Athensl 
647 
half in diameter at tlie bottom; the inter- 
columniation was seven feet four inches; 
and the wliole structure was two hun¬ 
dred and eighteen feet in length, and 
ninety-eight and a half in breadth. 
The frieze of the vestibule w^as decorated 
with triglyphs of the Doric order : me¬ 
topes, or small tablets of marble, inter¬ 
vened between the triglyphs. On these 
metopes, Phidias or his pupils had sculp¬ 
tured the battle between the Centaurs 
and the Lapithte. The top of the wall 
of the temple, or the frieze of the Celia, 
was decorated with another basso re¬ 
lievo, probably representing the festival 
ol the Panathentea. Pieces of excellent 
sculpture, but of the time of Adrian, the 
period of the renovation of the art, 
adorned the two pediments of the tem¬ 
ple. Votive offerings, and likewise the 
shields taken from the enemy in the Per¬ 
sian war, were suspended on the outside 
of the edifice. Tlie circular marks left 
by the latter are still to be seen in the 
architrave of the pediment facing Mount 
liymettus. This circumstance leads M. 
Fauvel to presume that the entrance was 
on that side, contrary to \he general 
opinion which places it at the opposite 
end. Between these shields were placed 
inscriptions, probably in letters of brass, 
if we may judge from the marks of the 
nails by which they w'ere affixed. M. 
Fauvel conceived that these nails might 
perhaps have served to fasten up gar¬ 
lands, but he coincided in my opinion, 
w hen I pointed out to him the regular 
disposition of the holes. Similar marks 
have sufficed for restoring and reading 
the inscription of the square edifice at 
Nimes; and I am convinced that, if the 
lur|ks would give permission, the inscrip¬ 
tions of the Parthenon might in like man¬ 
ner be decyphered. 
Such was tlie temple, justly considered 
ns the master-piece of architecture, 
both ancient and modern. The liarmony 
nnd the strength of all its parts are still 
conspicuous in its ruins; for we should 
form a verv erroneous idea of it, were we 
to represent it to ourselves as merely a 
handsome but small stiucture, loaded 
with chasing and festoons, in our manner. 
There is always sometiiiog puny iii our 
architecture when we aim at elegance, 
or heavy when we aspire to majesty. 
See how every thing is contrived at the 
Parthenon ! The order is the Doric, and 
the comparative shortness of the column, 
in that order, immediately conveys the 
idea of duiation and solidity; but this 
which moreover is without base, 
would have been too heavy; Ictinus has 
recourse to his art, he makes the column 
fluted, and raises it upon steps, by which 
means he comhines almost the lightness 
of the Corinthian with the gravity of the 
Doric. The only decorations are two 
pediments and two sciil[)rural friezes- 
The frieze of the vestibule is composed 
of small marble tablets, regularly divided 
by a triglyph: in fact, each of these ta¬ 
blets is a master-piece, d'he fneze of 
the Celia runs like a fillet along the top 
of a solid and level wail. This is all, 
absolutely all. 
Next to their general harmony, their 
accordance with places and sites, their 
adaptation to the purposes for which 
they were designed, what must be ad¬ 
mired in the edifices of Greece, is the 
high finish of all the parts. In them, 
the object which is not intended to be 
seen, is wrought with as much care as 
the exterior compositions. The junctures 
of the blocks vvliich form the columns of 
the temple of Minerva are so perfect as 
to require the greatest attention to dis¬ 
cover them, and to leave a mark no 
thicker than the finest thread. 
The roses, the plinths, the mouldingSj 
the astragals, all the details of the edi¬ 
fice, exhibit the same perfection. The 
lines of the capital, and the fluting of 
the columns of the Parthenon, are so 
sharp, that you would be teuijited to 
suppose that the entire column had 
passed through a lathe. No turner’s 
work in ivory can be more delicate tiian 
»/ 
the Ionic ornaments of the temple of 
Erectheus: and the cariatides of the 
Pandroseum are perfect models. If, 
after vieVving the edifices of Rome, those 
of France appeared coarse to me, the 
structures of Rome now seem barbarous 
in tlieir turn, since 1 have seen the mo¬ 
numents of Greece: not even excepting 
the Panthenon, with'its disproportionate 
pediment. The comparison may be . 
easily made at Athens, where the Gre¬ 
cian architecture is often placed quite 
close to the architecture of Rome. 
I had fallen into a common error re¬ 
specting the monuiriencs of the Greeks: I 
had an idea that they were perfect as a 
whole, but deficient in grandeur. 1 
have shewn that the genius of the archi¬ 
tects has given in proportional grandeur 
to these monuments, what they may 
want in size; and Athens moreover is 
full of prodigious works. The Atheni¬ 
ans, a people neither rich nor numerous, 
raised gigantic piles: the stones of the 
Pnyx are absolute masses of rock; ti e 
Propylffi?. 
