Parthenon: The Culmination of Doric Temple Design
The Doric order was one of the three main Greek orders and also the oldest amongst them. The Doric Order has its beginnings, in 7th century BC Greece and exemplifies simplicity and elegance. Basic Greek architectural structure was divided into two, the Column, which encompassed the shaft and the capital; and the Entablature, which encompassed the Architrave, frieze and cornice. The Parthenon is often regaled as the culmination of the Doric order. We will see how the Parthenon with its Doric elements and subtle Ionic influences is still the greatest example of the Doric style of Architecture.
Parthenon as a culmination of Doric Style
When looking at a plan of the Parthenon it is easy to understand that it was built on the basic plan of the prevalent, Doric Order of the times. It has the classic enclosure of 17 columns along its length and 8 columns along its width. The Parthenon also has an inner sanctum or Naos, with a set of 8 double decked columns along its length and houses the statue of Athena.
All the columns of the Parthenon are placed directly on the platform without a base as per Doric rules. A three-step platform or Stylobate lead to the interior of the monument built for the “Virgin Goddess”, Athena. All the columns are fluted and have an Entasis in their middle. This one feature differentiates Doric order from its later Ionic styles. All Doric columns had a slight bulge in the middle and were also built on the proportion of 1:6. The ratio of the column height to the diameter at the base of the column was usually 1:6 giving it a bit of a stunted look. The Ancient Greeks believed that this gave the Columns a more masculine look as compared to the Ionic order with the ratio of 1: 8 and no Entasis, giving it a more slender and feminine touch. The temple of Athena, which lies very close to the Parthenon, is a classic example of Ionic style columns. The Entasis in the columns in the Parthenon show a much slighter bulge than older structures thus showing a subtle transition to the Ionic order.
It was common for buildings in Greece at that time to be statements of the political power. The Parthenon stands as a symbolic monument of Athenian democracy. When we look at the Entablature of the Parthenon we notice that it follows the classic Doric design of the Triglyph and Metope found in the Frieze. Ancient Greek architecture was initially made in wood before they started experimenting and reconstructing them in stone. The Parthenon is built entirely in Marble. The Triglyps seen in the Doric order resemble wooden beams which were influences brought in by the earlier wooden structure. The Trigyphs as the name suggests are 3 in number grouped together and arranged to the centre of the columns. This order continues along the entablature except for the corners where the Triglyphs are set in from the Abacus or the top of the columns and therefore do not follow the positioning seen along the rest of the Frieze. The Triglyphs with the Metopes that run in between them, in he Parthenon, have some with some of the most magnificent sculptures ever seen in Greek architecture. The sculptures are representative of Greek mythology and political Status. The sculptural style in the Metopes also shows less severity and extreme detailing characteristic of Greek sculpture of the Doric order. This severity changed to more of a realistic look in the Ionic styles. A similar realism is also seen in the sculptures of the Pediment, although very little remains preserved today.
Conclusion
John Julius Cooper aptly summarizes the beauty and purity in style of the Parthenon. He states that the Parthenon,” enjoys the reputation of being the most perfect Doric temple ever built. Even in antiquity, its architectural refinements were legendary, especially the subtle correspondence between the curvature of the Stylobate, the taper of the Naos walls and the Entasis of the columns." (2001)
References
John Julius Norwich (1991).Great Architecture Of The World. Da Capo Press.
Fred S. Kleiner. (2008) Gardners Art through the Ages A global History.Wadsworth
Publishing. 013 edition
Reed Classics. The Parthenon. March 10,2012.
http://academic.reed.edu/humanities/110Tech/Parthenon.html
John Julius Norwich (2001) Great Architecture of the World. p.63
