The
Parthenon's ArchitectureThe
Parthenon's Architecture
By Abby
The Parthenon is considered to be one of the greatest architectural feats in all of the ancient Greek world. The Greeks were sophisticated architecturally, especially for their era. Known for its uniquely designed and ornate architecture, the Parthenon was just one of many representative Greek monuments that is still held in high regard today.
Athena was an exceedingly important goddess in ancient Greek times. She was a female deity of Greek cities, industrial activity, creative arts, mythology, war, agriculture, and wisdom. All of her personal qualities were held in high esteem at that time, and this caused all Greeks to worship her, as she was a goddess. The Parthenon was built and designed in complete dedication, full respect, and remembrance of her.
Besides Athena, the Parthenon represented many other things. Some say that it predominantly represented "...the tangible and visible efflorescence of Athenian imperial power encumbered by the depredations of Peloponnesian war. It also represents the power and influence of the Golden era of Pericles, the Athenian politician who championed its construction." (http://www.greece4an.com) The Parthenon also showed the Athenians' desire to create a monument of unparalleled beauty. It was considered by many the home on earth of the goddess Athena.
Construction began in 448 B.C., when the Athenian empire was at its peak. However, a year before construction, Athens struck an important treaty with Persia. Years following, they became the head and imperial master of the Hellenic States. Not finishing construction until 432 B.C., it was erected with the Erechtheion and the Temple of Nike upon the acropolis, a fortified height or citadel of an ancient Greek city. This was the original site of Hecatompedon and the Old Parthenon.
Architecturally, the Parthenon was an eight by seventeen Doric Colonnade. It had a total of seventy-nine marble pillars and two sets of low steps on either side. This valuable marble was transported in the water for quick and easy haulage. The Greeks were very good at math, and surprisingly, they made an error. When creating the columns, a math mistake was made, and to this day the columns taper slightly inward. The Doric order (created by Vitruvius) was simplest and sturdiest because all of the columns had a height of 5.5 times their diameter. Known completely as a Doric building, hidden in the cella on one of many metopes was an Ionic frieze. The inside of the Parthenon was divided into two "rooms." The opisthodomos was Athena's treasury, containing spare room for decor, and items that represented Athena. The cella (in Greek the "Naos,") was the central room of the structure. It contained the treasured chryselephantine statue, "Athena the Virgin." This view of Athena explains why the Parthenon was named, "The Apartment of the Virgin." Pheidias was the ancient Greek sculptor who designed the statue. Athena was a genuine statue, made of pure gold and immaculate ivory. This statue was 40 feet tall, as tall as a 4-story building.
Atop the columns, their were many representative designs of Greek importance. Metopes (thinner panels used only for symbolic decoration) were everywhere, as the Doric order consisted of alternating triglyphs and metopes. These were specifically carved on the Northern, Southern, Eastern, and Western sides. The North represented the battles of the Greeks versus the Trojans. The Southern side symbolized Centuaromachy, or war between Lapiths and Centaurs, both mythical characters. The West side represented the mythical battle against the Amazons, (Amazonomachy.) The East side was symbolic of the battle between the gods and the giants, (Gigantomachy.)
Their were many beneficial contributors to the Parthenon. There were those who designed, those who built, and those who created the purpose: Athena. The two chief architects of the project were Ictinus and Callicrates. Ictinus was primarily known for also designing the Temple of Apollo, the Telestrian, and the Hall of Mysteries. Callicrates also designed the Temple of Athena, created in the lighter Ionic style and coincidentally on the acropolis as well.
The Parthenon symbolically represented one of the most important Greek goddess' of all time. Still standing to this day, the Parthenon endures as a unique and irreplaceable monument to ancient Greek civilization.
Thanks to...
http://www.greece4an.com/destinations/Parthenon.htm
Prentice Hall, The Ancient World
http://www.jccc.net/~jjackson/part.html
Pictures Related to. . .
|
|
|
|
