Perusing the Parthenon 走訪帕得嫩神廟

An immense, columned temple built almost entirely of marble, Athens's ancient Parthenon is the consummate example of classical Greek architecture. Its legendary balance was achieved through a number of devices employed to counteract certain peculiarities of human vision. Lines that appear straight in the Parthenon are found on measurement to be curved. Distances and widths that appear equal are in fact expertly varied. Columns taper and tilt inward, lending a certain lightness to the massive stone structure.

Built on Athens's historic acropolis in the fifth century b.c., the Parthenon was partly a tribute to the goddess Athena, patron of Athens and protector of all Greek cities, to thank her for helping Athens and its allies defeat the Persians. However, it was also a monument to the power of Athens itself; the Parthenon combines the Doric architecture of the Greek mainland with the Ionic style of outlying areas to symbolize a strong, panhellenic league with Athens at its political and cultural forefront.

The ideals of democracy and intellectual and artistic freedom had reached a zenith in ancient Athens. Intertwined with these were rivalry, power brokering, and patronage.

Construction of the Parthenon was championed by Pericles, Athens's most popular elected politician. Pericles's good friend and master sculptor, Pheidias, built the gigantic statue of Athena that stands inside. For alleged embezzlement of resources, and perhaps as a shot at Pericles's power, Pheidias was later run out of town.

座落于雅典的古帕臺農神廟，是座幾乎全是大理石結構的雄偉精妙的圓柱型巨殿。它是古典希臘式建筑完美之典范。它運用了多種設計來抵消人類特殊的視覺偏差，從而達到令人驚嘆的均衡。帕臺農神廟上看似筆直的線條，經測定證實為曲線。距離和寬度看似相等的格局，實則千變萬化，巧奪天工。圓柱逐漸變細，向內傾斜，給這巨石結構帶來幾分輕巧的感覺。

帕臺農神廟于公元前五世紀建在雅典有歷史意義的衛城之上，在一定程度上是供奉女神雅典娜的，是為了感謝這位雅典的守護神暨希臘諸城的捍衛者幫助雅典人及其同盟邦打敗波斯人的入侵。同時，它也是雅典全盛時期的紀念碑；帕臺農融合了希臘本土的多利安式建筑及周邊區域的愛奧尼亞式建筑風格，象征一個由雅典政治文化主導的強大泛希臘聯盟。

民主理想和藝術解放的理想在古雅典時代達到巔峰。然而也不乏有抗爭、強權操縱與任命特權交織其中。帕臺農神廟正是由古雅典公推最孚眾望的政治家培里克利斯一手促成的。殿內巨型雅典娜雕像則是由他的好友──雕塑名家費迪亞斯鑄建。或許是對培里克利斯政權的打擊，費迪亞斯因為被指控挪用公款倉皇逃出城外。