For more than 2,000 years, it has been claimed that the Parthenon’s famous curves were designed to correct an optical illusion, making the temple appear straight.
Now, a new study debunks this enduring myth.
An Oxford mathematician has combined geometry, engineering and vision science to investigate the long–held belief.
And he found no evidence that the alleged visual illusion exists – arguing that these features are simply products of the architecture of the time, rather than sophisticated optical engineering.
The findings, published in the journal Royal Society Open Science, overturn one of architecture’s oldest and most widely repeated myths.
‘The Parthenon has been cast as
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