TheParthenon

AttheapproximatepositionwheretheParthenonwasbuiltlater,theAthenians
begantheconstructionofabuildingthatwasburnedbythePersianswhileitwas
stillunderconstructionin480BCE.ItwaspresumablydedicatedtoAthena,and
afteritsdestructionmuchofitsruinswereutilizedinthebuildingofthe
fortificationsatthenorthendoftheAcropolis.Notmuchisknownaboutthis
temple,andwhetherornotitwasstillunderconstructionwhenitwasdestroyed
hasbeendisputed.Itsmassivefoundationsweremadeoflimestone,andthe
columnsweremadeofPentelicmarble,amaterialthatwasutilizedforthefirst
time.TheclassicalParthenonwasconstructedbetween447432BCEtobethe
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

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
housedthechryselephantinestatueofAthena.AvisitortotheAcropoliswho

enteredfromthePropylaiawouldbeconfrontedbythemajesticproportionof
theParthenoninthreequartersview,withfullviewofthewestpedimentand
thenorthcolonnade.Astheviewermovedcloser,thedetailsofthe
sculptedmetopeswouldbecomedecipherable,andwheninproximitytothe
baseofthecolumns,partsofthefriezewouldbecomeevidentintantalizing
colorfulglimpsespeeringfromthespacesbetweenthecolumns.
Movingtowardstheeastandlookinguptowardstheexteriorofthecella,a
visitorwouldbemesmerizedwiththemasterfuldepictionofthePanathenaic
processionasitappearedincinematicfashiononthefriezewhichwasvisually
interruptedbytheDoriccolumnsoftheexterior.Thiswascertainlyascenethat
everyAtheniancouldrelatetothroughpersonalexperience,makingthusthe
transitionbetweenearthandthedivineasmoothone.Avisitormovingeast
wouldeventuallyturnthecornertofacetheentranceoftheParthenon,andthere
hewouldbeconfrontedwiththebirthofAthenahighaboveontheeast
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
Parthenosattheinteriorofthenaos,andtomaximizetheeffectofanawe
inspiringvisit.

TheParthenon
Continuedfrompage1

Asapostandlinteltemple,theParthenonpresentsnoengineering
breakthroughinbuildingconstruction.Howeveritsstylisticconventionshave
becometheparadigmofClassicalarchitecture,anditsstylehasinfluenced
architectureformanycenturiesafteritwasbuilt.
TheParthenonisalargetemple,butitisbynomeansthelargestoneinGreece.
Itsaestheticappealemanatesfromtherefinementofmanyestablishednormsof
Greekarchitecture,andfromthequalityofitssculpturaldecoration.The
ParthenonepitomizesalltheidealsofGreekthoughtduringtheapogeeofthe
Classicalerathroughartisticmeans.TheidealismoftheGreekwayofliving,the
attentiontodetail,aswellastheunderstandingofamathematicallyexplained
harmonyinthenaturalworld,wereconceptsthatineveryAthenianseyesset
themapartfromthebarbarians.Theseidealsarerepresentedintheperfect
proportionsofthebuilding,initsintricatearchitecturalelements,andinthe
anthropomorphicstatuesthatadornedit.
SomeofthesedetailswerefoundinotherGreektempleswhilesomewere
uniquetotheParthenon.Thetempleowesitsrefinedappealtothesubtledetails
thatwerebuiltintothearchitecturalelementstoaccommodatepracticalneedsor
toenhancethebuildingsvisualappeal.
ThefactthattherearenoabsolutestraightlinesontheParthenonbestowsa
subtleorganiccharactertoanobviousgeometricstructure.Thecolumnsofthe
peristyletaperonaslightarcastheyreachthetopofthebuildinggivingthe
impressionthattheyareswollenfromentasis(tension)asiftheywereburdened
bytheweightoftheroof;asubtlefeaturethatallotsanthropomorphicmetaphors
tootherwiseinanimateobjects.
Theperistylecolumnsareovertenmeterstall,andinclineslightlytowardsthe
centerofthebuildingatthetop(about7cm),whiletheplatformuponwhich
theyrestbowsonagentlearcwhichbringsthecornersabout12cmclosertothe
groundthatthemiddle.
ThearchitectsoftheParthenonappeartobeexcellentscholarsofvisualillusion,
anattributeundoubtedlysharpenedbyyearsofarchitecturalrefinementand

observationofthenaturalworld.Theydesignedthecolumnsthatappearatthe
cornersofthetempletobe1/40th(about6cm)largerindiameterthanallthe
othercolumns,whiletheymadethespacearoundthemsmallerthantherestof
thecolumnsbyabout25cm.Thereasonforthisslightadaptationofthecorner
columnsisduetothefactthattheyaresetagainstthebrightsky,whichwould
makethemappearalittlethinnerandalittlefurtherapartthanthecolumnsset
againstthedarkerbackgroundofthebuildingwall.Theincreaseinsizeand
decreaseofspacethuscompensatesfortheillusionthatthebrightbackground
wouldnormallycause.
ThesesubtlefeaturessettheParthenonapartfromallotherGreektemples
becausetheoveralleffectisadeparturefromthestaticDoricstructuresofthe
past,towardsamoredynamicformofarchitecturalexpression.Moreover,the
intricaterefinementsoftheformsrequiredunprecedentedprecisionthatwould
bechallengingtoachieveeveninourtime.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.

Thefactthatcommonpeoplearedepictedasindividualsforthefirsttimeat
theParthenonfriezewasowedtothefactthatforthefirsttimeinhistoryevery
citizenofacitywasrecognizedasasignificantentityandaconsiderablemoving
forceinthepolisandtheobservableuniverse.

ParthenonFacts

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YearBuilt:447432BCE
PreciseDimensions:
WidthEast:30.875m
WidthWest:30.8835m
LengthNorth:69.5151m
LengthSouth:69.5115m
WidthtoRatio:9:4
WidthtoheightRatio(withoutthePediments):9:4
NumberofstonesusedtobuilttheParthenon:Approximatedat13400
stones.
Architects:IktinosandKallikrates
ParthenonCost:469talents
Coordinates(ofPlakaareajustbelowtheAcropolis):3758N,2343E