Mathematician Debunks Parthenon's“Optical Illusions”

(MENAFN- USA Art News) A Belgian mathematician has challenged long-held architectural theories about the Parthenon, the 5th-century B.C.E. Greek temple in Athens. Utilizing advanced modeling, Alain Goriely of the University of Oxford concluded that the structure's famed optical corrections are either non-existent or too subtle for human perception.

For centuries, the Parthenon has been celebrated for its architects' geometric mastery, with scholars asserting that its subtle curves and slightly convex columns were designed to counteract optical illusions and ensure the building's visual linearity. However, Goriely's research, published on September 16 in Royal Society Open Science, disputes this.

Goriely's study debunks 12 optical corrections previously proposed by scholars. A key point of contention is the Parthenon's base, which features a gentle arc that rises 2.3 inches at its center. This curve was traditionally thought to prevent the appearance of sagging. Goriely's calculations, however, indicate that a viewer would not perceive sagging in a horizontal line from that distance. He suggests the curve may have been for water drainage or simply an aesthetic preference of the ancient Greeks.

Another architectural feature, the slight bulge in the columns known as entasis, was believed to prevent them from appearing too narrow in the middle. Goriely found no evidence to support this illusion, noting that a bulge of merely 0.7 inches is virtually imperceptible. He also dismissed the theory that the swelling prevented the columns from buckling under the roof's weight, stating the columns are too thick to buckle and marble would crumble before bending. This refinement, he argues, was likely a purely aesthetic choice.

Beyond mathematical analysis, Goriely investigated the historical origins of these Parthenon myths. While ancient Greeks were aware of visual illusions, they made no mention of them in connection to the Parthenon. The misconceptions appear to stem from the writings of Roman architect Vitruvius in the 1st century B.C.E., whose theories were rediscovered during the Renaissance. The concept of optical correction became established canon after Francis Penrose's precise measurements on the Acropolis in the 1850s.

Goriely attributes this phenomenon, in part, to what he calls the“supreme knowledge fallacy,” which idealizes the ancient Greeks as engineering and mathematical geniuses whose scientific understanding rivaled our own. He highlights that at the time of the Parthenon's construction, scholars debated fundamental concepts of vision. His broad advice is to“trust your own eyes and question what you see.”

Source: Artnet News

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