Athena Parthenos : The Structure Of The Athena Parthenon

Building the Parthenon was a greater feat than they ever would have known. Work on the Parthenon began in 477 BC. A much smaller shrine already stood on this site, one to which we can attribute various pieces of surviving decorative material--lions and snakes, a cornice incised with flying birds, and a blue-bearded trinity that may conceivably represent Cecrops, Erechtheus, and Poseidon. If such an edifice in fact existed, it was torn down to make way for a huge limestone platform, roughly 252 by 103 feet in size, that was built as a base for the new temple. The slope of the Acropolis was such that while on the north side the foundations rested directly on bedrocks, the southeast corner needed to be built up with no

The columns in this architecture provided the main support for the structure. What is unique to the Parthenon, are the series of optic illusions. This structure was created to house the great statue of Athena while demonstrating to the world Athenian

The Parthenon was an amazing and expensive achievement of ancient Greece. Although it is mostly in ruins today, there is enough knowledge about its construction to allow others to recreate the structure. The Parthenon is often constructed not only to honor the ancient Greeks, but also to honor the culture and place where it is recreated. Although the Parthenon’s influence is tremendous throughout the western world, it is generally only faithfully represented in part- the nearest representations found during my research include the Walhalla and the Nashville Parthenon. This paper focuses mostly on the original building’s history and its influence on American architecture, with a short discussion on a site in Germany. Research was conducted through the use of our course’s textbook, our consortium library, and educational websites. After my research was concluded, I became particularly fascinated with the golden ratio, which is debated to have been used during the construction of the Parthenon. I would like to research this in future work.

The Athenian Greeks at the height of their power built a temple called the Parthenon which was a monument to their core values of perfectionism, humanism, and rationalism. It is important to understand that the human eye has imperfections which deceive the mind, so one can understand the unique steps that were taken to achieve the illusion of perfection to the human eye. The Greeks loved perfection, and as seen in the Parthenon, the Greek architects purposely made the Parthenon imperfect to account for the imperfections in the human eye. This was done so that when one views the Parthenon with the naked eye, it appears to be perfectly symmetrical, straight, and proportional. The entire Parthenon does not have a single right angle. An example of the Greeks compensating for the imperfections of the human eye is seen in the base of the Parthenon, which from a picture or in real life looks perfectly straight, but in reality it is actually curved slightly upward. It is curved because the Greeks knew that if you have a perfectly flat base for a building, it appears curved to the human eye. To account for that, the Greeks made it so that the base was already curved. The Greeks also curved the columns of the Parthenon inward, because if the columns were straight, it would appear to be curving outward. Again, the Greeks knew about how the human eye deceives the mind, and decided that they must trick the eye to please the mind. This was all done because the Greeks strived for

The Parthenon is created as an optical illusion. It appears to consist of straight lines but in fact, almost every surface is built to lean and curved from its columns to its foundations. It gives a unique insight into the best that ancient Greek sculptors could produce at the best period of Greek art. The Parthenon is a Doric peripteral temple; it consists of a rectangular floor plan with a series of low steps, and a colonnade of Doric columns. The three main types of columns used in Greek temples and other public buildings are Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian. Many of the sculpture

the acropolis, the central hill of the Greek city –state which was used for defensive and religious purposes, then in seventeen years, Ictinus and Callicrates completed the decorations of the Parthenon (Harper OL). The Parthenon is made entirely of a marble from Mount Pentelicus called Pentelic marble and stands approximately eighteen meters high. The selections made for the material of the Parthenon were chosen with many points considered to ensure a strong and sturdy future.

As you approach the Nashville Parthenon, the first thing you notice is the colossal size of the architecture itself. It is intimidating to say the least. The stairs are massive, and extra stairs were placed in between the larger ones so that it is accessible. At the four corners of the building, a gryphon sits. It was noted that ancient Greeks believed a gryphon was a protector or guardian of the stream in the north of Greece that flowed with gold. The porches seem to be a very sturdy foundation to the overall structure of the Parthenon. The doors, which will be discussed in more detail later, appear to be as tall as four to five people.

