Although they may appear identical, the columns around the peripteral (surrounded on all sides by columns) temple of the Parthenon are not uniform and straight. There is even an interior section of the Parthenon where Doric columns give way to Ionic. On the outside, there are 17 columns along the lengths and eight along the width. The four corner columns are thicker by 1/14 in order to avoid looking weak from a distance.
The Greeks developed an augmentation technique known as entasis to avoid an optical illusion caused by the shaft's fluting (parallel vertical lines). In a tall structure, like the Parthenon, such lines appear concave. To compensate, the Greek architects made the columns slightly convex.
- Doric Columns of the Parthenon
- The Column
- The Doric Order
- Echinus and Abacus
- Parthenon and Column Proportions
- Optical Illusions of the Columns and Parthenon
- Corinthian Capital
- Ionic Capital
- Column Technical Terms and Quiz
