An Athenian temple in the Antipodes: Ancient Greek cultural values and Melbourne’s Shrine of Remembrance

Abstract

When the Great War ended, Australians needed to manage the grief and destruction it caused as they rebuilt their communities. Commemorating the dead preoccupied Australians for decades following the war, and ancient Greek and Roman (classical) cultures were drawn upon to present a serene, nebulous and timeless version of events, in an enduring commemorative aesthetic and rhetorical language that comforted those who survived. As well as being a mausoleum to those who served, the Shrine of Remembrance is also a shrine and a temple venerating these service people, who would be revered by future generations. It is often acknowledged that the architectural design of Melbourne’s Shrine owes a debt to ancient Greece. However, its function and form draws on much more than classical aesthetics. It connects Melbourne to ancient Athens, its democratic values, strong defence of freedom, and belief that sacrifice in service to the state should drive surviving citizens to build beautiful and prosperous futures, mitigating the cost of war. This article contends that the Shrine of Remembrance embodies ancient Athenian notions of glory, freedom and democracy to provide the people of Victoria with an everlasting monument to those who sacrificed themselves for the state’s eternal prosperity.