A fabulous 3D recreation of the Parthenon in Athens made by a Spanish archaeologist

The Parthenon, located in Athens, is undoubtedly one of the most famous temples in the world and the best known of ancient Greece.

The interior of the Statue of Liberty torch and the sabotage that canceled its visits
The beautiful Spanish castle of Paronella that was built by hand in Australia

This temple, dedicated to the goddess Athena, patron saint of Athens, measures almost 70 meters long, 30 meters wide, and almost 14 meters high. It was built with marble between 447 and 438 BC. Today, the building we know is, sadly, a shadow of its former self.

However, today, thanks to the work of archaeologists, we can get a detailed idea of ​​what this temple was originally like, which had a pool inside and was presided over by an enormous statue of Athena almost twelve meters high, built with gold and ivory, a work by the Greek sculptor Phidias.

A month ago, a Spanish archaeologist, Doctor Juan de Lara, published the results of a fabulous research project that has shed light on the Parthenon. And he has done so literally, since this work now allows us to know how sunlight fell on this temple. On the website that published this research, parthenon3d.com, it is explained how the sun illuminated the statue of the goddess:

Twice a year, around April 25th and August 30th, the sun aligned with the long axis of the Parthenon, allowing a beam of light to enter through the eastern doorway and illuminate the statue of Athena. The visual effect would have been awe-inspiring, possibly reinforcing the sacred presence of the goddess within the temple. This solar alignment may have also served a practical function as a timekeeping device, helping to mark key moments in the Athenian calendar, such as the Greater Panathenaia festival, celebrated on the 27/28 of the Attic month of Hekatombaion.

Using Blender, LuxCoreRenderer, Unreal Engine, Photoshop, QGIS3, and Stellarium, Juan de Lara has published a video showcasing his impressive work recreating this temple, a project that involved collaboration with the Institute of Archaeology at the University of London, Oxford University, LAHP, and the British School at Athens. The video is fascinating:

The website for this project explains: "Phidias had designed the statue with both brilliance and foresight. The gold that adorned Athena’s figure was not fixed permanently but fashioned into removable plaques, allowing them to be taken down if the city ever needed to reclaim its wealth. The sculptor had also perfected an ingenious technique for shaping the ivory — unrolling it, softening it, and molding it into place, before securing it to metal bands built around a wooden core."

It's wonderful to know that today, thanks to the work of a Spanish archaeologist, we can see the statue of Athena in all its splendor, just as the citizens of Athens could have seen it in ancient times. My congratulations to Dr. Juan de Lara for this research.

---

Main image: Juan de Lara.