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The Parthenon

AttheapproximatepositionwheretheParthenonwasbuiltlater,theAthenians

begantheconstructionofabuildingthatwasburnedbythePersianswhileitwas

stillunderconstructionin480BCE.ItwaspresumablydedicatedtoAthena,and

afteritsdestructionmuchofitsruinswereutilizedinthebuildingofthe

fortificationsatthenorthendoftheAcropolis.Notmuchisknownaboutthis

temple,andwhetherornotitwasstillunderconstructionwhenitwasdestroyed

hasbeendisputed.Itsmassivefoundationsweremadeoflimestone,andthe

columnsweremadeofPentelicmarble,amaterialthatwasutilizedforthefirst

time.TheclassicalParthenon wasconstructedbetween447432BCEtobethe

focusoftheAcropolisbuildingcomplex.ThearchitectswereIktinosand

Kallikrates(VitruviusalsonamesKarpionasanarchitect)anditwasdedicated

tothegoddessAthenaPallasorParthenos(virgin).Thetemplesmainfunction

wastoshelterthemonumentalstatueofAthenathatwasmadebyPheidiasout

ofgoldandivory.Thetempleandthechryselephantinestatuewerededicatedin

438,althoughworkonthesculpturesofitspedimentcontinueduntilcompletion

in432BCE.

TheParthenonconstructioncosttheAtheniantreasury469silvertalents.Whileit

isalmostimpossibletocreateamodernequivalentforthisamountofmoney,it

mightbeusefultolookatsomefacts.Onetalentwasthecosttobuildone

trireme,themostadvancedwarshipoftheera.

(http://www.brown.edu/Departments/Classics/CL56/CL56_LN11.html),and

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onetalentwasthecostforpayingthecrewofawarshipforamonth(D.

Kagan,ThePeloponnesianWar,61).AccordingtoKagan,Athensatthe

beginningofthePeloponnesianwarhad200triremesinservice,whiletheannual

grossincomeofthecityofAthensatthetimeofPerikleswas1000talents,with

another6000inreserveatitstreasury.

TheParthenonisatempleoftheDoricorderwitheightcolumnsatthefaade,

andseventeencolumnsattheflanks,conformingtotheestablishedratioof9:4.

Thisratiogovernedtheverticalandhorizontalproportionsofthetempleaswell

asmanyotherrelationshipsofthebuildinglikethespacingbetweenthecolumns

andtheirheight.

Thecellawasunusuallylargetoaccommodatetheoversizedstatue

ofAthena,confiningthefrontandbackporchtoamuchsmallerthanusualsize.

AlineofsixDoriccolumnssupportedthefrontandbackporch,whilea

colonnadeof23smallerDoriccolumnssurroundedthestatueinatwostoried

arrangement.Theplacementofcolumnsbehindthestatuewasanunusual

developmentsinceinpreviousDorictemplestheyonlyappearedontheflanks,

butthegreaterwidthandlengthoftheParthenonallowedforadramatic

backdropofdoubledeckedcolumnsinsteadofawall.

ThebackroomshelteredAthenastreasureandfourcolumnsoftheIonicorder

supporteditsroof.TheintroductionofelementsoftheIonicorderina

predominatelyDorictemplewasmoredramaticinthedevelopmentofa

continuousfreezeontheexteriorwallofthecella.WhiletheintegrationofDoric

andIonicelementsonthesametemplewasnotanewdevelopmentinGreek

architecture,itwasrare,andbestowedontheParthenonadelicatebalance

betweenaustereanddelicatevisualcharacteristics.

