classicalmonuments:
Treasury of the Thebans
Delphi, Greece
371 BCE
Shortly after their victory against the Lacaedemonians at Leuctra in 371 B.C., a landmark of the brief Theban supremacy in the political life of Greece, the Thebans dedicated at the sanctuary of Apollo a treasury built in the Doric order. It was the largest treasury in dimensions of Delphi, situated close to the SW corner of the sanctuary. Rectangular in plan, measuring 12.29 by 7.21 meters, it stood on a crepis with two steps. It was constructed entirely out of local limestone from the quarries at St. Elias, a particularly hard stone with bluish-grey shades, which accentuates the austere style of the Doric building. Thus, the Treasury of the Thebans made a visual contrast to the nearby Siphnian Treasury, with its colourful and decorative Ionian style. A frieze with metopes and triglyphs ran all around the building.
Several opinions have been expressed regarding its actual architectural form. The current views, however, suggest that it was a uniform building, without columns, possibly with two entrances on the narrow sides and with a vertical wall functioning as boulder. An opening along the western wall provided natural lighting in the building.
