Forming the heart of the Athenian Acropolis, The Parthenon built in 447-432 BC, is one of the most iconic temples of its time. The temple was first created as a temple to house the statue of Athena Parthenos and then used in various other ways. The marrying of Doric and Ionic style is seen throughout its original design. Thus presenting a balance between all of its features. This design feature was not found often in Greek architecture. In fact much of the design of the Parthenon was outside the norm of the temples of the Athenian empire. Although it is a post and lintel, which isn’t that out of the ordinary in a structural viewpoint, it is said to have inspired architecture in various buildings even centuries later. For example, most temples
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It wasn’t known whether the building was entirely completed or the status when it was destroyed. It was then dedicated to Athena. In its original design as the temple of Athena Parthenos, the temple held a ratio of 9:4, which controlled the proportions, the spacing, and the height of the various features that make up the Parthenon. The picture is a drawing of the original layout (2).
As you can see in the layout columns surrounded the temple in a traditional Doric manner (8x17). The larger inner area otherwise known as the cella, is where the statue of Athena was housed (2). The room behind that was a treasury housing all of Athena’s treasures. This is where we see the unusual use of iconic order with Doric as this room was supported by four columns of the iconic order (). The statues and art in the interior were a direct depiction of the culture in Athens and was appreciated by the people of Athens. Wee see this in the design of the Metopes, and the Pedimental sculptures above them as well as in the frieze of the Parthenon (2). The scenes directly represented the struggle for power and the battle for justice, and iconic stories about the Gods and Goddesses. All of the features of the statues and how it came into play with the geometric configuring of the building created an aesthetically pleasing viewing for all who entered the
It wasn’t known whether the building was entirely completed or the status when it was destroyed. It was then dedicated to Athena. In its original design as the temple of Athena Parthenos, the temple held a ratio of 9:4, which controlled the proportions, the spacing, and the height of the various features that make up the Parthenon. The picture is a drawing of the original layout (2).
As you can see in the layout columns surrounded the temple in a traditional Doric manner (8x17). The larger inner area otherwise known as the cella, is where the statue of Athena was housed (2). The room behind that was a treasury housing all of Athena’s treasures. This is where we see the unusual use of iconic order with Doric as this room was supported by four columns of the iconic order (). The statues and art in the interior were a direct depiction of the culture in Athens and was appreciated by the people of Athens. Wee see this in the design of the Metopes, and the Pedimental sculptures above them as well as in the frieze of the Parthenon (2). The scenes directly represented the struggle for power and the battle for justice, and iconic stories about the Gods and Goddesses. All of the features of the statues and how it came into play with the geometric configuring of the building created an aesthetically pleasing viewing for all who entered the