The Parthenon and Phi, the Golden Ratio
January 20, 2013 by Gary Meisner 9 Comments
The Parthenon in Athens, built by the ancient Greeks from 447 to 438 BC, is regarded by many to illustrate the application of the Golden Ratio in design. Others, however, debate this and say that the Golden Ratio was not used in its design. This article will attempt to answer that question using measurements taken from high resolution photos.
It was not until about 300 BC that the Greek’s knowledge of the Golden Ratio was first documented in the written historical record by Euclid in “Elements.” It states, “a straight line is said to have been cut in extreme and mean ratio when, as the whole line is to the greater segment, so is the greater to the less.”
There are several challenges in determining whether the Golden Ratio was used is in the design and construction of the Parthenon:
• The Parthenon was constructed using few straight or parallel lines to make it appear more visually pleasing, a brilliant feat of engineering.
• It is now in ruins, making its original features and height dimension subject to some conjecture.
• Even if the Golden Ratio wasn’t used intentionally in its design, Golden Ratio proportions may still be present as the appearance of the Golden Ratio in nature and the human body influences what humans perceive as aesthetically pleasing.
• Photos of the Parthenon used for the analysis often introduce an element of distortion due to the angle from which they are taken or the optics of the camera used.
To provide better insight into the answer to this question, the photos below selected for photographic analysis are of very high resolution and were taken from an angle that is almost exactly perpendicular to the face of the Parthenon. The grids overlayed on each of the photos are from PhiMatrix golden ratio software, so each line of the grid is in perfect golden ratio proportion to other grid lines.
As background, there are many geometric constructions of the Golden Ratio, but two of the most familiar are based on a golden rectangle whose ratio of the longer side to the shorter side is 1.618. Golden rectangles can be divided to create a square and another golden rectangle:
The photo below shows a Golden Rectangles with a Golden Spiral overlay to the entire face of the Parthenon. This illustrates that the height and width of the Parthenon conform closely to Golden Ratio proportions. This construction requires a assumption though, that the bottom of the golden rectangle should align with the