Ictinus and Callicrates

Ictinus and Callicrates were the ancient Greek architects who designed the Parthenon in Athens in the 5th century BC. Their temple to Athena, with its subtle optical refinements, remains the supreme achievement of classical architecture.

  • Parthenon

    ByDominik Szobak

    In 1687 the Parthenon was still largely intact, after twenty-one centuries. Then a Venetian mortar shell hit the Ottoman gunpowder store inside it. The explosion blew out the roof, collapsed the cella and destroyed a large part of both colonnades, killing around three hundred people. Everything we call the ruins of the Parthenon dates from…