Mathematician Challenges Ancient Myth That Parthenon's Curves Were Optical Illusions
A recent study published in Royal Society Open Science challenges the long-held belief, stemming from Roman architect Vitruvius, that the Parthenon's architectural enhancements were intended to produce optical illusions. Researcher Alain Goriely from the University of Oxford investigated the temple's characteristics and found no scientific backing for the notion of visual deception. The stylobate, which rises by more than two inches—a fact established in the 19th century—exhibits similar curvature in both the euthynteria and entablature. Neuroscientist Marge Livingstone posits that this curve might facilitate drainage. Goriely also determined that the supposed irradiation illusion concerning corner columns lacks evidence, attributing variations in the frieze to the shorter height of the ancient Greeks. The temple was crafted by Callicrates and Ictinus in the fifth century B.C.E.
Key facts
- Study published in Royal Society Open Science challenges the long-held belief that the Parthenon's curves were optical illusions.
- Alain Goriely, a mathematician at the University of Oxford, authored the study examining four architectural myths.
- The Parthenon's stylobate curves upward by just over two inches at its center, as measured in the 19th century.
- Columns stand nearly 35 feet tall and bulge about an inch at the middle, a technique called entasis.
- Corner columns are over an inch and a half wider than other columns.
- The myth traces back to Roman architect Vitruvius in the first century B.C.E.
- Neuroscientist Marge Livingstone suggests the stylobate curve may have been for drainage.
- A full-scale replica of the Parthenon was built in Nashville in 1897 for the Tennessee Centennial and International Exposition.
Entities
Artists
- Alain Goriely
- Marge Livingstone
- Vitruvius
- Jeffrey Hurwit
- Callicrates
- Ictinus
- Phidias
- Sharon Mollerus
- Frédéric Boissonnas
- A.Savin
- Sonja Anderson
- Chris Simms
- Frank Salmon
Institutions
- University of Oxford
- Royal Society Open Science
- Harvard Medical School
- New Scientist
- PBS
- Smithsonian magazine
- Wikimedia Commons
- University of Cambridge
Locations
- Athens
- Greece
- Nashville
- United States
- Tennessee
- Acropolis
- Parthenon
- United Kingdom