The Parthenon

“In its incomparable proportions and reserved poise it remains one of the imperishable achievements of the human mind” (Fleming 32). In Arts & Trades William Fleming commends the Greeks on their genius masterpiece, the Parthenon. The Parthenon served as the glorious temple of Athena, the patroness of Athens, as well as the treasury of the Delian League. Fleming discusses the main ideas of the Greek’s belief system and shows how they are exemplified in the Parthenon’s structure, sculpture, and style. The three key elements of the Greek world view, humanism, rationalism, and idealism, are embodied in the Parthenon as it represents the epitome of Hellenic style.
The Greeks saw man as “the measure of all things,” and ranked themselves very close to their gods. On the cella walls of the Parthenon the Panathenaic procession shows the Greeks placing themselves amongst the gods. This confirms the Greeks belief that man’s self-worth is equal to that of the gods. The Greeks...