14 June 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

Research Uncovers the Parthenon’s Spectacular Lighting Effects for Athena in Antiquity

A four-year multidisciplinary study led by Oxford University Archaeologist Professor Juan de Lara has shed new light on a millennia-old mystery: how the iconic Parthenon temple on the Acropolis was illuminated in ancient Greece. By ingeniously combining archaeological evidence with cutting-edge 3D technology and optical physics, Professor de Lara has meticulously recreated the temple’s lighting system, revealing how it was designed to create a sense of awe and reverence.

The research, supported by UCL and The London Arts and Humanities Partnership (LAHP), and published today in the prestigious journal The Annual of the British School at Athens, demonstrates that the Parthenon’s architects and the renowned sculptor Phidias strategically incorporated various elements to manipulate both natural and artificial light. These features included carefully positioned roof openings, interior water basins, strategically placed windows, and the reflective properties of the finely polished marble.  

Professor de Lara’s detailed 3D model even incorporated the colossal ivory and gold statue of Athena, created in 438 BCE, assigning precise material properties to its surfaces to analyze light reflection. By calculating the sun’s position during different times of the day and year in the 5th century BCE as light entered the east-facing doorway, the study revealed fascinating insights.

Enriched frontal view of the interior of the Parthenon. Credit: Juan de Lara
Enriched frontal view of the interior of the Parthenon. Credit: Juan de Lara

The findings suggest that the interior of the Parthenon was generally kept dim, fostering an atmosphere of reverence. However, during the weeks surrounding the Panathenaic Festival, a significant procession honoring the goddess Athena held every four summers, a remarkable phenomenon would have occurred. For several mornings, the rising sun would have aligned perfectly with the temple’s entrance, casting a brilliant beam of light directly onto the golden robes of Athena’s statue, creating a breathtaking, shimmering spectacle.

“Imagine entering the Parthenon—your eyes, still weary from the bright sun outside, slowly adjusting to the gradual darkness within,” describes Professor de Lara. “As sunlight filters through the temple’s doorway, it strikes the gold of the goddesses’ robes with a luminous vertical beam. This was the effect the architects and Phidias intended to create. It must have been magical!”  

Professor de Lara emphasizes the importance of technology in archaeological research, stating, “To unlock the full potential of archaeological discoveries, we must keep embracing technology and digital tools as essential partners in exploration and research.”  

The Parthenon, constructed between 447 and 432 BCE, is widely regarded as a pinnacle of classical architecture. While previous scholars, such as the French architect Antoine-Chrysostome Quatremère de Quincy and later James Fergusson, had pondered the temple’s lighting, Professor de Lara’s work provides concrete evidence of the sophisticated design and the crucial role light played in the visual and spiritual experience within.  

To further enhance public understanding and engagement, Professor de Lara is currently transforming his research into an immersive virtual reality (VR) experience. This will be offered free to museums and educational centers, allowing visitors to virtually step inside the ancient Parthenon and witness the awe-inspiring effect of light on the colossal statue of Athena firsthand.

This remarkable research, bringing together archaeology and cutting-edge technology, makes the wonders of the ancient world accessible to everyone. For a truly immersive understanding of how light shaped the visual and spiritual experience within the Parthenon, explore the full 3D reconstruction available at https://parthenon3d.com/.

University of Cambridge

de Lara, J. (2025). ILLUMINATING THE PARTHENON. The Annual of the British School at Athens, 1–46. doi:10.1017/S0068245424000145

Cover Image Credit: Juan de Lara

Related Articles

Central Turkey’s largest Byzantine mosaic structure found

28 October 2021

28 October 2021

A 300-square-meter (3,330 square feet) ​floor mosaic belonging to the Late Roman-Early Byzantine period was discovered during excavation work in...

‘Mysterious’ inscription on ancient Dacia sphinx is deciphered

3 January 2024

3 January 2024

The mystery of the inscription on the bronze sphinx statue discovered in the early 19th century was solved 200 years...

Roman road network spanning the South West of England identified in new research

7 August 2023

7 August 2023

A Roman road network spanning across Devon and Cornwall has been discovered by the University of Exeter archaeologists. A Roman...

Britain’s Longest Ancient Monument ‘Offa’s Dyke’ to be Restored

21 June 2021

21 June 2021

Offa’s Dyke is a long, linear earthwork that roughly parallels the English-Welsh boundary. Offa is also known as the longest...

2800-year-old settlement discovered in Vadnagar, India

17 January 2024

17 January 2024

An excavation in Gujarat’s Vadnagar, about 900 km southwest of New Delhi, India, has found the remains of a settlement...

Archaeologists have unearthed a flawless Roman blue glass bowl in the Dutch city of Nijmegen

23 January 2022

23 January 2022

Archaeologists excavating the site of a comprehensive housing and green space development in Nijmegen’s Winkelsteeg, one of the oldest cities...

The first Dutch Neanderthal’s ‘Krijn’ face was reconstructed

7 September 2021

7 September 2021

World-renowned “paleo-artists” Kennis brothers have reconstructed the face of the first Neanderthal in the Netherlands. After more than 50,000 years,...

In Turkey’s Gedikkaya Cave, a stone figurine was discovered inside a 16,500-year-old votive pit

17 December 2022

17 December 2022

A stone figurine was discovered in a 16500-year-old votive pit belonging to the Epi-paleolithic period, the transition phase from the...

Archaeologists Discover a New Pyramid from the Caral Culture, Known as South America’s Oldest Civilization

4 February 2025

4 February 2025

The team from the Caral Archaeological Zone has discovered a new pyramidal structure in the “Sector F” of the Chupacigarro...

An Ancient Building and Gold Artifacts Found in the Ancient Greek City of Rypes in Achaea

10 December 2024

10 December 2024

Recent excavations on the Trapezá plateau, eight kilometers southwest of the city of Aigio in the Peloponnese, have uncovered an...

Well-preserved Ming Dynasty tomb unearthed in China’s Shanxi Province

17 March 2024

17 March 2024

Archaeologists from the Shanxi Institute of Cultural Relics and Archeology have unearthed a well-preserved tomb from the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644)...

Paleontologists discovered Super-sized fossil skink

14 June 2023

14 June 2023

According to newly discovered fossils, a giant skink with spiky armor and powerful jaws roamed New South Wales until about...

7,000-year-old Ritual Complex Found In Jordan Desert

23 February 2022

23 February 2022

The team of French and Jordanian archaeologists has discovered a 7,000-year-old ritualistic complex near what is thought to be the...

The world’s largest Byzantine winepresses have been discovered in Israel

11 October 2021

11 October 2021

Archaeologists say they’ve discovered the world’s largest known Byzantine-era winery in the city of Yavne, south of Tel Aviv. The...

A 1700-year-old Roman water tunnel dug into the mountain was discovered in Adıyaman province in southeastern Türkiye

13 September 2023

13 September 2023

It was revealed that in the Besni district of Adıyaman province, located in the Southeastern Anatolia Region of Turkey, the...