[wildbill]

Ever wondered how the ancient Greeks built a beautifully proportioned and decorated temple that became an icon of Western civilization? This article reveals a lot of their secrets which were discovered during the ongoing restoration project. Simply amazing stuff.

[martin_fierro]

"My Life Is In Ruins" PING

[llevrok]

To me, one of the most fascinating design elements the Greeks used was entasis. (had been used by other great builders e.g Chinese)

The columns are slightly convex at the center top third. That makes the columns look visually straight when viewed from a distance (as opposed to looking like they were tipping over backwards at the top).

[longtermmemmory]

the secret? there are no straight lines by design. They are made to look straight.

[yarddog]

One thing which I think is interesting is they did not use the elaborate Corinthian Capitals on the columns nor even the simpler but graceful Ionian.

They used the basic simple Doric capitals and they look much better than it would have with the more ornate ones.

[05 Mustang GT Rocks]

Thanks for the very interesting article, wildbill! I love the Acropolis and the Parthenon. It is such e beauty. One thing that somehow did not get mentioned in the article, is that the Turks did a lot of damage to the building themselves, using it for target practice. PC, I guess.

[Jacquerie]

During a Venetian attack on Athens in 1687, a cannonball set off the Turkish munitions, . . .

Stinkin' muzzies. Has that evil excuse of a dirtbag civilization actually CREATED anything these past five hundred years?

[Rides_A_Red_Horse]

Amazingly, the ancient Athenians built the Parthenon in just eight or nine years. Repairing it is taking a bit longer.

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Union labor?