Parthenon
Describe the cult statue that located in the main cellae. Describe the materials used for the sculpture, the conditions around it and what was the most unsual thing about it.
10 meter Chryselphatine cult statue made of Ivory and gold - sculptured by the renowned sculptor Pheidias. Gold was used for her clothing and ivory for her body. It was surrounded by a reflected light on the statue. The water was also needed to rensure that the ivory, used for the flesh parts of the statue, remained moist and therefore stable. The light and decoration is the most unusual in the cella as most temples had a focus on the exterior and the interiors were stark and dimly lit.
How long did it take for the Parthenon to be built?
10 years.
What was the floor plan?
30.88m wide and 69.5m
When was the Parthenon finished?
438 BC
When did the construction of the Parthenon begin?
447 BC
Describe the frieze of the Parthenon.
A Doric frieze, consisting of alternating metopes and triglyphs, was situated around all four sides of the exterior of the temple. Unusally there was a continuous Ionic frieze placed around the exterior of the cella walls.
What did the Parthenon accommodate?
A large cult statue of Athene Parthenos.
What was so usual about the cella?
Unusually the naos or cella was divided into two by a solid wall thus making 2 unconnected cellae. It was normal for a temple to only have one cella.
What marble was used to carve the Parthenon?
Pentelic marble, including even the roof tiles.
What is the style of the porches? And what did it do?
Pro-style, it gave the illusion of a double colonnade around the entire floor plan. This made the building look even more impressive.
Describe the Metopes of the Parthenon
Sculptures of mythological battles carved in high relief adorned each of the 92 metopes on the Doric frieze. They were almost in the round and burst out of the frame, overhanging limbs being a common feature.
Explain how the builders used the "Golden ratio" to construct the Parthenon.
The Golden Ratio is a special number that is approximately 1.618. There are parts of the Parthenon that have been built to this ratio, eg the height from the bottom stereobate to the tip of the pediment and the width of the facade is in the ratio of 1 : 1.618.
What did the Athenians want to symbolize by creating the temple?
The pride of the people in their city.
What did the west pediment depict?
The competition between Athene and Poseidon as to who would be patron god/goddess of Athens.
Describe and explain the 9:4 ratio.
The length of the temple is a little more than twice the width, the width a little more than twice the hight up to the pediment - both in 9:4 ratio. The distance from centre of one column to centre of the next column is a little more than twice the diameter of a single column
What was stored in the two cellaes?
The main cult statue of Athene Parthenos was housed in the larger east facing cella. The smaller cella was thought to store treasure from the Delian league.
Describe and explain an innovative feature and what was so significant about it.
Continuous Ionic frieze located around the cellae - this was usually a feature of an Ionic temple. The frieze is a meter high and nearly 160 meters long carved in low relief. Significantly the continuous developing theme on all four sides. It depicts various Athenian groups, other deities and the sacrificial animals associated with the Panathenaia - a festival held every 4 years to honour Athene. This is a new concept to have a human procession on a Greek temple. Mortals are placed alongside the gods.
Who were the architects of the Parthenon?
Iktinos and Kallikrates.
Why was it important that the Parthenon was beautiful?
It was a physical embodiment of the Athenian values, their myths, their beliefs and their ideologies.
Describe the plan/style of the Parthenon and state what was unusual about it.
It was an Octastyle, peripteral Doric temple, 8 x 17 columns. Usual styles was hexastyle, 6 x 13.
Who was the Parthenon built for? And why?
It was built as a tribute to Athena Parthenos as to thank her for the Athenian victory over the Persians in the 490 BC and 480 BC wars.
How were the Doric columns of the Parthenon different than usual Doric columns?
It was more slender.
What was so special about the temple's size?
It was the largest temple built on the Greek mainland. Nevertheless the first all marble temple.
What made the temple aesthetically pleasing?
Lavish sculptural decoration, the use of mathematical proportions and optical illusions to reflect Athenian ideals of symmetry and harmony.
Who destroyed the Older Parthenon, a hexastyle temple?
The Persians
What did the east pediment depict?
The birth of Athene from Zeus' head.
