The (mathematical) mysteries of the Athenian Parthenon

Ancient Origins recently posted a lovely piece on the Parthenon of Athens, entitled 'The Parthenon of Athens: An Epic Monument, Or a Mystery in Measurements?'. The point of the article: contemporary scientists have admitted—despite the Parthenon being the most imitated building in history—that even with modern technology and contemporary architectural techniques, it's virtually impossible to rebuild the exact same building in all its detail because the ancient Hellenes were entitely ahead of their time on the math.

The article give us a good many questions and myseries to ponder over that I would like to leave you with today. These are all examples of the brilliance of the ancient Hellenes an a tue testament of their surviving legacy.

-  The Parthenon would need decades to be restored in modern times, but the Athenian citizens mysteriously built it inside of a decade, between 447 and 438 BC.
- An Attic foot is equivalent to 0.30803 meters, or 1/2F (φ), where F (φ) = 1.61803, also known as the Golden Ratio. In aesthetic science the Golden Ratio is considered the most accurate standard for the expression of perfection. At the time the Parthenon was built, ancient writets assure us he Golden Ratio had not yet been discovered.
- Also present in the construction of the Parthenon: the Fibonacci Sequence, which in mathematics describes the phenomenon of a number being equal to the sum of the previous two: 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55, 89, 144, etc. Strangely, the Fibonacci Sequance was first officially recorded in 1202, almost 1,700 years after the Parthenon was constructed.
- Additionally, inside the temple can also be found the number for Pi (π), 3.1416, which appears in the mathematical relation 2F2/10, but more impressively, we find the number e = 2.72, which is the most important mathematical constant and is the base of the natural logarithm.
- We can assume the Parthenon was lighted somehow, but there were no windows and no traces of soot have been found, which excludes the use of torches or even oil lamps.
- During a sunny day, the drop shadows created around the temple always appear to point to other specific destination points in Greece although no one knows how or why.

Despite all the scientific, paranormal and mythical mysteries surrounding its legend, the Parthenon remains the cradle of Western civilization—and undoubtedly one of the most significant monuments of humankind as a whole—that continues to attract millions of curious visitors every year. The only sure thing is that we can only learn and benefit from the iconic monument, its unlocked codes and artistic features, which hopefully will be answered in the near future. Please read the full article for further details on all these points.