Approximation of the Curvature of the Parthenon Stylobate Using Least Squares Techniques

Abstract

The subtle curves of the masterpiece of ancient Greece, the Athenian Parthenon, have been the object of many investigations of scientists of various disciplines. A lot of discussion has centered on the shape of the monument’s curved stylobate surface and the kind of mathematical curve that best describes it. This paper presents a new approximation of the stylobate’s curves using the Parthenon’s transverse and longitudinal inclinations estimated from the measured uneven heights of the lowermost drums of its peristasis columns. This study uses least squares techniques and their appropriateness checked through their correlation coefficients to estimate two kinds of conic sections: a circle and a parabolic curve. Finally, the minimum detectable constructional inaccuracy is estimated.