The Parthenon - Ancient Greece
PARTHENON BUILDING
The Parthenon is one of the many buildings on the Acropolis of Athens which symbolized the Athenians’ wealth and power. The original building on the site was built as an offering to honor the goddess Athena because the people of ancient Athens believed that she helped the Greeks conquer the Persian Empire in the Persian Wars as well as watched over them and the city. Therefore, the temple is dedicated to Athena Parthenos.
Parthenon was built in the year 448 BC and was completed by 432 BC. However, in 480 BC, Parthenon was destroyed by the Persians when they attacked Athens. The building sat in ruins after the war due to other repairs the city needed, so the reconstruction of Parthenon was hold for about 30 years.
The great Athenian leader Perikles resumed construction of Parthenon in 447 BC. 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. The Parthenon was completely replaced by the Architect.
With its architectural features, the Parthenon is a Doric peripteral temple, which means that it consists of a rectangular floor plan with a series of low steps on every side, and a colonnade (8 x 17) of Doric columns extending around the periphery of the entire structure. Each entrance has an additional six columns in front of it. The larger of the two interior rooms, the naos, housed the cult statue. The smaller room (the opisthodomos) was used as a treasury. The Parthenon was built to replace two earlier temples of Athena on the Acropolis. One of these, of which almost no trace remains today, stood south of the Parthenon between the Parthenon and the Erechtheum. The other, which
The Parthenon is one of the many buildings on the Acropolis of Athens which symbolized the Athenians’ wealth and power. The original building on the site was built as an offering to honor the goddess Athena because the people of ancient Athens believed that she helped the Greeks conquer the Persian Empire in the Persian Wars as well as watched over them and the city. Therefore, the temple is dedicated to Athena Parthenos.
Parthenon was built in the year 448 BC and was completed by 432 BC. However, in 480 BC, Parthenon was destroyed by the Persians when they attacked Athens. The building sat in ruins after the war due to other repairs the city needed, so the reconstruction of Parthenon was hold for about 30 years.
The great Athenian leader Perikles resumed construction of Parthenon in 447 BC. 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. The Parthenon was completely replaced by the Architect.
With its architectural features, the Parthenon is a Doric peripteral temple, which means that it consists of a rectangular floor plan with a series of low steps on every side, and a colonnade (8 x 17) of Doric columns extending around the periphery of the entire structure. Each entrance has an additional six columns in front of it. The larger of the two interior rooms, the naos, housed the cult statue. The smaller room (the opisthodomos) was used as a treasury. The Parthenon was built to replace two earlier temples of Athena on the Acropolis. One of these, of which almost no trace remains today, stood south of the Parthenon between the Parthenon and the Erechtheum. The other, which