Krisztina Takacs Floreano

The Secret Proportions of the Parthenon Krisztina Takacs Floreano

Publisher Marketing: Throughout its history, the Parthenon always attracted a great interest both in antiquity and in modern times, thanks to its unparalleled harmony and majesty. It is known from written documents that in Roman times Vitruvius- through a series of geometric operations- described his own hypothesis about the origin of the measurements and proportions of the temple. Palladio, who continued with Vitruvian principles, used the same doctrine in the Renaissance. The study of Vitruvius and Palladio reigned unquestioned until a few decades ago. However, in the 19th century the publication of a series of high-precision measures upset the millenary theories. Studies revealed important discrepancies between the "unit" and the other part of the temples and brought to light other important incongruities. Researchers and scientists started to search for explanations regarding the reason for these astonishing discrepancies. Numerous theories came to light, but none of them succeeded in giving a complete and convincing theory about the origins of the measures and proportions of the Parthenon. Present studies propose a revolutionary method to discover the secrets of the Temples' proportions and give the answer to all anomalies of the Parthenon.