Parthenon's Construction

Secrets of the Parthenon

Between approximately 447 – 432 BCE. in ancient Greece, a temple was built to immortalize the Greeks newfound western ideals of beauty, science, art, and a new radical form of government: democracy. This temple becomes the physical embodiment for these ideals, and is still today a representation of what human beings are capable of doing. That building is the Parthenon.

The Parthenon was built with skills that are unmatched in today’s day and age. Even with all the new, modern technology unavailable in ancient times but accessible now, it still took a team of architects, stonemasons, and archaeologists over thirty years to take apart, repair, and reassemble the temple that took the ancient Athenians only eight or nine years to build. Art historians now know that the architect responsible for the building of the Parthenon was Iktinos, and the overseer of the temple’s sculptural decoration was Phidias – Phidias also sculpted the great Athena Parthenos, which stood in the center, or cella, of the temple. The building was designed in doric order, with peristyle of columns around the entire complex. Something even more interesting about the design of the temple is the mathematics that went into creating it. The Parthenon is considered the Doryphoros of temples, with the technically perfect layout and ideal proportions. And just as the Greeks were intelligent enough to figure out the perfect equation for building this temple, they also figured out how to add a slight curve to it, just by a small fraction. When first looking at the Parthenon, one might not guess that the temple is not in fact flat, but the ancient Greeks knew about how a human’s eyes view the world as curve, so they adjusted the Parthenon to adapt to this so that it may be harmonious and mathematical perfect in every single way.

The decorations of the Parthenon are more extravagant than any temple before it, no matter what the order. In every one of the ninety-two metopes, a mythological scene plays out, just as is often shown commonly in Greek vase paintings. These scenes include many battles such as Centauromachy, Amazonomachy, Gigantomachy, and the Sack of Troy – all of which are important mythological fights between the Greeks and various others. However, the most lavish piece in all of the Parthenon must be what once stood in the very center of it – Athena Parthenos. This monumental chryselephantine sculpture stood thirty-eight feet tall and held Nike (the female personification of victory) in her hand. In this instance, Nike most likely referred to the victory over the Persians in 479 BCE. when they attacked the Athenian acropolis. All across Athena’s body there are several other references to several other Greek victories. Although she may have been the most expensive addition to the Parthenon, Athena Parthenos was clearly the most significant decoration throughout the entire temple.

The Parthenon was built to hold true to the new Greek ideals, but it was also created to celebrate Athena and the Athenians. If it wasn’t obvious by the enormous, ivory and golden statue of the goddess in the naos of the temple, it is clear through all the other imagery across the temple depicting her. The east pediment showcases the birth of the goddess and the west pediment shows Athena winning the right to be patron of the city over Poseidon. And while all the statues of Athena still retain magnificently sculpted anatomy for a human, Phidias masterfully made sure to emphasize the goddess’ beauty and give off the sense that she is a true goddess, even with just a glance. Athena’s power radiates throughout all the sculptures and the temple itself; all are aware this is a temple for her and her people. However, what was once a place of beauty and sophistication has been worn away, both by time and the natural elements, as well as the vicious attacks to the temple. But although it may not be in its full former glory, the Parthenon still reigns true as a powerful statement of creation in human history.