The Parthenon at the Acropolis in Athens, Greece, built between 447 BCE and 432 BCE to honor the Greek goddess Athena. The Parthenon located in the acropolis is located on the top of a big hill. This could be a tactic to protect the structure from invaders, however, this is also symbolic of wanting to be closer to the gods, in this case closer to Athena. This great architectural piece made of huge slabs of marble creates a sense of grandness only the gods deserved. The architect included relief sculpture of larger than

Parthenon, on the other hand, which is on the top of the sketch floor plan is oriented to East and West with an overall size 101 feet wide; 228 feet long, approximately 60 feet to peak of pediment with a column height 33 feet high. Another difference between the Founder’s Hall and the Parthenon is the orders of the exterior columns that are equally separated from each other. The Founder’s Hall use of orders for exteriors is the Corinthians, for which in the fact sheet #19, “The Corinthian capitals are eight and a half feet high, and were carved in four sections.” As for the Parthenon, Doric was used for the exteriors because as stated in the text, “Doric, the sturdiest, was based on the proportions of a man……originated on the mainland of Greece” , which it is true. The Parthenon is located in mainland Greece (Acropolis, Greece). The difference between a Corinthian order and the Doric order is that Doric on the top of the column has a very detail sculpture. Corinthian has a smooth surface. Additionally, Temple of Hera also use the Doric order. Furthermore, about the columns, the column diameter at base for Founder’s Hall is 6’-0” with the spacing between is 21’-6” with no corner contraction. For the Parthenon, it is 6’-3” with the spacing between 14’ with corner

The Athenian Acropolis could be considered the most representative of the Greek Acropolis. The Athenian Acropolis is located on the top of a mountain and it was used as a defense and as a site of the main places of worship. The entrance to the Acropolis is a gate called Propylaia performed by the architect Mnesikles. At the front right side of the Propylaia, there is an Ionic building named the Temple of the Athena Nike designed by Kallikrates. A great statue of Athena created by Phidias, was originally stood in the center. To the right of where this sculpture was, there is the Parthenon. The architects that carried out this building were Iktinos and Kallikrates. The Parthenon is a Doric temple, which was designed with slight corrections

In Ancient Greece, the culture and values have been developed over time through tales and artwork. A considerable amount of such works have been marble sculptures of various people and gods. Many of the most famous and valuable sculptures depict a common attribute in ancient poetry, youth or the importance of the body. A vast majority of characters in ancient stories have been that of a youthful and intensely patriotic hero. Strength in youth and form are quite common in the characteristics of these ancient heroes. People in the ancient world have been represented through the power and youth within their story and appearance and reflected upon in the sculptures of this time.

The Acropolis is a rock formation reaching 400ft above ground level and is about 7 acres big. It clearly highlights the highest level of human creativity and was a source of pride for Athenians, not just because it was the biggest building of its age but because it represented power and wealth. These temples were not meant to be meeting places but homes for the communities god or goddess and a place to keep offerings. The Greek government owned the Parthenon, but it was commissioned by Pericles the great Greek statesman. The architects working on this grand design were called Iktinos and Kalilkrates two famous architects and the sculptor was Phidias who built the Athena Parthenos.

During the fifth century and Eighth century BCE, The Etruscan Temples and The Parthenon were built and valued by their cultures for many spiritual and cultural reasons. Similar to the Parthenon, The Etruscan Temples are built with influences from Greece. However, Both have different appearances based off of there medium, purpose, and architecture. The Etruscan Temple and the Parthenon both have strong stances within there cultures and provide peace and empowerment for the population of the time. Both structures are two similar ancient buildings, though there differences in culture and architecture set them apart.

The Parthenon is known for being one of the greatest achievements of the Athenians. The massive building is a work of perfection and beauty. The Parthenon, which took ten years to build was placed on the highest point of the Acropolis that overlooks the Athenian City. Constructed entirely of marble and embellished with sculptures, the Parthenon is one of the finest examples of the Classical style. It has columns that are specific to the Classical style.

One of the most impressive accomplishments of Ancient Greece is the remarkable structure of the Parthenon on the Acropolis. The Parthenon is one of the most inspiring works of architecture known to mankind. The project of the extraordinary Acropolis was taken on by one of the most influential leaders of history, Pericles. Pericles influenced not only the building of one of the grandest works but the example of democracy displayed by the Greeks. The architecture was unique for its time, it featured excellent structure,the breathtaking Metopes featuring the epic battles of the gods, the Frieze a detailed sculpture displaying a procession of Greeks, and was built to house the magnificent statue of Athena adorned in gold. The Parthenon was