Did aliens or Atlanteans build the Parthenon?

Well no, but the articles points out just how good the Greek craftsmen were and what they were able to do, many things they did moderns are finding hard to replicate.

The story

How did the Athenians construct their mighty temple, an icon of Western civilization, in less than a decade—apparently without an overall building plan? How did they manage to incorporate subtle visual elements into the Parthenon's layout and achieve such faultless proportions and balance? And how were the Parthenon's builders able to work at a level of precision (in some cases accurate to within a fraction of a millimeter) without the benefit of modern tools? "We're not as good as they were," Lena Lambrinou, an architect on the restoration project, observes with a sigh.

[edit on 26/6/08 by Hanslune]

Elvis was sent back in time with the Aliens to build the parthanon under direction of the lizard people.

How ridiculous.

I think the point that is never caught in many articles like this is that "it's impossible to replicate without modern tools because we lost knowledge of the old techniques when better technology replaced old tools. It often gets misinterpreted to "we could never create such a thing even with modern tools, which isn't correct.

We could, in fact, do far better.

But we no longer have vast labor pools pounding granite blocks out of quarries with flint (harder than granite, by the way) and wood mallets, so although we have the tools (and even pictures or written reports), we don't know how the best craftsmen would have done these things.

reply to post by Hanslune


When i read the title - i could not breath for a second. First thought - Et tu, Hanslunus? Since in the confusion and unexpected low oxygen supply my brain read Parthenon as Pantheon.
Glad it was a false alarm though.
As for "How" ,"They", "Low tech", "Could" and similar stuff - saw a nice post here about someone building Stonehenge with almost zero technology, except cement of course.

www.abovetopsecret.com...
Ancestors were humans - which means they were smart and creative. Just like us but with less TV-brain-damage.

II've actually been amazed that people focus on the pyramids so much. The Egyptians did build some very impressive stuff aside from the pyramids, the pyramids mainly had size to go along with them.
Seeing how complicated and detailed so much of Rome and Greece was and is, you'd think we'd have some Aliens built ect. threads.

Howdy all

Yep, to much time is spent focused on the pyramids especially the Giza ones. Much more was built by men that is far more complicated and interesting than a bunch of tombs (big ones one must admit!)

Elvis was sent back in time with the Aliens to build the parthanon under direction of the lizard people.

Yes that does sound like something you'd believe, LOL nothing like demonstrating your research ability eh?

because we lost knowledge of the old techniques when better technology replaced old tools

Exactly right Byrd, I read once that it takes three generations to create a true craftman and eight to create a tradition. Modern men cannot duplicate a number of the more complex flint tools/items the ancients made.

Ah the Pantheon, my favorite building. I use to eat dinner in a restuarant on that square and just enjoy that building.

Exactly right Byrd, I read once that it takes three generations to create a true craftman and eight to create a tradition. Modern men cannot duplicate a number of the more complex flint tools/items the ancients made.





I would have to repsectfully disagree, I taught myself how to chip stone tools when I was just 10 years old.
By the time I was 14-15 I could fashion basic spear and arrow points along with many other shapes.
I watched a guy fashion some of the most beautiful obsidian points, the equal to all but the most complex blades. And he was self taught.
There a few tool makers who have had enough practice to fashion items as complex as those found at the pinnicle of stone tool making, Aztec ceremonial blades.

I visited the Parthenon earlier this month, and nobody made any mention of aliens or people from Atlantis. It's a big, old, impressive building, and those Greeks had to work a long, hard time to build it. And rebuild it. It's almost entirely covered in scaffolding these days.

Otherwise, it's way too far away from Atlantis for them to have chosen that as a site for a big building. And if aliens built it, why didn't they use steel or some other more advanced material than the local rock?

reply to post by punkinworks


Howdy Punkinworks

Yes I learned stone tool making myself, mainly obsidian. So they mastered up to the complex level of multiple angled Aztec ceremonials?

If you have a link I'd like to read and see that.

reply to post by RuneSpider


I believe the main reason Egyptian monuments are given so much more attention in certain circles is the element of mystery; Practically no documents on architecture and construction have survived from old Egypt, whereas there are several known Greek and Roman texts on the subjects, the best example being DE ARCHITECTURA, an account on architecture, construction and engineering, written by an actual Roman architect Vitruvius Pollio. Classical buildings are too well documented too be truly mysterious like their far older Egyptian counterparts.

reply to post by Anonymous ATS


Another reason is herd psychology. Certain areas in human history have attracted more "eccentric" individuals, their work then attracts more same minded people. This develops more and more. You rarely see conspiracy and aliens evoked for Jomon and other much earlier human achievements.

How do we know that the Parthenon was built in 450 BCE?
Maybe the reason the workmanship is so grand is that it was built much later. Like in the miidle ages when good tools were available.
It is in such ruin because it was used as a fortress during the wars with the Ottomans. It was blown up.

reply to post by OhZone

'Cause it's fairly well documented.
en.wikipedia.org...

Interesting read there.