5380 x 3572 px | 45,6 x 30,2 cm | 17,9 x 11,9 inches | 300dpi
Data acquisizione:
2009
Ubicazione:
Acropolis, Athens, Greece, Europe
Altre informazioni:
A public dedication, offered by the Athenians to their patron goddess Athena Parthenos (Athena the Virgin), in thanks for for the city's salvation and Athenian victories in the Persian Wars. It was built as part of Pericles' great construction program and was the ultimate expression of this achievement, showing the Athenian people at their zenith. It was built between 447 and 438 BC. It is the largest temple of classical antiquity - surrounded by a colonnade with 8 columns on the short sides, and 17 columns on the long sides. It represents the culmination of the development of the Doric order, although here Doric columns are combined with an Ionic frieze around the cella, or central part of the temple. A ratio of 4:9 is repeated in various parts of the temple. The columns embody the principles of meiosis (diminution) and entasis. Meiosis is the gradual thinning of the diameter of each column as it gets higher. By contrast, entasis is the thickening of each column at about two fifths of its height; thus strengthening of the column so as to hold the weight of the entablature. By using these architectural refinements, the great masters of the Parthenon gave life and mobility to the marble, and displayed how a considerable weight can be held in place by the power of construction. The ancient Greeks were familiar with the optical effect by which, when seen under the light, a straight line gives the impression of a concave curve. Wanting to counteract this optical illusion, Ictinus and Callicrates applied a slight convex curvature to the center of all horizontal lines on the Parthenon. The curvature ranges from 6 to 17 cm (on the long sides); it begins from the foundations of the temple, and is repeated in the krepis, the entablature, the ceiling, the roof and the ceramic tiling.
