ype of column, but also have a certain structure at the upper levels. The Parthenon had a severe Doric faade and a low pediment reminiscent of the Athenian Parthenon. On the exterior, the Doric columns measured 1.9 m (6 ft 2 in) in diameter and are 10.4 m (34 ft 3 in) high, approximately 5 times the diameter. The corner columns are slightly larger in diameter, with their spacing reduced to make it possible for the frieze to conform to the rule that it must terminate with a triglyphs. The Doric order is characterized by the series of triglyphs and metopes on the on the entablature. Each metope was occupied by a panel of relief sculpture. The Parthenon combines elements of the Doric and Ionic orders. The metopes of the Parthenon all represented various instances of the struggle between forces of order and justice, on the one hand, and criminal chaos on the other.Relief sculptures, larger than those of the metopes, occupied the triangular space above the triglyphs and metopes. Those at the west end of the temple depicted the contest between Poseidon and Athena for the right to be the patron deity of Athens. The eastern pediment group showed the birth of Athena from Zeus’ head. The pediment sculpture suffered badly when a Venetian shell hit the Parthenon in 1687 and the powder magazine inside exploded. One particularly important but problematic section of the frieze is the group of seated figures above the pronaos at the east end of the Parthenon, now unanimously identifies as twelve Olympian deities with two attendants. These, the only seated figures on the frieze, are configured into two groups of six and represent the earliest extent depiction of what later became the canonical Twelve Gods of Greek and Roman art. The Parthenon frieze runs around the upper edge of the temple wall. Its relatively small size (3 feet 5 inches tall) and placement (inside from the triglyphs and metopes) made it fairly hard to see from the...
