Parthenon is a Greek temple dedicated to the Greek Goddess Athena. The temple was built by two architects; Iktinos and Kallikrates (Cartwright et al.). The temple was erected with the aim to preserve the monumental statue of Athena. The statue was made up of ivory and gold. The statue of Athena is surrounded by 23 small Doric columns. They are arranged in a two storey.
According to Neils (88), the Parthenon is a remarkable building. . The huge construction of this architecture has used mainly the limestone, while the columns are erected in marble. The Parthenon is an exquisite specimen of ancient Doric architecture. Rhodes characterizes Doric architecture as a “symmetrical architecture” (Rhodes, 55). Doric columns support the front and back porch of the temple. The focus of Doric architecture is basically on the symmetry and the main reason behind the symmetrical architecture is to accommodate religious tradition and to create the surface, the impression of Doric regularity of symmetry (Rhodes, 55). The symmetrical pattern of Parthenon lies in its eight columns at its façade, and seventeen at the flank. Neils (88) finds the architecture as the remarkable decorative sculptural adornment.
Athena is the deity to which this temple is dedicated. There is a huge statue of Athena and the cella is large enough to accommodate the statue. The viewers do not have to go inside the temple to see the statue of Athena but they could see the statue.
The name Parthenon is taken from one of the epithets of Goddess Athena. Parthenon means virgin. The real happiness lies in the tranquility and that generally is felt in the religious place. The Parthenon elaborates the religious life of ancient people and their unconstrained way of worshipping. Their spirituality was not constrained unlike the modern places of worship.Thus Parthenon architecture has the historic, architectural and cultural significance that is why this architecture is one of the much sought-after buildings for the study of architecture.
Part 2
“You employ stone, wood and concrete, and with this material you build houses and palaces. That is construction. Ingenuity is at work. But suddenly you touch my heart, you do me good, I am happy and I say “This is beautiful.” That is architecture. Art enters in.”
A great building is not a finite entity like a painting or sculpture. A Painting or a sculpture is limited to a respective space but architecture always amazes people due to its grandeur. Even though one can describe architecture as building monuments by employing wood, stone or concrete, Architecture is not just defined by the materials required and the procedure of making the building but is also defined by the artistic elements of the building. A construction is a mere building of bricks, stones or concrete but architecture is a blend of construction and art. As stated by Solomon (19), architecture is not to be equated with building, but it is more than a mere building; it is one of the arts. Architecture is transforming a simple construction into a piece of art. This is what Le Corbusier is trying to convey through the above definition of architecture.
However beauty can be found in either decorative forms or symmetrical forms. The architects of Parthenon respect the involvement of art in construction and have proved that simplicity, symmetry and geometry have their own way of displaying grandeur and beauty. The Parthenon is a symbol of beauty in simplicity. Like other architectures in either Egypt or India or any part of the world, Parthenon is like the home of humanity at ease, calm and ordered (Launcher, 294), and that is the sign of simplicity. It is mainly made out of white marble and limestone and yet is beautiful in its own way. The main reason why the architects must have thought to display the beauty of their construction in a grand yet simple manner is due to the fact that it is regarded as a temple dedicated to the Greek Goddess of Wisdom, Athena. Being the goddess of wisdom she definitely would have appreciated this beauty.
Hence the Parthenon is a monument which depicts magnificence in geometry, symmetry and simplicity but at the same time is a construction which is still intact despite countless invasions and stands tall, symbolizing the might of the then Athenian empire. Parthenon is the result of refinement in the building of temples in Greece (Cole & Gealt, 7). Thus the Parthenon aptly fits Le. Corbusier’s definition and is regarded as one of the oldest yet finest works of architecture.
Part 3
There are four images of Parthenon Temple given below. Fig. 1 shows the photograph of the temple, Fig. 2 is the drawing of Parthenon temple and Fig. 3 is the layout of the temple. Fig. 4 has elaborated the mathematical interpretation of the temple.
Part 4
Bibliography (Work Cited)
Cartwright, Mark et al. "Parthenon". Ancient History Encyclopedia. Web. 10 Feb. 2016.
Cole, Bruce, Adelheid M. Gealt, and Michael Wood. Art Of The Western World. New York: Summit Books, 1989. Print.
Launcher, Career. Verbal Ability (Aptitude Enhancing Guide). Vikas Publishing House, 2009. Print.
Neils, Jenifer. The Parthenon. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 2005. Print.
Rhodes, Robin Francis. Architecture And Meaning On The Athenian Acropolis. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1995. Print.
Solomon, Nancy B. Architecture. New York: Visual Reference Publications, 2008. Print.
Work Cited for Figures and Images
The Parthenon, Frieze. Web. 10. Feb. 2016
Visit Ancient Greece. Web. 10. Feb. 2016
