Date built: 447 – 438 BC (decorations continued till 432 BC)

Height: 18 m

Base Area: 69.5 x 30.9 metres

Dedicated to: Goddess Athena

Material: Marble and limestone

Located on the Acropolis of Athens, Parthenon was built in the age of Pericles between 447 and 432 BCE and was dedicated to the Goddess Athena. It was constructed to show the world the power of Athens as leaders of the coalition of Greek forces after defeating the Persian armies of Darius and Xerxes. It was also used to house the statue of Pheidias. After its construction, the temple was used for more than a thousand years. Even after the effects of time, explosions, pollution damages and looting, it still stands tall today in the city of Athens, a magnificent testimony to the glory and success the city has endured throughout its time.

The Parthenon became the largest Doric Greek temple. It integrated the two architectural styles of Doric and newer Ionic. The temple spread to a 30.88 by 69.5-meter ground coverage and was constructed using the 4:9 ratio in many ways. The space between the columns with respect to their diameter, the height of the whole building as compared to its width, and the width of the inner cella in relation to its length are all designed according to this ratio. The brilliant architects of the time realized that anything perfectly straight of this magnitude would seem curved from afar. To cater to this problem and give the illusion of perfectly straight and symmetrical lines, the columns bend slightly inwards. This also provides an impression of a lifting effect on the structure, making it seem lighter than what the building materials portray. Adding to this, the stylobate of the temple’s floor is slightly curved and rises from the centre. The columns also thicken ever so slightly at the centre, and the four corner columns are imperceptibly wider than the rest. All of these traits contribute to its incredible grand and symmetrical appearance and give the impression of it being perfectly straight.

The columns were made of Pentelic marble, whereas the foundations were made of limestone. These columns were Doric with 8 in number when seen from the front and back and 17 from the sides. This was unusual as the more traditional design was six by 13 Doric arrangement. In the interior, the cella was outlined by six columns at the front and back. A grand door leads to this space with decorations lined with bronze, ivory and gold. It consisted of two rooms, the smaller of which, was supported with four columns and was used as the city’s treasury. The larger room housed the statue and was surrounded by columns on three sides. The roof of the temple was made from cedar wood and marble tiles. Palms and figurines towards the corners decorated these. The edges of the roof also incorporated lion-head shaped water spouts for drainage.

Der Großteil der Gebäude wurde aus Holz und – wenig überraschend – Stein gebaut. Was den Stein angeht, kam vielerorts Kalkstein und Marmor zum Einsatz, wie die nachfolgenden Beispiele zeigen und beweisen, daß Marmor ein Stein ist, der durchwegs zeitlos ist und auch mehrere Zeitalter überdauern kann:

Der Parthenon ist sicher der bekannteste Tempel. Erbaut in mehreren Etappen im 5. Jahrhundert vor Christus wurde hier sowohl Kalkstein als auch pentelischer Marmor verwendet, der wiederum am Stadtrand von Athen abgebaut wurde.

Etwas später, gegen Ende des 5. Jahrhunderts vor Christus, wurde das Erechtheion errichtet. Die meisten kennen hier wohl die Karyatiden – jene Damen- oder Mädchenfiguren, die anstelle von konventionellen Säulen die Vorhalle des Tempels tragen. Auch hier finden wir Kalkstein und pentelischen Marmor.

Einige Jahre davor, aber nach dem Parthenon, wurde der Tempel der Athene vollendet – ein bewußt verhältnismäßig schlichtes Bauwerk, das dennoch mit seinem typischen Stil besticht. Welche Steine wurden verwendet – wieder keine Überraschung: Kalkstein und pentelischer Marmor.

Abschließend seien auch noch die Propyläen erwähnt, jenes kolossale Eintrittstor zur Akropolis, das leider nie vollendet wurde. Auch hier kam wieder die bereits bekannte und erwartete Kombination von Kalkstein und pentelischem Marmor zum Einsatz.