Parthenon

The Parthenon of Athens, which is located in Greece, has probably received more attention from than any other ancient structure. Words and photographs cannot do this great accomplishment justice. The Parthenon’s construction, history, sculptures and its dreadful condition all tells a story, a story of a creative triumphant victory for the Greeks. An Internet source states, “the name Parthenon refers to the worship of Athena Parthenos, the 'Virgin Athena' who issued fully grown from the head of her father Zeus. The maiden goddess and patroness of Athens, she represents the highest order of spiritual development and the gifts of intellect and understanding. Pure in body, mind and heart, Athena is the symbol of the universal human aspiration for wisdom. “

The Parthenon has suffered greatly from time, so that it is only a portion of its original self. The Parthenon survived into the early modern era almost entirely in tact. It was preserved because the building remained in constant use; first converted into a church in the sixth century, and then into a mosque after the Islamic conquest by the Turks. Unfortunately, during the late seventeenth century the Parthenon was also used as a powder magazine. In 1687, in their battle to tak

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The statue itself was made of wood, ivory, gold and marble. There was a decision by the Athenians to move the League treasury from the Panhellenic sanctuary at Delos to the Athenian acropolis. Yet despite his claims as to benefiting the public, the issue of the bad behavior of spending the Delian League funds on Athenian public monuments remained a persistent point of debate in the city's assembly. Pericles was accused of spending money too freely, so he threatened to bear the cost of the building programs himself and inscribed his own name on them. In spite of being rather terrible shots, theVentians after three days of shelling finally made a direct hit. The sculptures, history, and the construction of the Parthenon are a great accomplishment for the Greeks. The resulting explosion blew the roof off the Parthenon and knocked huge holes on all four sides. Peter Green stresses in his book titled, The Parthenon, the debates concerning the Parthenon's funding recorded in Plutarch demonstrate that, as they were under construction these public monuments were a central concern of all the Athenians. Here is a plan of the temple:”

An Internet source states,” the Parthenon frieze runs around the upper edge of the temple wall. An Internet source states that, “With high shear rock walls on all sides it was an easily defendable location, and as such it had served as the site of a Mycenaean fortress. The statue, known as Athena Promachos, Athena the Champion, was made of wood, gold and ivory and could be seen from a distance of many miles.

In the fifth century most of the population fled because of the invasion of the Persians, the entire Acropolis was plundered and then burned by the invaders. An Internet source states, “The rectangular building (measured at the top step of its base to be 101. An acropolis, meaning literally high city, was a central feature of most ancient Greek cities. After the final Greek victory over the Persian land forces in 479, the Athenians erected stonewalls around the perimeter of their city to protect themselves in case of future attack.

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