Siphnian Treasury

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Siphnian Treasury

The Siphnian Treasury
Treasury

A treasury is any place where the currency or items of high monetary value are kept. The term was first used in Classical antiquity times to describe the votive buildings erected to house Sacrifice, such as the Siphnian Treasury in Delphi or many similar buildings erected in Olympia, Greece by competing city-states to impress others during t...
was a dedicated

Dedication

Dedication is the act of consecrating an altar, temple, church or other sacred building. It also refers to the inscription of books or other artifacts when these are specifically addressed or presented to a particular person....
building to the Greek

Ancient Greece

The term Ancient Greece refers to the period of History of Greece lasting from the Greek Dark Ages ca. 1100 BC and the Dorian invasion, to 146 BC and the Roman Republic conquest of Greece after the Battle of Corinth ....
polis

Polis

A polis -- plural: poleis --is a city, a city-state and also citizenship and body of citizens. When used to describe Classical Athens and its contemporaries, polis is often translated as "city-state."...
, or city-state, of Delphi

Delphi

Delphi is an archaeology site and a modern town in Greece on the south-western spur of Mount Parnassus in the valley of Phocis. Delphi was the site of the Pythia, the most important oracle in the classical Greek world, when it was a major site for the worship of the god Apollo after he slew the Python , a deity who lived there and protecte...
while the Delphic Oracle

Pythia

The Pythia was the priestess presiding over the Oracle of Apollo at Delphi, located on the slopes of Mount Parnassus. The Pythia was widely credited with giving prophecy inspired by Apollo, giving her a prominence unusual for a woman in male-dominated ancient Greece....
was still popular and in use. Such a dedication was common among city-states in order to win the favor of Apollo

Apollo

In Greek mythology and Roman mythology, Apollo , is one of the most important and many-sided of the Twelve Olympians. The ideal of the kouros , Apollo has been variously recognized as a god of light and the sun; truth and prophecy; archery; medicine and healing; music, poetry, and the arts; and more....
.

The people of Siphnos gained enormous wealth from their silver and gold mines and were able to afford this luxurious dedication in the 6th century B.C. (ca. 525 B.C.E.) The building is similar to the porch

Porch

A porch is a structure attached to a building, forming a covered entrance to a vestibule or doorway. It is external to the walls of the main building proper, but may be enclosed by screen, latticework, broad windows, or other light frame walls extending from the main structure....
of a Greek temple

Greek temple

Greek temples were structures built to house deity statues within Greek sanctuaries in Greek paganism. The temples themselves did usually not directly serve a cult purpose, since the sacrifices and rituals dedicated to the respective deity took place outside them....
and was used to house the many gifts that were offered to Apollo.

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Encyclopedia

Dedication

Ancient Greece

Polis

Delphi

Pythia

Apollo

Porch

Greek temple

Pediment

A pediment is a classical architecture element consisting of the triangular section found above the horizontal structure , typically supported by columns....
of the treasury shows the story of Herakles stealing Apollo’s tripod

Sacrificial tripod

A sacrificial tripod was a type of altar used by the ancient Greeks. The most famous was the Delphic tripod, on which the Pythia took her seat to deliver the oracles of the deity....
which was an important tool used in his powers of foresight. Around the frieze

Frieze

In architecture the frieze is the wide central section part of an entablature and may be plain or?in the Ionic order or Corinthian order?decorated with bas-reliefs....
shows various scenes from the war between the gods and the giants. The column

Column

File:National Capitol Columns - Washington, D.C..jpgA column in structural engineering is a vertical structural element that transmits, through physical compression, the weight of the structure above to other structural elements below....
s are not a typical Greek style

Classical order

A classical order is one of the ancient styles of building design in the Classical antiquity, distinguished by their proportions and their characteristic profiles and details, but most quickly recognizable by the type of column and capital employed....
. Instead, caryatid

Caryatid

A caryatid is a sculpted female figure serving as an architectural support taking the place of a column or a pillar supporting an entablature on her head....
s were used to support the building and offer a greater amount of decoration. Caryatids are more popularly recognized in the Erechtheion, a temple atop the Athenian Acropolis.

Athens

Athens

Athens , the Capital and largest city of Greece, dominates the Attica periphery; as one of the List of cities by time of continuous habitation, its recorded history spans around 3,400 years....
also had a treasury

Treasury

A treasury is any place where the currency or items of high monetary value are kept. The term was first used in Classical antiquity times to describe the votive buildings erected to house Sacrifice, such as the Siphnian Treasury in Delphi or many similar buildings erected in Olympia, Greece by competing city-states to impress others during t...
dedicated on the site and it is considered one of the most beautiful of the ancient buildings there today.