Forty-six Doric columns with each twenty flutes form the gallery in which the
actual temple is situated. These columns are 10.5m high and have a diameter
at the base of a little less than two metres. Each column has a simple
capital and no basement, but look how the marble blocks perfectly fit
together and form a beautiful harmony. The masonry throughout the temple
is so refined that no mortar is required at all.
The workmanship in the carving of these Doric columns, like everything else,
is at a very high level. There are twenty flutes, each brought to a precisely
pointed line. This emphasizes the height and thrust of the columns. The
columns are slightly curved towards the center of the temple so that they
are better able to withstand an earthquake, but also to correct the distortion
which makes a column look wider at the top. The columns on the corners were
slightly bigger as otherwise they would look too small compared to the rest.
The Parthenon is built in the Doric order, the oldest and most simple of the
Greek architectural styles. This order has no ornaments as the beauty comes
from the perfect balance in measurements. One of the characteristics of the
Doric order is that the columns do not have a basement, they sit directly
on the stylobate.
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