Optical Tricks of the Parthenon

When they designed and built the Parthenon, were the great sculptor Phidias and his assistants on to a deep truth not only about architecture and geometry but about the human mind? Although built as a great symmetrical work, this magnificent temple to Athena contains very few right angles and straight lines, which is puzzling...

Although this is not unanimously accepted by scholars, there are some who believe that the Greeks might have built the Parthenon the way they did in an attempt to overcome the mind's tendency to distort visual stimuli when placed in the context of certain backgrounds. The goal might have been visual perfection, even if the reality would not conform to perfection...



Looks like the entire documentary will be airing on NOVA soon.
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