You can now get a sense of the awe-inspiring Parthenon in all its former glory thanks to a multiyear endeavor merging history and 3D computer modeling. University of Oxford archeologist Juan de Lara combined primary source information, astronomical data, and CGI to digitally recreate the ancient Greek pilgrimage site as it appeared to visitors arriving at the temple in 432 BCE. The result offers a remarkable look at one of the Hellenistic period’s greatest architectural achievements, and presents a template to digitally recreate numerous other major historical locations for researchers, historians, and museum goers.

If the Parthenon’s ruins seem grand even 2,500 years after its completion, just imagine what the temple was like at the height of its influence. Construction on the 228-by-101 foot building finished in 438 BCE, although it would take another six years before artisans fully completed its decorations and artwork. While only portions of the exterior building exist today, historical records describe a remarkable pilgrimage site dedicated to Athena, the Greek goddess of wisdom, handcrafts, and warfare.

“Based on the data I have been able to gather, the visual experience of each temple—as well as the rituals performed within it—varied significantly depending on the deity being worshipped, the origin of the cult, and the temple’s geographical context,” de Lara explained in a May 6 interview with Cambridge Core. “However, from the fifth century BCE and as we move into the Hellenistic period, there is a marked increase in a conscious staging of the religious experience.”

Central to the temple was a nearly 40-foot-tall statue of the divine protector of Athens designed by the renowned sculptor Phidias. Historical records indicate the monument was of chryselephantine construction, meaning it was crafted from both gold and ivory. Previous studies of similar iconography suggest the Parthenon’s goddess statue was built using a technique that involved unrolling and softening ivory to create veneers that artisans subsequently glued together.

The surrounding temple structure was constructed primarily from marble and other stonework shaped and polished to increase their inherent luminosity. The statue was also positioned in a way so that the Parthenon’s water basins, windows, and skylights all further emphasized the deity’s grandeur.

Archeological analysis indicates attendants generally kept the Parthenon’s interior dimly lit coupled with burning copious incense to foster a feeling of awe and reverence. However, this ambience shifted every four summers during the Panathenaic Festival. During those days, the statue of Athena’s geographic location and angle caught the dawn’s sunlight in such a way as to beam directly onto her golden robes.

“Imagine entering the Parthenon—your eyes, still weary from the bright sun outside, slowly adjusting to the gradual darkness within,” de Lara told Arkeonews. “As sunlight filters through the temple’s doorway, it strikes the gold of the goddesses’ robes with a luminous vertical beam. This was the effect the architects and Phidias intended to create. It must have been magical.”

While de Lara has a dedicated website to the Parthenon 3D project, he hopes his approach will inspire others to conduct similar recreations of other famous historical landmarks. These could then be integrated into museum exhibits, as well as virtual reality headsets to approximate a first-person experience of seeing these wonders of the ancient world.

 

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