Comparison of the Two Great Arts "Temple of Zeus in Olympia" and "Persepolis"

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Introduction
The Ancient Greek architects strived and inspired for precision and excellence for workmanship that are the hallmarks of Greek art in general. It is fundamentally important to note that the formulas that were invented by the Greeks in the sixth century before Christ (B.C) significantly influenced the architecture developed during that period. The Greek architecture had a considerable influence of the Roman architecture and architects, and this made the Roman Imperial architecture to adopt and incorporate different Greek elements into its practice. The Persian Empire refers to several dynasties that are centered in the modern day Iran and existed from the 6th century before Christ to the 20th century Anno Domini (A.D). Persia is regarded as one of the earliest civilizations in the history of art which included architecture, painting, sculpture, and goldsmithing. From its earliest beginnings, the ancient art in Persia has a significant influence on the visual arts and culture of the region. This paper compares the Temple of Zeus in Olympia with Persepolis.
In the early times, the Olympic Games were part of the important festivals that were observed by the Greeks and were carried out every four years. The main purpose of these games was to honor Zeus who was the King of their gods. Most importantly, just like in the modern Olympics, participants would travel from far lands which included Asia and Egypt among others to participate. These games were first held in 776 B.C at a holy place to Zeus situated on the western coast of Greece at a place called Peloponnesus (Barringer, 2005). These games played a huge role in unifying all Greek, and a sacred truce was declared. The Temple of Zeus in Olympia was constructed during the fifth century BC. Libon, a native of Elis was the architect of the temple; he designed the entire temple following the Doric style (Turner, 1996). It is keynoting that this temple was in a hexastyle structure that was established over three steps of stylobate. Additionally, the whole building was constructed from limestone, and it was also painted with stucco. The sculptures that were placed in the temple were made of the Parian marbles, and the roof tiles were constructed using the Pentelic marble. One other crucial feature of the Temple of Zeus in Olympia was that it had thirteen columns which were placed on both sides and it had a total of six columns each at two ends.
A plan of the Temple of Zeus in Olympia (Oneonta, 2019).
Most notably, the temple was never constructed to completion. Renovations were undertaken at different times. For example, the floor of the temple received several developments; initially, it comprised of colorful mosaics which were later encircled by marble. A temple according to the religion of ancient Greece, was regarded as the dwelling place of a god; this played a significant role in developing and placing the golden statue of Zeus in the temple (Cartwright, 2018). Furthermore, the sculpture was strategically placed at the center of the temple so that whenever the doors were opened it loot as the sacrifices and the religious activities that were being undertaken in honor of the gods.
Persepolis is a Greek name which means the city of the Persians and it was also referred to as the Parse. Notably, Persepolis was the capital of the Achaemenid dynasty, and it was constructed during the reign of Cyrus the Great and Darius I. Most importantly, Persepolis was mainly used for ceremonial functions and it was also the place where the rulers of the Achaemenian Empire were buried. Later, Persepolis was made the capital of the Persian Empire by Darius I. Persians regarded Persepolis as a national monument, and it was its architecture was sculpture was mainly copied in other artworks such as metal, carpets.
Image of Persepolis (Unusual Traveler, 2016).
Mesopotamians primarily influenced the design and construction of Persepolis. The site was marked by a large 125,000 square meter terrace, partially human-made and partly artificial. To develop a level terrace, the depressions which were present were filled with rocks and soil (Shahbazi, 2009). Persepolis symbolized the power of the Achaemenids which was growing steadily. The rough construction site was decided mainly because it was not easily accessible; there were already existing capitals which were better placed in terms of resources and location. Darius might have constructed Persepolis to showcase the wealth and power that he had gained. Persepolis was a place for treasures, palaces, and tombs. However, essential festivals and rituals that were highly valued by the Persians were performed there. Alexander the Great soldiers destroyed Persepolis in 330 B.C.
The Greeks mainly used three architectural systems that were referred to as orders, and each of them had their separate features and proportions. The three orders were Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian. Some of the elements of the Doric style include that it is robust, sturdy and the top was particularly plain. The Architect of the Temple of Zeus in Olympia employed the Doric style. This order was systematic and the designer was required to lay out the design of the temple using in an ideal manner relying on exact numerical associations between several parts. In this case, Libon, the designer and the architect of the Temple of Zeus had to decide the number of columns that were required in the front and sides of the temple; these were all controlled and determined using the column sizes. Moreover, the designer also had to be cautious when assessing the height, breadth and the length of the structure. This was made possible by the formulas which the Greeks had invented.
On the other hand, Persepolis was constructed using the Achaemenid style. This architectural design makes use of relief sculpture which performs the role of a supplemental element to huge and enormous architectural structures. It is important to understand that in relief sculpture, a medium protrudes from a flat surface like a stone creating depth and dimension. This design style was common among the Persian kings who were recognized for their extravagant nature in constructing palaces and cities in techniques that outdone other rulers. Regarding the Persepolis, the eastern side of the prestigious capital was leanin...