Although the Parthenon is regarded as the culmination of the Doric order, it has several Ionic elements, including the interior frieze (a sculptural band). It also embodies an extraordinary number of architectural refinements, which some experts believe were intended to correct for distortions in human vision. Among them are an upward curvature of the base, called the stylobate, along the ends and repeated in the entablature; an imperceptible delicate convexity (entasis) of the columns as they diminish in diameter toward the top; and thickening of the four corner columns to counteract the thinning effect of being seen at certain angles against the sky. Hence, the Parthenon’s look of perfection is an illusion.
Discover