states that it is difficult to determine the exact owners of the structure.

One of the theories of the formation of the Priene is the existence of the Amazon queens and Philotas who was the ruler of Thebes at the time. The Persians took control of the city for a long period of time. This was not ideal for the people in the areas due to the amount of enslavement that they experienced. The state of the Priene deteriorated as result forcing the people to join the revolt against the Persians. During this time, the battle of Lade was ongoing due to the dissatisfaction of the residents of the city. The Ionians were deeply affected due to the loss of an immense amount of property and lives. The battle of Lade consisted of the presence of 12 ships which were used to attack the Persians. The Ionians put on a strong front in their effects to dethrone the Persians. This however was not to be in that the Persians managed to overcome the rebellions after a short period. The revolt attracted people from different nationalities causing a civil war amongst the members of the region. The revolt is termed as one of the influence for the renaissance of the Ionians.

The Ionian revolt as a tool of renaissance

Also known as the Greako – Persian wars, the Ionian revolt is one of the ancient revolts experienced in Europe. The temple is located in Greece bordering the country of Turkey. This makes it subject to the presence of Persians. The building is responsible for attracting several communities due to its location and attractive nature and religious implications. Most of the communities migrated to the location due to its ability for prosperity. The city of Athens became a centre for trade making most of the communities meet in the location. The temple is also a tourist attraction due to its beauty and structural ruins. It thus attracted strong empires such as the Romans and the Persians who wanted to profit from the activities. The city played host to the Greek communities in the mainland area. This was a strategic position of the country due to the success of the cities. The Greeks thus posed as threats due to the amount of influence the success of the city brought. The Persians were thus not impressed with the emergence of a new strong empire making them stop the occurrences in the area. The Persians quickly moved in displacing the Ionians who were placed at the mercy of the new leaders.

One of the strategies that the king of Persia had was to neutralize the influence of the Greeks over the city. Ionia was part of the communities that were affected by the growth of the city. Ionia was located in Asia Minor which is currently known as Turkey. The city was home to a number of hosts such as the Greeks who settled next to Turkey. The communities were as a result predominantly Greeks who did not have a stable government. This factor made the area prone to attack from opposing nations who saw the potential of the location. The opposition was one of the elements of change due to the need of a better form of government. This led to the renaissance of the Ionians who were in need for a better quality of life.

The community’s closeness to the temple triggered their attack making the ruins a significant factor in the revolts. The cities of Ionia were rich due to the physical and natural resources in the area. This caused a number of communities from as far as Asia migrated to the location so as to experience its advantages. Another factor that contributes to the instability of the city was its allegiance to Persia. Persia was an aggressive empire owing to their enslavement of the communities that they conquered. The Ionians tried to break away from the Persian Empire on many occasions. This involved forming their own government so at to acquire their own sovereignty. Most of these attempts were unsuccessful due to the strong Persian army who managed to split the communities. The Ionians however managed to disenfranchise form the Persians without any formal structural government.

The Ionians cities acted as home to some of the successful cities such as Mellitus. The city managed to thrive in local and international business making it stand out from the rest of the cities. The leaders managed to form alliances with people in the area of Priene. The communities continue to coexist under these conditions until the rule of Aristagoras. He was the nephew of the previous which gave him an advantage in that his subjects maintained their loyalty. The communities slowly begun to demand for similar treatment and opportunities like that of their neighbors. This led to the collaboration of Aristagoras and the local rulers. He offered to help the communities by providing his army to defend them against the Persian army. The communities were determined to get their freedom so as to profit from the cities such as that of Athens. The only ways they could achieve this was by revolting against their Persian rulers. Ionia had a significant role in that they were responsible for weakening the rule of the Persian Empire. The Ionian communities continued to gain support from their people. They became stronger as a result making them a force to be reckoned with.

