Parthenon Ground Plan

Relate the Plan to Architectural Terms

  • Stereobate
  • Stylobate
  • Colonnade
  • Pteromata
  • Portico
  • Pronaos
  • Anta
  • Cella
  • Base of the Statue of Athena
  • Opisthodomos

Anta

A type of pilaster used to terminate the side walls of temples.

Base of the Statue of Athena

The location of the base of statue to Athena. The statue was made of gold and ivory and stood approximately 37 feet high.

Cella

The main sanctuary or ceremonial space of a Greek temple, the cell (also called the naos, or cella) is the part of a temple enclosed within the walls.

Colonnade

A row of columns supporting an entablature. The space between columns is called the intercolumniation. When a colonnade surrounds a building, it is called a peristyle.

Opisthodomos

The rear portico, an open porch at the rear of the cell of a temple, entered from the colonnade, which often served as a rear entrance, treasury, or other function.

Portico

A structure forming a porch in front of a building, and consisting of a roofed space open or partially enclosed at the sides, with columns, forming the entrance. A portico often has a pediment.

Pronaos (plural pronaoi)

The open vestibule in front of the cell (naos) of the temple; the front portico.

Pteromata

Ambulatory or passageway between the cell of a Greek temple and the columns of the peristyle.

Stereobate

The continuous stone base located below the stylobate.

Stylobate

The topmost pavement step of a structure of three steps on which a colonnade is placed. The stylobate rests on the stereobate.

Peripteral Temple

A rectangular building dedicated to pagan deities with a series of low steps on every side and a continuous row of columns around it.