What is Parthenon in ancient Greece?
Parthenon, temple that dominates the hill of the Acropolis at Athens. It was built in the mid-5th century bce and dedicated to the Greek goddess Athena Parthenos (“Athena the Virgin”).
Why is the Parthenon so famous?
Why is the Parthenon important, special and famous? The Parthenon is so special because first of all is the symbol of Athens democracy. It was built after the victory on the Persians who occupied Athens in 480 BC. It was built to celebrate the victory and Athens political, economic and cultural superiority.
What was the Parthenon built for?
447 BC
Parthenon/Construction started
What is the Parthenon and why was it created?
The Parthenon is part of the Acropolis of Athens in Athens, Greece. The Parthenon was mainly constructed as a temple for the Goddess Athena who was the chief deity worshipped by the residents of Athens. Construction of the building began during 447 BCE and lasted until 438 BCE.
What are the parts of the Parthenon?
There are two sculpted, triangular-shaped gables known as pediments on each end of the Parthenon. The East pediment depicted Athena’s birth from the head of her father, Zeus. The West pediment showed the conflict between Athena and Poseidon to claim Attica, an ancient region of Greece which included the city of Athens.
What materials is the Parthenon made out of?
The main building material was Pentelic marble quarried from the flanks of Mt. Pentelikon, located about 10 mi/ 16 km from Athens. (The old Parthenon, the one destroyed by the Persians while it was partway through construction was the first temple to use this kind of marble.)
Why Parthenon is an icon?
8 fascinating facts about the Parthenon, the ‘cultural icon’ from Ancient Greece. Dedicated to goddess Athena Parthenos – the Greek goddess of wisdom, courage and warfare; the imposing Parthenon in every sense is the symbolic manifestation of the apical power of Athens.
What was inside the Parthenon?
The Parthenon on the Acropolis of Athens was built between 447 and 438 BC as a temple dedicated to the goddess Athena Parthenos. Inside the building stood a colossal image of Athena Parthenos, constructed of gold and ivory by Pheidias and probably dedicated in 438 BC.
Why was the Parthenon dedicated to Athena?
As with most buildings on the Acropolis it was dedicated to Athena to thank the Goddess for their success. The Parthenon was finally finished in 432 BC and was to show the world the dominance and power of Athens. The vast majority of the money used in the construction came from the Delian League funds.
What did the Parthenon symbolize?
The Parthenon was an expression and embodiment of Athenian wealth, and it was a symbol of Athenian political and cultural preeminence in Greece in the middle of the fifth century. It was larger and more opulent than any temple that had been constructed on the Greek mainland before.
What are the Greek architectural features for the Parthenon?
The Parthenon combines elements of the Doric and Ionic orders. Basically a Doric peripteral temple, it features a continuous sculpted frieze borrowed from the Ionic order, as well as four Ionic columns supporting the roof of the opisthodomos.
Where was the Parthenon located in ancient Greece?
The Parthenon is located in Athens, Greece, at the Acropolis of Athens. In short, an acropolis is a settlement built upon an elevated ground, generally on a hillside, for defense purposes as well as for status. Therefore, because the Parthenon was to be dedicated to the goddess Athena,…
Is the Parthenon in Athens a timeless monument?
The Acropolis of Athens viewed from the Hill of the Muses (photo: Carole Raddato, CC BY-SA 2.0) The Parthenon, as it appears today on the summit of the Acropolis, seems like a timeless monument—one that has been seamlessly transmitted from its moment of creation, some two and a half millennia ago, to the present. But this is not the case.
Which is the most famous monument in Athens?
The Acropolis of Athens contains the remains of several ancient monuments and buildings. The most famous of these is the Parthenon. Construction began on The Parthenon in 447 BC and it was completed in 438 BC. The temple is dedicated to the goddess Athena but also served a practical purpose as the treasury of Athens.
Who was the architect of the Parthenon temple?
Pericles commissioned the renowned Greek architects Ictinus and Callicrates and the sculptor Phidias to design the Parthenon, which became the largest Doric-style temple of its time.