3. What PaRthenon stands
foR
A Masterpiece of Classic Age, 5th
B.C.
Not only a Temple dedicated to goddess
Athena
Mostly a Sculpture manifesting the Athenian
Imperium at its full Power and Sovereign
7. Build to house the great Gold and Ivory
statue of Athena,
patron of the City
8. aRchitectuRal featuRes
The Parthenon is a Doric peripteralDoric peripteral temple
It consists of a rectangular floor planrectangular floor plan with a series
of low steps on every side
9. The OuTer
sTrucTure
A colonnadecolonnade (8 x 17) of Doric columns extends
around the perimeter of the entire structure.
Each entrance has an additional six columnsadditional six columns in
front of it.
10. Mixing sTyles
Parthenon is the largest
Doric temple in dimensions
It is also innovative because
it mixes the two architectural
styles :
1. the Doric, the oldest
2. the Ionic, the newer
13. WhaT abOuT gOlden
raTiO ? The debaTe …
Some believe that Parthenon illustrates
the application of Golden Ratio in design
Others debate on the matter asserting that
Golden Ratio was not used in its design
The Truth always comes in between …
16. challenging facTs
abOuT parThenOn
1. Parthenon was
constructed using
few straight or
parallel lines so it
appears more
visually
pleasing, a
brilliant work of
engineering
17. 2. Even if Golden Ratio wasn’t intentionally
used in its design, Golden Ratio
proportions appear on the structure
and dimensions of Parthenon
25. How Fibonacci numbers apply
in tHe series oF rows :
below 34 rows
upper 21 rows
Total 55 rows
26. Coming to Conclusions
Maths and Art : a Harmony Conjuction
Had Greeks of the 5th
century B.C. full knowledge and
intentionally used Golden Ratio Proportions to build
temples, theaters, statues and various work of art ?
How is Harmony expressed in Art ?
How do humans evaluate Beauty ?
27. Maths & Art : a Harmony Conjuction
Ancient Greeks used many proportions on their
artistic creations, not Golden Ratio alone
Beauty in Art isn’t measured by geometry alone
Our perception of Beauty is not fully explained yet by
psychologists
The human Eye is most likely to admire Golden
Proportions on masterpieces of Art
28. Artists may have a deeper understanding in the
Laws of Geometry and Structure
They CREATE not on mathematical terms but
through Inner Drive and Inspiration
Parthenon not only a landmark but mostly a masterpiece showing off Athenian Power
LeCorbusier calls it a Sculpture not only a temple
Acropolis is a hill in the heart of city of Athens
Many public building and services were founded on it. Actually, the heart of the city was beating on it and in the surrounding
First of all I’d like to show you some basic architectural features, before we proceed to of golden ratio on Parthenon
Looking from above : 1. It consists of a rectangular floor plan with a series of low steps on every side,
2. and a colonnade (8 x 17) of Doric columns extending around the perimetry of the entire structure.
Each entrance has an additional six columns in front of it. The larger of the two interior rooms, the naos, housed the cult statue.
The smaller room (the opisthodomos) was used as a treasury.
The outside
What is : 1. The Doric order much older , 2. The Ionic, the newer
How to distinguish between two orders. The main difference is on the style of columns and capital
Not intentionally at least
A way to separate a straight line in two parts, not exactly in the middle, but in a way most pleasing to the eye
Pythagoras first noticed and theorised on this cut, which is perceived to appears most pleasing to the human eye.
In mathematics, two quantities are in the golden ratio if their ratio is the same as the ratio of their sum to the larger of the two quantities. The figure on the right illustrates the geometric relationship. Expressed algebraically, for quantities a and b with a > b > 0,
Parthenon is an optical illusion. Full of curves
This is how the face of Parthenon is divided in two Golden Rectangles consisting of six smaller ones
One of the sculptures you’ ll see tomorrow in the museum expressing golden spiral