Rhetorical prototypes in architecture: Measuring the acropolis with a philosophical polemic

This essay interrogates the ways in which contemporary discourses about Periclean architecture rely on categories set up by the antisophistic polemics of Plato and Aristotle in the fourth century. These philosophers’ accusations that the sophists in the fifth century were deceptive, irrational, and excessive invade discussions about the designs of Periclean architecture. These assessments reflect arbitrary rhetorical prototypes of rationality and sense perception rather than the actual specifications of the architecture. On a broader note, this essay brings to light how rhetorical categories operate in the interpretation of historical phenomena, including the intagistic arts.

Key concepts:

• Rhetoric
• sophists
• architecture
• art history
• Plato
• Aristotle