AlltemplesinGreeceweredesignedtobeseenonlyfromtheoutside.The

viewersneverenteredatempleandcouldonlyglimpsetheinteriorstatues

throughtheopendoors.TheParthenonwasconceivedinawaythattheaesthetic

elementsallowforasmoothtransitionbetweentheexteriorandtheinteriorthat

housedthechryselephantine statueofAthena.AvisitortotheAcropoliswho

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enteredfromthePropylaiawouldbeconfrontedbythemajesticproportionof

theParthenoninthreequartersview,withfullviewofthewestpedimentand

thenorthcolonnade.Astheviewermovedcloser,thedetailsofthe

sculptedmetopeswouldbecomedecipherable,andwheninproximitytothe

baseofthecolumns,partsofthefriezewouldbecomeevidentintantalizingcolorfulglimpsespeeringfromthespacesbetweenthecolumns.

Movingtowardstheeastandlookinguptowardstheexteriorofthecella,a

visitorwouldbemesmerizedwiththemasterfuldepictionofthePanathenaic

processionasitappearedincinematicfashiononthefriezewhichwasvisually

interruptedbytheDoriccolumnsoftheexterior.Thiswascertainlyascenethat

everyAtheniancouldrelatetothroughpersonalexperience,makingthusthe

transitionbetweenearthandthedivineasmoothone.Avisitormovingeast

wouldeventuallyturnthecornertofacetheentranceoftheParthenon,andtherehewouldbeconfrontedwiththebirthofAthenahighaboveontheeast

pediment,andjustbeyondit,thearrephoresfoldingthepeplosamongthe

Olympiangodsandtheheroesofthefrieze. Then,justbelow,thepeplos

scene,throughtheimmenseopendoors,anyvisitorwouldbeenchantedbythe

glisteninggoldandivoryhuesofthemonumentalstatueofAthenastandingat

thebackofthedimcella.ThestatueofAthenaPallasreflecteditsimmense

statureonthetranquilsurfaceofthewaterpoolfloor,andwasframedbyyet

moreDoriccolumns,thistimesmaller,inadoubledeckedarrangementthat

madetheinteriorspaceseemasifitwereevenlargerandtallerthantheexterior.

ItseemscertainthatthemasterplannersoftheParthenonconceiveditasa

theatricalevent.Thetemplewasconstructedwiththemovementsoftheviewer

inmind,andbythearrangementofthetemple,themonumentalsculpturesof

thepediment,andthedetailedfrieze,theemotionsofthevisitorswere

choreographedtopreparethemfortheultimateglimpseofthemajesticAthena

naos,andtomaximizetheeffectofanaweParthenosattheinteriorofthe

inspiringvisit.

The Parthenon

Continuedfrompage1

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Asapostandlinteltemple,theParthenonpresentsnoengineering

breakthroughin

building

construction.

However

its

stylistic

conventions

have

becometheparadigmofClassicalarchitecture,anditsstylehasinfluenced

architectureformanycenturiesafteritwasbuilt.

TheParthenonisalargetemple,butitisbynomeansthelargestoneinGreece.

Itsaestheticappealemanatesfromtherefinementofmanyestablishednormsof

Greekarchitecture,andfromthequalityofitssculpturaldecoration.The

ParthenonepitomizesalltheidealsofGreekthoughtduringtheapogeeofthe

Classicalerathroughartisticmeans.TheidealismoftheGreekwayofliving,the

attentionto

detail,

as

well

as

the

understanding

of

amathematically

explained

harmonyinthenaturalworld,wereconceptsthatineveryAthenianseyesset

themapartfromthebarbarians.Theseidealsarerepresentedintheperfect

proportionsofthebuilding,initsintricatearchitecturalelements,andinthe

anthropomorphicstatuesthatadornedit.

SomeofthesedetailswerefoundinotherGreektempleswhilesomewere

uniquetotheParthenon.Thetempleowesitsrefinedappealtothesubtledetails

thatwerebuiltintothearchitecturalelementstoaccommodatepracticalneedsor

toenhance

the

buildings

visual

appeal.