One of the reasons for the drastic rise of the revolt was the heavy taxes imposed on the population. The people were exhausted of the Persian rule to the extent that they joined the revolts. One of the areas that the soldiers used to train and strategies was the temple of Athena. The temple was central to the revolution of the Ionian cities. The cities could identify with the location due to the fact that it was a religious city. This was one of the features that enabled the renaissance to take place. The soldiers used the temple to conduct some of their rituals before the war. The Presence of the temple served as a sacred location which acted as a source of motivation for the communities. This was ideal for the Ionians in that they used the advantages of the locations to strengthen their revolt. As stated earlier, the Priene is located in a central area that is ideal for the congregation of different communities. This inspired the Ionians in that they were exposed to states that have acquired their freedom making them strive to get the same result. One of the ways that the communities improved their army was through the proceeds they got from their businesses in the Priene. This improved the confidence of the communities making them ready for the confrontation of their enemies. The main reason for the revolt was to change the political, social and economic situation of the Ionians. This in turn led to the renaissance making the communities subject to change.

The revolt took place in phases due to the participation of different communities. The Ionians were just but one of the cities that were part of the revolution. The revolt took place in Ionian city due to the concentration of the Persians. The war was carried out in order for the creation of a new beginning for the people of the community. The revolt was one of a difficult nature due to the number of defeat that the Ionians experienced. This however did not matter in that they continued to fight for their freedom. The Ionians finally received their freedom due their amount of determination they had. This was a pivotal part of their history in that the community became a free state giving it some of the privileges that it had previously been denied. The end of the war marked the first stage of the renaissance process. The war was complimented with the change of some of the activities such as politics and education.

The renaissance of the Ionians

The revolution is an essential part of the Ionian history to date. It served as a contributing factor to the success of the present communities. One of the features of the renaissance was the change of government. During this time, most of the communities had adopted a democratic form of governance. This was a modern type of governance that allowed for the people to air their views. This was contradictory to the Persian rule that discouraged freedom of speech. Most of the ideologies were thus geared toward improving the lifestyle of the natives. The people adopted laws that they found suitable for their development. This was encouraged by the laws of the neighboring Greeks making them modernize their culture. The temple in the Priene was central to the change of the culture of the people. This was due to the various communities that resided in the area.

The Ionians also changed their lifestyle in terms of entertainment. Most of the communities were free to partake in subjects such as philosophy, science and math. The community was able to produce some of the monumental philosophers as result. Academics are an essential part of change in a community. Most of the topics discussed were reflective of the history of the Ionians and their settlement in the temple of the Priene. The temple was a source of inspiration for the academicians who took on these courses. The history of the ruins was one of the preferred topics at the time. This acted as an advantage to the exposure of the Ionians in that their experience resulted in a significant contribution to the discussions.

The Temple of Priene is a building that is ahead of its time. This is credited to the level of development of the buildings in the area. The Greeks are one of the initiators of constriction and architecture. Most of their work is responsible for the creation of the modern infrastructures to date. The Temple of Priene is a perfect example of the advanced nature of the construction. The temple has as a result been duplicated so as to suit needs of different designers. The temple is thus responsible for the renaissance of the Ionian communities. After the war the communities were tasked with the responsibility of rebuilding their city. The communities used the Priene as a guide to the construction of modern buildings. The new buildings resembled the Priene in so many ways. This form of inspiration is thus one of the reasons for the fast development of the city at hand.

In conclusion, the Ionian community is one of the oldest in the world. They trace their existence to the early Greeks who are responsible for the formation of part of the new world. One of the greatest occurrences of the people of the community was their freedom from the Persians. This was a triumphant time in that it spearheaded the renaissance of the entire community. One of the factors that further triggered the renaissance was the presence of the temple of Priene. The temple served the entire community that lived in the area. The temple had features that complimented the change of the Ionian culture from traditional to modern. This in turn ensured the move from a more conservative way of life to a less conservative one. The renaissance took place in all parts of the continent. This gives it the reputation as one of the first movements to take place in the ancient world. The Ionians continue to influence the modern world. The success of the community would not have been possible without the existence of the Temple of Athena.