The Colosseum was built completed in 80 A.D. Both its massiveness and beauty make it stand out amongst ancient structures. I am always in awe when I consider the fact that this was built without modern technology!

The Parthenon was completed in 438 B.C which makes everything I mentioned about the Colosseum even truer for the Parthenon.

The Parthenon was very ornately decorated for several years after the structure was actually completed. This image shows the significance of Greek mythology in the culture of the day.

Theatre also played a large role in the aesthetics of ancient Greece. The Theatre of Dionysus was constructed in the 4th century B.C. It could seat over 17,000 people and was built with acoustics in mind. Imagine sitting in a modern theatre with 17,000 other people and no microphones; that is exactly what the Greeks did.

Aeschylus is the first known tragic playwright. His works were all completed in the 4th century B.C, and seven have survived to modern times. The most well known is probably The Oresteia trilogy. Tragedies were a very important aspect of the arts in ancient Greek. There was a whole yearly festival where the playwrights competed against each other.

This is a bronze tragedy mask. All the actors in ancient tragedies wore masks similar to these. Although strange to us today, these mask were essential to the aesthetics of the play.

Sophocles also wrote several tragedies in the 4th century B.C and actually competed against Aeschylus on a few occasions.

In addition to tragedies, the Greeks also enjoyed comedies. Aristophanes is the most well known of these comedians. The role of the comedy was to give a light-hearted break for the audience after several intense tragedies had been performed. Much ancient Greek art is connected to the tragedies and comedies of the time.

The mask was as essential to the comedy as the tragedy. This is an example carved from stone.

Typically when we think of Greek statues, we think of marble, but bronze casting actually became the preferred method in the 5th century B.C. These are both examples of Artemision bronze castings.

The Discus Thrower has always caught my attention. I find the details in the muscles very appealing. Competitive sports were arguable invented in Greece and very well represented in the ancient artworks from the region.

Nike is also a sculpture that I have always loved. It is believed to have been sculpted around 200 B.C. It is simply magnificent. The details in the wings and robe are amazing. Of course, the fact that the head is missing also catches the eye.

This is a gold starter from the 2nd century B.C. that was created in honor of Alexander the Great. This is another example of how varied the artforms of ancient Greece were. Nothing was off limits when it came to aesthetics. The Greeks saw beauty in the everyday and, therefore, ornately decorated everyday objects.

This a grave stone in memory of a young girl who met an untimely death. It is carved from marble and from the 4th century B.C.

The kylix is an ornate cup for drinking wine at parties while relaxing in a chair. This one is from the 5th century B.C. It is much more interesting than our average wine glass today.

This is the inside of a different kylix from the same era. The inside was as intricately decorated as the outside.

The kyathos was a scoop. This one is from the 5th century B.C. and is another example of how beautifully the Greeks decorated their everyday utensils.

The pyxis was a box used for storage. This one is from the 4th century B.C and employs the new technique known as white ground. It allowed the potter to use lighter colors than had previously been possible.

This is a krater volute from the 4th century B.C. It depicts images from the Greek tragedies.