The Virtue of Athena
Virtue (center) crowns Athena (left) and Apollo (right)
Triumphal Arch, Lisbon, Portugal, EU
The Human Being
The extent to which the Greeks believed the human being to be the module, or basic unit of measure, is evident in the way they presented the human being in their sculpture. The figure is strong and straight, with many vertical lines to emphasize his strength, much like a column, the predominant element in Greek temple architecture.
This association between the human being and the architectural column indicates that the Greeks identified the human being with the characteristics of the column: strong, orderly, proud, erect, beautiful. The column symbolized the human being, while the human being symbolized life, the intellect and the human spirit.
Thus, we think of the Greeks dedicating their many-columned temples not only to the Gods, but also to the idea of the human being. The human being was indeed the measure of all things, even of his Gods. And just as each column contributed to the support of the whole structure so each human contributed his support to the whole community.
Excellence
To the ancient Greeks excellence is a goal to be pursued in all aspects of life. The attainment of perfection, of the complete realization of one's potential, is called arete (virtue).
The buildings of the Athenian Acropolis are good examples of the achievement of arete (virtue) in architecture. The plan of the basic Temple form actually changed little over the 800 year period of Greek civilization. The ancient Greeks were a traditional people who avoided change for its own sake. They simply refined the basic Temple form. They looked for the best proportions of the various elements which together make up the Temple. Among the 300-odd Temples left to us by 800 years of Greek civilization many were smaller than the Parthenon and many were larger. But we have come to believe that the Parthenon best represents the Greek ideal of arete (virtue).
To attain excellence, the philosopher Aristotle said that the correct proportions of a building were those which respected the scale of the human being, and reached a mean between extremes. For example, the columns of some Temples seem massive and crude compared with those of the Parthenon while others seem tall and elegantly detailed. The Parthenon columns reflect the so-called Aristotelian mean between such extremes. Hence, this Temple represents the culmination of Greek architecture: the perfection of balance, harmony, and proportion.
Because it was dedicated to the patron Goddess of Athens, the Parthenon is a religious monument. Its architects had no practical requirements to consider, so they were free to make it symbolic of the Greek ideal. And since Athena is the Goddess of Wisdom, she would best be served by a Temple that incorporated logic and reason.
What could be more logical than geometry? Hence, the Parthenon was based on the famous geometrical formula known as the Golden Section. It is derived by dividing any straight line AB into two equal parts. At point B, a perpendicular BD, equal to CB and AC, is erected. Then the hypotenuse is drawn, and DE is marked off, equal to BD, CB, and AC. This leaves segment AE. On the original line, segment AF which equals AE is marked off. The point F now divides the original line into two unequal parts: FB and AF. The relation of FB to AF is the Golden Section.
The height and width of the Parthenon are in the same relation as FB to AF. This vitalized the architecture with a vivid rationality. It gives the Parthenon a look of majestic self-sufficiency.
Virtue
The Goddess Virtue was called Virtus (Courage) by the Romans. Sometimes she used to appear on the field of battle escorting Mars to instill courage in the Romans.
Greek theories of virtue are based on the term arete, which means "goodness," "excellence," and "virtue." The goodness or virtue of a thing is that by which it performs its function well. Thus, the function of a knife is to cut; a good, or "virtuous," knife cuts well.
Plato argues in The Republic that when reason rules the soul, as is its function, the soul is virtuous; as such, it possesses wisdom, bravery, temperance, and justice.
For Aristotle, the ethically virtuous soul habitually chooses its path of action according to a rational mean between two vices. Thus, when faced with a fearful situation, it chooses the mean, which is courage, rather than wallow in an excess of fear, which is a vice called cowardice, or proceed heedlessly and fearlessly, which is rashness.
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