Temple record / Acropolis, Athens, Greece
Parthenon
A precisely coordinated marble temple whose Doric exterior and continuous Ionic frieze make it an essential study in order, craft and visual refinement.
- Date
- 447–432 BCE
- Order
- Doric exterior; Ionic frieze
- Principal material
- White Pentelic marble
01
A marble system
The Acropolis Museum dates construction from 447 BCE and notes that the temple, including its roof tiles, was made from white Pentelic marble. Blocks, columns and sculpture therefore belong to one carefully coordinated material system.
02
Order and variation
The exterior is predominantly Doric, while an Ionic frieze ran around the upper wall of the inner building. That combination is more useful than a simple style label: it shows that ancient designers selected and adapted conventions.
03
Reading with care
The surviving structure has been repaired, altered and conserved over centuries. Our descriptions separate observable geometry and documented restoration from speculative claims about hidden numerical codes.
Sources