User:Ckeane21/Temple of Athena Nike

Temple of Athena Nike

 * Give a basic overview:
 * Location of temple, what it is, what it was used for
 * The Temple of Athena Nike is a part of the Acropolis of Athens located in Athens, Greece and was built in dedication to the Greek goddesses Athena and Nike.
 * Example of a first sentence and much of the current Wiki can be kept the same
 * Also mention how it is the smallest temple on the Acropolis and how it is located in the southwest corner of the Acropolis
 * Description of the goddesses Athena and Nike
 * Who they were and their importance to Greeks
 * This is described pretty well in the current wiki
 * Keep similar to the way it is on the wiki
 * There is a lot of information included but I could find ways to incorporate information they may have left out in the brief overview that they provide for the temple

History

 * The overall information used would be similar to that which is found in the article currently but it would be broken up into sections rather than having it all under the heading of history.
 * A good brief overview of the history is given but having that and then adding a section on the construction of the temple would be much better
 * As I get further into my research I may realize that I want to delve deeper into different aspects of the temple’s history and add more subsections to the history section

Stages of Construction

 * In the 6th century BCE a temple was built for the cult of Athena Nike


 * The Temple was destroyed by the Persians in 480 BCE
 * The decision to reconstruct the temple, set up an altar, and re-establish a priestess for the cult of Athena Nike came around 449 BCE. (Gill) (paraphrased)
 * Construction did not commence until and was completed in the 420s BCE.
 * A start on this section and how it could be organized
 * There is more detailed information on the construction of the temple and its many phases and debates over which dates coincided with which parts
 * There are also various pictures for each stage of the construction found in Gill that could be used in the Wiki article

Myths

 * This section would discuss the myths associated with the temple and its history
 * Stewart, Andrew F. “History, Myth, and Allegory in the Program of the Temple of Athena Nike, Athens.” would be a helpful source to fill in this section because it discusses not only the myths surrounding the temple but the time periods that these myths supposedly took place in

Architecture

 * History, Myth, and Allegory in the Program of the Temple of Athena Nike, Athens ANDREW F. STEWART
 * This source that I have yet to fully delve into gives a lot of specific information on pieces of the architecture, the myths that they connect to, and the history of specific pieces of the Temple of Athena Nike
 * I will provide details on the more pertinent aspects of the temple’s architecture and explain the history and myth surrounding them
 * As for the main overview, the one provided in the wiki article is written very well and has very good information so that could be added to or slightly changed

Friezes

 * This is also already part of the article but could be added to
 * The struggle is not adding too much information because the article already adds much of the important information that the reader is looking to find. Having obscure information about the specifics of different friezes is likely not helpful to most people viewing the article. I am going to have to balance how much information I add and decide not to add as to not take away from the really important information.
 * The pictures in this article as a whole are very good maybe some could be added from Gill or Harrison which has more pictures of friezes from the temple

Akroteria

 * As it currently stands the wiki article does not have a lot of information on the akroteria (only 2 sentences). Because this is labeled as its own section it should have at least a paragraph of information on it.
 * Since the akroteria is no longer present in the Temple of Athena Nike archaeologists have had to hypothesize as to how it was constructed and what exactly it looks like
 * This draft paragraph below will be added to the akroteria section below the paragraph currently there

The akroteria of the Temple of Athena Nike was added in the 5th century BCE. Historians are certain that the akroteria was gilded, but the form of which is debated. The theory that gold leaf was mercury gilded to the bronze akroteria is untrue because that form of gilding wasn’t invented until the 2nd century BCE. The method of gilding most likely used in the construction of the akroteria is mechanical application of gold foil. This entails gold being folded into deep trenches cut around prominent parts of the sculpture and then gold wires being hammered into these trenches to keep the gold in place. The gold was then polished which fixed it in place on the statue.