Part 1: Secrets of the Parthenon

Looking up at its raising columns and its visually perfect structure the Parthenon is a building that has inspire throughout the generation. It represents human ingenuity and power and till this day it inspires architectural designs around the world. The Parthenon was built as a symbol of democracy in a time when the idea of working together in a democratic way (where everyone votes on an idea) was foreign. Yet, the Parthenon became the symbol of democracy and ironically the structure is not geometrically perfect it curves like the human body it was inspired by. Pericles suggested the building of a structure after the Persian war that would symbolize the people. Architecturally, “The Parthenon is a 20,000-ton, 70,000-piece, three-dimensional jigsaw puzzle” that has minute curves making it a complex marble structure (Glassman, 2008). This classical architectural puzzle has represented the pinacol of ancient Greek excellence, “the Parthenon reigns as the most copied building in the world, from the French Parliament to the U.S. Supreme Court, to banks, museums and countless buildings that aspire to convey wealth, culture and power” (Glassman, 2008).

Reference:

Glassman, G. [NOVA]. (2008, January 29). Secrets of the Parthenon [Video]. PBS. https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/video/secrets-of-the-parthenon/