ThefactthattherearenoabsolutestraightlinesontheParthenonbestowsa

subtleorganiccharactertoanobviousgeometricstructure.Thecolumnsofthe

peristyletaperonaslightarcastheyreachthetopofthebuildinggivingthe

impressionthattheyareswollenfromentasis(tension) asiftheywereburdened

bytheweightoftheroof;asubtlefeaturethatallotsanthropomorphicmetaphors

tootherwiseinanimateobjects.

Theperistylecolumnsareovertenmeterstall,andinclineslightlytowardsthe

centerofthebuildingatthetop(about7cm),whiletheplatformuponwhich

theyrestbowsonagentlearcwhichbringsthecornersabout12cmclosertothe

groundthatthemiddle.

ThearchitectsoftheParthenonappeartobeexcellentscholarsofvisualillusion,

anattributeundoubtedlysharpenedbyyearsofarchitecturalrefinementand

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observationofthenaturalworld.Theydesignedthecolumnsthatappearatthe

cornersofthetempletobe1/40th(about6cm)largerindiameterthanallthe

othercolumns,whiletheymadethespacearoundthemsmallerthantherestof

thecolumnsbyabout25cm.Thereasonforthisslightadaptationofthecorner

columnsisduetothefactthattheyaresetagainstthebrightsky,whichwouldmakethemappearalittlethinnerandalittlefurtherapartthanthecolumnsset

againstthedarkerbackgroundofthebuildingwall.Theincreaseinsizeand

decreaseofspacethuscompensatesfortheillusionthatthebrightbackground

wouldnormallycause.

ThesesubtlefeaturessettheParthenonapartfromallotherGreektemples

becausetheoveralleffectisadeparturefromthestaticDoricstructuresofthe

past,towardsamoredynamicformofarchitecturalexpression.Moreover,the

intricaterefinementsoftheformsrequiredunprecedentedprecisionthatwouldbechallengingtoachieveeveninourtime.Butitwasnotmeregrandeurthrough

subtletythattheAtheniansdesired.Itisevidentthattheysoughttooutshineall

othertemplesofthetimethroughthelavishsculpturaldecorationofthe

Parthenon,anditsimposingdimensions. Thedoorsthatleadtothecellawere

abundantlydecoratedwithreliefsculpturesofgorgons,lionheadsandother

bronzereliefornaments.

TheAtheniancitizenswereproudoftheirculturalidentity,and

consciousofthehistoricalmagnitudeoftheirideas.Theybelievedthattheywere

civilizedamongbarbarians,andthattheirculturalandpoliticalachievements

wereboundtoalterthehistoryofallcivilizedpeople.Thecatalystforalltheir

accomplishmentswasthedevelopmentofasystemofgovernancethelikesof

whichtheworldhadneverseen:Democracy.

Democracy,arguablytheepitomeoftheAthenianwayofthinking,wasatcenter

stagewhiletheParthenonwasbuilt.Thiswasadirectdemocracywhereevery

citizenhadavoiceinthecommonissuesthroughtheAssemblythatmetonthe

PnyxhillnexttotheAcropolisfortytimesperyeartodecideonallmattersof

policy,domesticorforeign.

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Thefactthatcommonpeoplearedepictedasindividualsforthefirsttimeat

theParthenonfriezewasowedtothefactthatforthefirsttimeinhistoryevery

citizenofacitywasrecognizedasasignificantentityandaconsiderablemoving

theobservableuniverse.forceinthepolisand

Parthenon Facts

YearBuilt:447432BCE

PreciseDimensions:

o WidthEast:30.875m

o WidthWest:30.8835m

o LengthNorth:69.5151m

o LengthSouth:69.5115m

WidthtoRatio:9:4

o

WidthtoheightRatio(withoutthePediments):9:4 NumberofstonesusedtobuilttheParthenon:Approximatedat13400

stones.

Architects:IktinosandKallikrates

ParthenonCost:469talents

Coordinates(ofPlakaareajustbelowtheAcropolis):3758N,2343E

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