In the design of the Parthenon there are no straight lines, but gentle curves..

Iktinos and Kallikratis built the temple with amazing detail. In the architectural design of the Parthenon, there is no straight line. On the contrary, there are imperceptible and even invisible curves that give the impression that, for example, the column is straight and completely flat.

This was done because Iktinos anticipated and took into account the natural imperfection of the human eye. Thus, for the viewer looking at the Parthenon from a certain angle, he created the illusion that the temple was rising into the air. It is known that the columns have a bulge about halfway up. It is less well known that the axes of the columns, as well as the entablature with the cornice, have a slight inward slope, ranging from 0.9 to 8.6 cm.

This inclination means that when we mentally extend the axes upwards, they meet at a certain height and form a mental pyramid. The point above the platform where the mental lateral extensions of the Parthenon colonnades meet is about 1,852 meters. This, measured, was found to create a volume that is about half of the Great Pyramid of Cheops in Giza, Egypt.

The visual effect is often harmonious and unexpected, as the Parthenon manages to appear dramatically larger than its actual size.