https://www.theguardian.com/science/2026/sep/16/uk-mathematician-debunks-myth-parthenon-optical-illusions
Given the hours I devoted at school and university decades ago studying entasis et al... I may need a drink or three and a long lie-down.
Illusory illusions, forsoothe! :( Almost as bad as imaginary menageries.
It makes sense to have slight slopes on the floor for drainage 8)
It is at times like these that one misses Patrick Waterson quoting Vitruvius at great length....
:P
Quote from: Jim Webster on Sep 16, 2026, 09:03 AMIt makes sense to have slight slopes on the floor for drainage 8)
Don't you dare go looking for rational, pragmatic explanations!
I got enough grief as an undergrad for questioning whether it was entirely logical for Minoan palatial "sunken baths" to be lined with soluble gypsum...
I once queried a neolithic fortified village in an apparent non-violent period of prehistory. I was particularly intrigued by the complex gate design, which would prevent an attacker just rushing the gate but place them in a twisting passageway. The answer, according to my lecturer? Defence against wolves.
Quote from: Nick Harbud on Sep 16, 2026, 10:31 AMIt is at times like these that one misses Patrick Waterson quoting Vitruvius at great length....
:P
I remember telling Vitruvius at the time, "Mate, it does not matter how you spin the wobbly pillars to the Council, the renovation has been botched."
Quote from: DBS on Sep 16, 2026, 12:31 PMQuote from: Jim Webster on Sep 16, 2026, 09:03 AMIt makes sense to have slight slopes on the floor for drainage 8)
Don't you dare go looking for rational, pragmatic explanations!
I got enough grief as an undergrad for questioning whether it was entirely logical for Minoan palatial "sunken baths" to be lined with soluble gypsum...
I have spent more of my life dealing with drainage than with undergraduates ;)
Quote from: Erpingham on Sep 16, 2026, 01:24 PMI once queried a neolithic fortified village in an apparent non-violent period of prehistory. I was particularly intrigued by the complex gate design, which would prevent an attacker just rushing the gate but place them in a twisting passageway. The answer, according to my lecturer? Defence against wolves.
More imaginative than the usual ´ritual' or ´status symbol'.
P.
Quote from: Erpingham on Sep 16, 2026, 01:24 PMI once queried a neolithic fortified village in an apparent non-violent period of prehistory. I was particularly intrigued by the complex gate design, which would prevent an attacker just rushing the gate but place them in a twisting passageway. The answer, according to my lecturer? Defence against wolves.
Sea wolves? ;)