Class Year
2024
Document Type
Article
Abstract
In the aftermath of the Civil War, the American South looked to the Ancient World as cultural and ideological model. Specifically, the Old South conceptualized Ancient Greece as a glorious land filled with honorable heroes who defended their home and way of life. Confederates utilized formal education in Classical studies to instruct the public on its ideologies. However, the economic downturn immediately following the Civil War forced Confederates to find another means of disseminating their ideologies to the public. Thus, in Reconstruction, ancient Greek-inspired architecture, as demonstrated in the Nashville Parthenon, acted as a vehicle for transporting ideologies. Yet, the drawbacks present in the original architecture remain in its reproductions.
Recommended Citation
Gurley, Cait
(2025)
"Echoes of Antiquity: The Romanticization of the Classical World Through Architecture in the Old South,"
The Gettysburg College Journal of the Civil War Era: Vol. 14, Article 5.
Available at:
https://cupola.gettysburg.edu/gcjcwe/vol14/iss1/5