Standing high on the Acropolis, the Parthenon has long been a symbol of Ancient Greece. Yet, there’s still so much we have to learn about this ancient temple dedicated to the goddess Athena. Thanks to work by archeologist Juan de Lara of Oxford University, we’re even closer to understanding how people originally experienced the temple.
Today, light pours into the Parthenon, and its interior is largely empty. However, Dr. De Lara shows that the ancient Greeks would have experienced something much different. Originally, the temple held the 40-foot-tall gold statue of Athena created by the acclaimed sculptor Phidias. This centerpiece was strategically placed to create a mood fit for a goddess. Using 3D reconstructions and calculations based on physical simulations of light, De Lara shows that the architecture and interior placement of elements like water basins created the sensation that Athena was emerging from darkness.
“Imagine entering the Parthenon—your eyes, still weary from the bright sun outside, slowly adjusting to the gradual darkness within,” says De Lara. “As sunlight filters through the temple’s doorway, it strikes the gold of the goddesses’ robes with a luminous vertical beam. This was the effect the architects and Phidias intended to create. It must have been magical!”
In a study published in the Annual Report of the British School of Athens, De Lara details the state-of-the-art techniques he used to recreate the Parthenon’s architecture with a minuscule margin of error. This included using 3D modeling tools and taking into account everything from window placement to the light reflected off of marble surfaces. He then used data from the 5th century BCE to calculate the sun’s position at different times and seasons to understand how it would shine through the temple’s door.
This process is also explained on De Lara’s website, The Parthenon 3D. Here, anyone can enjoy the 3D renderings of the temple and rich explanations of his research, which took four years to complete. With the study’s publication, De Lara brings together several aspects he enjoys—the allure of the Parthenon, the mystery of spaces that no longer exist, and his 3D modeling and CGI skills.
The work is a fascinating look at how our perceptions of ancient civilizations often don’t align with reality. The clean, white spaces we now see were, in this case, dark, intimate spaces for worship.
See how archeologist Juan De Lara recreated the interior ambience of the Parthenon.
Source: Illuminating the Parthenon; Wolfson SF Unravels One of the Great Mysteries of Classical Architecture: The Lighting System of the Parthenon; Illuminating the Parthenon in 3D
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