The Parthenon
Background:
The Parthenon was built on the Acropolis, standing prominently above other structures in Athens so it could be viewed throughout the city. The purpose of the building's central placement was so it could be seen in the harbor as well, and therefore present the city's power to passing ships. It was built for the political leader Pericles who believed that is was necessary to beautify Athens to exemplify its glory.
The Parthenon originally served as a type of treasury for Athenians, holding state funds. Its purpose has however changed a great deal of time, depending on the domination of the period. The building was used as a Christian basilica for a time before being changed into a Roman Catholic Cathedral and later a mosque during the Turkish control. Throughout this time as the building changed uses, it underwent a great deal of damage. The inside of the structure was badly damaged, making it necessary to rebuild the interior colonnade during Roman control. There were also artillery shots fired at the temple when the Venetians were besieging the Turks in Athens, which resulted in blowing up the building. The Parthenon obviously was greatly impacted by the different powers in control of the area and was changed from the original appearance of the structure.
The Parthenon was built on the Acropolis, standing prominently above other structures in Athens so it could be viewed throughout the city. The purpose of the building's central placement was so it could be seen in the harbor as well, and therefore present the city's power to passing ships. It was built for the political leader Pericles who believed that is was necessary to beautify Athens to exemplify its glory.
The Parthenon originally served as a type of treasury for Athenians, holding state funds. Its purpose has however changed a great deal of time, depending on the domination of the period. The building was used as a Christian basilica for a time before being changed into a Roman Catholic Cathedral and later a mosque during the Turkish control. Throughout this time as the building changed uses, it underwent a great deal of damage. The inside of the structure was badly damaged, making it necessary to rebuild the interior colonnade during Roman control. There were also artillery shots fired at the temple when the Venetians were besieging the Turks in Athens, which resulted in blowing up the building. The Parthenon obviously was greatly impacted by the different powers in control of the area and was changed from the original appearance of the structure.
Construction:
The Parthenon began being built towards the end of the sixth century B.C., specifically during the years 447 and 432 B.C. At this time, Pericles was the ruler of Athens, and may have chosen to rebuild the Acropolis for political gain since it was damaged during war. A bust of Pericles can be seen on the right, which is a Roman copy of a Greek original from 430 B.C. Pericles hired two main architects, Callicrates and Ictinus, who worked under the supervision of Phidias. Phidias, a famous artist and sculptor oversaw the entire creation of the project. Little is known of the personal life of these men, but all were known to be important craftsmen of the time.
Ictinus was considered to be the leading architect while Callicrates was considered to be the master builder of the project. There are different theories surrounding the roles of each man on the project, "Some have suggested that Ictinus and Callicrates were rivals not collaborators, while other sources claim Ictinus was the creative and artistic force behind the project and Callicrates played the role of engineer" (Maslaniec). Whatever the case may be, the process took two years of planning before the ten year span of actual construction to create the Parthenon. Not only were these men responsible for the plans of the construction, but there were also many other men hired to complete the finished product.
The Parthenon began being built towards the end of the sixth century B.C., specifically during the years 447 and 432 B.C. At this time, Pericles was the ruler of Athens, and may have chosen to rebuild the Acropolis for political gain since it was damaged during war. A bust of Pericles can be seen on the right, which is a Roman copy of a Greek original from 430 B.C. Pericles hired two main architects, Callicrates and Ictinus, who worked under the supervision of Phidias. Phidias, a famous artist and sculptor oversaw the entire creation of the project. Little is known of the personal life of these men, but all were known to be important craftsmen of the time.
Ictinus was considered to be the leading architect while Callicrates was considered to be the master builder of the project. There are different theories surrounding the roles of each man on the project, "Some have suggested that Ictinus and Callicrates were rivals not collaborators, while other sources claim Ictinus was the creative and artistic force behind the project and Callicrates played the role of engineer" (Maslaniec). Whatever the case may be, the process took two years of planning before the ten year span of actual construction to create the Parthenon. Not only were these men responsible for the plans of the construction, but there were also many other men hired to complete the finished product.
Design:
The Parthenon appears to have a simple design, however upon closer examination there is more to the structure than meets the eye. The structure is noted as the greatest accomplishment for Doric architecture and a large shift in style for Greek architecture. In some cases it is even suggested to combine features from both the Doric and Ionic orders of architecture. There is a basic ratio of four to nine throughout the building, including the width to length, height to length, and column spacing to column height aspects of the structure, creating a sense of unity throughout. There are eight columns along the front of the structure and 17 along either side of the Parthenon. During the Doric order, buildings were often made with only six pillars along the front, which differentiated the Parthenon as more grandiose than most without massively changing the structure of the building.
