The Parthenon
In the ancient Greek world , Religion was a very important part in people’s lives ,with formal rituals , such as sacrifices , myths that explained the origins of mankind , and temples that overshadowed the Greek cities , built in the honor of the gods . one of the greatest and most famous of all Greek temples is the Parthenon . The Parthenon is a magnificent temple in the center of Athens , it stood on the highest part of its acropolis (The fortified height or citadel of an ancient Greek city ). it was built between 447 and 432 BCE in the honor of the leader goddess of the city, goddess of wisdom and war, Athena who leaded Greek forces to victory against the Persian armies . the Parthenon was named after Athena’s epithet, Parthenos. This temple was built to replace the destroyed buildings on the acropolis , that have been demolished by the Persians who attacked the city. It was designed by the architects iktinos and kallikratis and supervised by the sculptor Phidias who also built the statue of Athena . 22,000 tons of pentelic marble (a fine-grained , white, golden shaded marble) ,was used for the building, which is a very high quantity and has refined quality . The Parthenon became the largest Doric temple although it mixed two architectural styles : the Doric( The oldest and simplest of the classical styles of Greek architecture characterized by heavy columns with plain capitals and no base .) and the newer lonic ( similar to the Doric , characterized by two opposed volutes in the capital.) . The temple measured 30.88 m by 69.5 m , it included a combination of architectural refinements that made it seem perfectly straight , harmonic and sonorous . it was entered through large wooden doors decorated with bronze ivory and gold . It is said that it was very richly decorated “ No Greek temple was so richly decorated .” it had 92 metopes (any of the square spaces, either decorated or plain) and two pediments filled with monumental sculpture , and most importantly the gigantic statue of Athena inside the building ,12 m high and carved with ivory and gold .Thanks to its solid and fine architecture, The temple would stand still for a thousand years despite all the damage it takes from pollution , wars and natural phenomena and it still dominates the modern city of Athens symbolizing glory and power. The Parthenon stood for 2500 years, and throughout this long period
When work began on the Parthenon in 447 BC, the Athenian Empire was at the height of its power. Work on the temple continued until 432; the Parthenon, then, represents the tangible and visible efflorescence of Athenian imperial power, unencumbered by the depradations of the Peloponnesian War. Likewise, it symbolizes the power and influence of the Athenian politician, Perikles, who championed its construction. Some historians believe that Athens concluded a peace treaty with Persia in 449, two…
The Parthenon, built in the 5th century BC, was revolutionary for its unique building genius, which made it appear as though it was far lighter than it was, and not box-like. Iktinos and Kallikrates had a substantial job on their hands whilst constructing the Parthenon. They created a building that is seen to be the epitome of Doric temple buildings, while still managing to incorporate ionic features. Nevertheless, this was not the most difficult aspect in which they had to contend with. The underlying…
As many people know, the Parthenon is one of the most inspiring works of architecture known to mankind. The project of the extraordinary Acropolis was taken on by one of the most influential leaders of history, Pericles. Pericles influenced not only the building of one of the grandest works but the example of democracy displayed by the Greeks. The architecture was unique for its time, it featured excellent structure. The breathtaking Metopes featuring the epic battles of the gods, the Frieze a detailed…
Kate O’Mara ARH-102 21 March 13 The Parthenon! During my spring break I took a trip to “the Athens of the south”, Nashville Tennessee. Nashville is home to one of the most historic replicas of all time, the Parthenon. The Parthenon was originally a temple in Greece that was dedicated to the goddess, Athena who was the patron, or guardian of the people. The construction of the Parthenon began in 447 BC and finally was concluded in 438 BC. The Parthenon is an important historic building of Classical…
THE PARTHENON/ELGIN MARBLES By Renee Livio Who should own the Parthenon/Elgin has been a long and complex debate. Both sides, the British and the Greeks have valid and equal points as to why they should be the one to care and to keep these precious sought out marbles. Here today, I will present the arguments for both sides. “ÒÚ˘¿ The Parthenon, throughout history, has been shaken by earthquakes, set on fire, shattered to an extent, attacked a numerous amount of times, looted for its sculptures…
architects sought order, beauty, and perfection in their sculpture and architecture. The bronze sculpture Doryphoros (Spear Bearer) (c. 440 BCE), by Polykleitos, and the Parthenon on the Acropolis (c. 447-432 BCE), by Iktinos and Kallikrates, both share those aforementioned qualities in their strikingly similar design. While the Parthenon on the Acropolis may be a building, it still has similar symmetry and aspects of desired beauty as that of the sculpture, Doryphoros. Classical Greek architecture and…
material wealth deposited in the shaft graves at Mycenae (ca. 1550 B.C.) and because of its powerful elite society Mycenaeans flourished in its four centuries. I will talk about three major cultural artifacts in ancient Greece time. Parthenon Temple Parthenon is a temple on the Athenian Acropolis in Greece. Its architectural style is the Doric order and was built in 447 BC when the Athenian empire was at the height of its power. The temple was built to house the cult statue goddess Athena…
“The Parthenon Marbles should be returned to Greece” The Parthenon Marbles are a collection of classical Greek marble sculptures, inscriptions and architectural pieces that were originally part of the temple of Parthenon and other buildings on the Acropolis of Athens. The Parthenon temple was built in Greece in the 5th century BC to honour the goddess Athena, and has since become one of the most recognisable wonders of the world, and one of the greatest architectural feats of the ancient Greeks…
Parthenon, chief temple of the Greek goddess Athena on the hill of the Acropolis at Athens, Greece. It was built in the mid-5th century bce and is generally considered to be the culmination of the development of the Doric order, the simplest of the three Classical Greek architectural orders. The name Parthenon refers to the cult of Athena Parthenos (“Athena the Virgin”) that was associated with the temple. Directed by the Athenian statesman Pericles, the Parthenon was built by the architects Ictinus and Callicrates under…
building named the Temple of the Athena Nike designed by Kallikrates. A great statue of Athena created by Phidias, was originally stood in the center. To the right of where this sculpture was, there is the Parthenon. The architects that carried out this building were Iktinos and Kallikrates. The Parthenon is a Doric temple, which was designed with slight corrections…