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The lost meaning of classical architecture : speculations on ornament from Vitruvius to Venturi by George L. Hersey is a nonfiction available to read on EtoBox.

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Why do architects still use the classical orders? Why use forms derived from ancient Greek temples when ancient Greek religion has been dead for centuries and when the wav of life they expressed is extinct? And why decorate a contemporary courthouse with the bones, eggs, darts, claws, and garlands that an ancient Greek would recognize as the trappings of animal sacrifice? With these provocative questions George Hersey begins his recovery of the meaning of classical architecture. For the last four centuries, he shows, philology and formalism have drained architecture of its poetry. By analyzing this poetry—the tropes founded on the Greek terms for ornamental detail—he reconstructs a classical theme about the origin and meaning of the orders, one that links them to ancient sacrificial ritual and myth. In doing so, Hersey reinterprets key tales and taboos that were part of the cultural memory of the ancient Greeks. His touchstone is Vitruvius, author of the only surviving classical treatise on architecture, whose stories about Dorus, Ion, and the Corinthian maiden, and about the Caryaean women and Persian soldiers, describe the orders as records or remembrances of sacrifice.

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Author

George L. Hersey

Publisher

The MIT Press

Published

1988

Language

EN

ISBN

9780585322834

Category

nonfiction

Subjects

Finance, Business, Architecture

Rating

3.57 / 5 (28 ratings)

Updated

2026-03-14