Definition:Golden Mean/Historical Note

Historical Note on Golden Mean
The Egyptians knew about the golden mean. It was referred to in the Rhind papyrus as sacred.

The heights of the Great Pyramids of Gizeh are almost exactly $\phi$ of half the lengths of their bases.

It is believed that the Ancient Greeks used $\phi$ in their architecture, but there is no extant documentary evidence of this.

The Renaissance artists exploited it and called it the Divine Proportion. discussed it in his book.

The symbol $\phi$ (phi) for the golden mean originates from the Greek artist Phidias, who was said to have used it as a basis for calculating proportions in his sculpture.

It is said to produce the most pleasing proportions, and as a consequence many artists have used this ratio in their works.