The Parthenon appears to have a simple design, however upon closer examination there is more to the structure than meets the eye. The structure is noted as the greatest accomplishment for Doric architecture and a large shift in style for Greek architecture. In some cases it is even suggested to combine features from both the Doric and Ionic orders of architecture. There is a basic ratio of four to nine throughout the building, including the width to length, height to length, and column spacing to column height aspects of the structure, creating a sense of unity throughout. There are eight columns along the front of the structure and 17 along either side of the Parthenon. During the Doric order, buildings were often made with only six pillars along the front, which differentiated the Parthenon as more grandiose than most without massively changing the structure of the building.
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An interesting fact about the building is that there are no straight lines in the building. The large pillars at the front of the building taper slightly at the top to form curved lines. All of the columns lean slightly toward the center of the building, and some vary in diameter. Also, the stepped platform where the pillars stand bow in the center, a "refinement known as curvature of the stylobate" (Camp 76). The purpose of this curvature is to make the building seem more symmetrical than it actually is. These variation in size and straightness create an optical illusion of a larger, more impressive structure. The video on the left provides a deeper explanation as to how the optical illusions of the Parthenon work and why the structure was built in such a manner.
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The slight difference that the Parthenon has from other buildings made around the same time make the structure seem more impressive and grand. Although there was a small increase in amount of columns, the building still appears greater and also has more space in the interior. The interior is made up of four different sections including a "front porch (pronaos) with six Doric columns; the "hundred-foot" cella, or sanctuary proper (hekatompedos naos); a separate back chamber, known in antiquity as the Parthenon; and a back porch (opisthodomos), also with six Doric columns" (Camp 75). The Parthenon's floor plan can be seen on the right, which highlights the different areas inside and also annotations that describe each area.
The Parthenon can be differentiated from other Doric order buildings is the many sculptures in the temple. Not to say that buildings did not have any sculptures because many did, however the Parthenon had far more than others. Phidias, the leading sculptor during the time, supervised the creation of figures, although there were a large amount of workers to complete the task.
There were four different groups of sculpture including the gold and ivory statue of Athena, pediments, the exterior Doric frieze and interior Ionic frieze. The Parthenon was dedicated to Athena, the Greek goddess of wisdom and therefore many of the statues and artwork in the building were scenes portraying parts of her life. The photo above shows some of the sculptures that survived from the East pediment of the Parthenon. These sculptures are now held in the British museum.
There were four different groups of sculpture including the gold and ivory statue of Athena, pediments, the exterior Doric frieze and interior Ionic frieze. The Parthenon was dedicated to Athena, the Greek goddess of wisdom and therefore many of the statues and artwork in the building were scenes portraying parts of her life. The photo above shows some of the sculptures that survived from the East pediment of the Parthenon. These sculptures are now held in the British museum.
Around 438 B.C., before the building was completed, a large statue of Athena made of gold and ivory with a wooden core, was dedicated to the Parthenon. This statue stood over nine meters or 35 feet high, and was placed in the center of the structure. Phidias created this large statue known as a cult image since it is a human made object representing a goddess, also known as the Athena Parthenos. This statue of Athena would be the main focus of the entire building, and stood as the central view. Athena is depicted wearing a helmet adorned with a sphinx in the middle and griffins on either side and a tunic type garment that touches her feet. Around her neck and upon her chest she wears the head of Medusa sculpted out of ivory. In her hands she holds a large spear, and a Victory about 2 meters high. The original Athena Parthenos can no longer be viewed by the public for "Unfortunately, the statue was stolen and whisked off to Constantinople in the fifth century A.D. and later destroyed by fire. All that remains of the statue is its image on coins and small copies made from marble" (Schlager). Although the original statue has been destroyed, many copies of the statue have been created since. An exact replica was crafted and unveiled in 1990 in the Nashville Parthenon. |
"NAMA Athéna Varvakeion" by Unknown (After Phidias' Athena Parthenos) - Marsyas. Licensed under CC BY 2.5 via Wikimedia Commons - http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:NAMA_Ath%C3%A9na_Varvakeion.jpg#/media/File:NAMA_Ath%C3%A9na_Varvakeion.jpg
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Visiting Information:
Hours: Open daily 8am - 5pm (until 7:30pm in Summer)
Address: The Parthenon, Athens 10555, Greece
Phone Number: +30210-32.14.172 / 32.10.21
Hours: Open daily 8am - 5pm (until 7:30pm in Summer)
Address: The Parthenon, Athens 10555, Greece
Phone Number: +30210-32.14.172 / 32.10.21
Works Cited:
Callicrates. (2001). In N. Schlager & J. Lauer (Eds.), Science and Its Times (Vol. 1). Detroit: Gale. Retrieved from undefined
Camp, John M. (2001) The Archaeology of Athens. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Yale University Press.
