ABSTRACT
The Parthenon on the Acropolis in Athens, built in the fifth century BC, became the symbol of a golden era of antiquity during the Greek Revival era of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Representing one of the greatest architectural and artistic achievements of the ancient Eastern Mediterranean world, it came to be the preferred archetype in the West for many public and governmental buildings as well as private mansions. From elegant incorporations to brutal imitations, Parthenon-inspired designs could be found everywhere, as the image of Periclean Athens’ magnificent temple, dedicated to the city’s divine patroness Athena, became a familiar, beloved plaything of Neoclassical architects around the world. Architectural design elements inspired by the Parthenon appear especially in the Neoclassical architecture of Europe (Germany, England, Italy), the United States, and even Australia. Moreover, principles of the Doric order, including symmetry, morphological simplicity, and building proportional to a human scale, as well as the concepts of constructional perfection and structural rationalism, can be found integrated even into subsequent modern architecture of the twentieth century. Distinct allusions to the Parthenon’s style within the architectural environment of today’s modern world renders this unique ancient structure a hallmark of architectural continuity through the centuries.
