Architecture Of The Parthenon

The Parthenon has long been considered a paradigm of successful Classical architecture. The construction began roughly around 500 BC and it is generally considered the zenith of the Doric order. During that time, almost every Greek city-state had an acropolis because Greek was an warring state. The Parthenon happened to be laid upon the acropolis of Athens. Its decorative sculptures were considered the pinnacle of Greek classical art. It was dedicated to the goddess of Athena, who was chosen by the Athenian people as their patron. The main function was to shelter the immense statue of goodness Athena and its functions had varied throughout different phases of history. Its usage had varied throughout different phases of history and it was …show more content…
As mentioned before, Iktinos was also a supreme mathematician and that’s why behind the building lies amazing mathematical concepts and symmetry. The Parthenon was built on extremely precise dimensions according to the law of geometry. Not until about 300 BC was the golden ratio documented in “Elements” by Euclid. However, the use of golden ratio can almost be found everywhere in the Parthenon. The height of the columns perfectly satisfy the golden ratio with the structural beam on top of the columns. The wide of the columns also stands in golden ratio with the distance between the center line of the columns to the outside of the columns. It’s not even that necessary to mention that the golden ratio appears in the height of the roof support beam and in the highly decorative rectangular section running across it. The brilliant design of golden ratio makes it much more visually relaxing and joyful for the viewers to appreciate. Also, it might seem incredible that almost the whole building’s proportion can be expressed in a mathematical equation x=2y+1. An obvious indication can be found as there are 8 front columns and 17 side columns. The space between the columns and its relations to the diameter of the columns corresponds to the equations as well. Symmetry in architecture is quite significant to the Greeks of the Classical period. Regarding the symmetry and proportion of Greek temples, the famous architect Vitruvius explained that in Doric order, symmetry may be calculated from the thickness of a column, from a triglyph and even from a module. Vitruvius proposed rules that explained the mathematical principal behind the building: he size of the module is equal to the width of a triglyph, and the width of a metope is 1.5 times the width of a triglyph. Also, there was discovery that the Parthenon was related to Pythagoreanism. For the Pythagoreans, abstract ideas are represented by numbers. For example, 4 could