"Elgin Marbles east pediment". Licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons - http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Elgin_Marbles_east_pediment.jpg#/media/File:Elgin_Marbles_east_pediment.jpg
Header Photo: "The Parthenon in Athens" by Steve Swayne - File:O Partenon de Atenas.jpg, originally posted to Flickr as The Parthenon Athens. Licensed under CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons - http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_Parthenon_in_Athens.jpg#/media/File:The_Parthenon_in_Athens.jpg
Image is adapted by Hilarion from Wikimedia. Floor Plan of the Parthenon by Argento. Used under CC BY-NC 2.0 -
http://phoshilarion.hubpages.com/hub/A-Brief-Overview-of-Ancient-Greek-Temples#
Maslaniec, Kyla. "Ictinus." Science and Its Times: Understanding the Social Significance of Scientific Discovery. Ed. Josh Lauer and Neil Schlager. Vol. 1. Detroit: Gale, 2001. 404-405. Global Issues In Context. Web. 30 Mar. 2015.
"NAMA Athéna Varvakeion" by Unknown (After Phidias' Athena Parthenos) - Marsyas. Licensed under CC BY 2.5 via Wikimedia Commons - http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:NAMA_Ath%C3%A9na_Varvakeion.jpg#/media/File:NAMA_Ath%C3%A9na_Varvakeion.jpg
NOVA PBS. (2008, January 24) Optical Tricks of the Parthenon. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7AIXvZRsiq4
"Pericles Pio-Clementino Inv269 n2" by Copy of Kresilas - Jastrow (2006). Licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons - http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pericles_Pio-Clementino_Inv269_n2.jpg#/media/File:Pericles_Pio-Clementino_Inv269_n2.jpg
Callicrates. (2001). In N. Schlager & J. Lauer (Eds.), Science and Its Times (Vol. 1). Detroit: Gale. Retrieved from undefined
Camp, John M. (2001) The Archaeology of Athens. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Yale University Press.
"Elgin Marbles east pediment". Licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons - http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Elgin_Marbles_east_pediment.jpg#/media/File:Elgin_Marbles_east_pediment.jpg
Header Photo: "The Parthenon in Athens" by Steve Swayne - File:O Partenon de Atenas.jpg, originally posted to Flickr as The Parthenon Athens. Licensed under CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons - http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_Parthenon_in_Athens.jpg#/media/File:The_Parthenon_in_Athens.jpg
Image is adapted by Hilarion from Wikimedia. Floor Plan of the Parthenon by Argento. Used under CC BY-NC 2.0 -
http://phoshilarion.hubpages.com/hub/A-Brief-Overview-of-Ancient-Greek-Temples#
Maslaniec, Kyla. "Ictinus." Science and Its Times: Understanding the Social Significance of Scientific Discovery. Ed. Josh Lauer and Neil Schlager. Vol. 1. Detroit: Gale, 2001. 404-405. Global Issues In Context. Web. 30 Mar. 2015.
"NAMA Athéna Varvakeion" by Unknown (After Phidias' Athena Parthenos) - Marsyas. Licensed under CC BY 2.5 via Wikimedia Commons - http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:NAMA_Ath%C3%A9na_Varvakeion.jpg#/media/File:NAMA_Ath%C3%A9na_Varvakeion.jpg
NOVA PBS. (2008, January 24) Optical Tricks of the Parthenon. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7AIXvZRsiq4
"Pericles Pio-Clementino Inv269 n2" by Copy of Kresilas - Jastrow (2006). Licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons - http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pericles_Pio-Clementino_Inv269_n2.jpg#/media/File:Pericles_Pio-Clementino_Inv269_n2.jpg