The Parthenon Temple has barely survived to this day, and despite the fact that the original appearance of the structure was much more majestic, today it is considered an example of ancient beauty. This is the main attraction in Greece, which is worth visiting when traveling around the country. The ancient world was famous for its massive buildings, but this one is truly amazing.
Construction of the Parthenon Temple
In the south of the Acropolis in Athens stands an ancient temple that praises the goddess of wisdom, revered for many centuries by the inhabitants of Hellas. Historians believe that the beginning of construction dates back to 447-446. BC e. There is no exact information about this, since the chronology of the ancient world and contemporaries is different. In Greece, the beginning was considered the day of the summer solstice. 
Before the construction of the great temple in honor of the goddess Athena began, various cultural buildings were erected on this site, but none have survived to the present day, and only the Parthenon, albeit partially, still stands on the top of the hill. The project of the future architectural heritage was developed by Iktin, and Kallikrates was involved in its implementation. 
Work on the temple lasted about six years. The Parthenon owes its unusual decoration to the ancient Greek sculptor Phidias, who, between 438 and 437. BC e. erected a statue of Athena covered in gold. Every resident of those times knew to whom the temple was dedicated, since in the era of Ancient Greece the gods were revered, and the goddess of wisdom, war, art and crafts was often at the top of the pedestal.
The complicated history of the great building
Later in the 3rd century. BC e. Athens was captured by Alexander the Great, but the temple was not damaged. Moreover, the great ruler ordered the installation of a series of shields to protect the great creation of architecture, and presented the armor of the Persian warriors as a gift. True, not all conquerors turned out to be so merciful to the creation of Greek masters. After the conquest of the Heruli tribe, a fire broke out in the Parthenon, as a result of which part of the roof was destroyed, and the fittings and ceilings were also damaged. Since then, no large-scale restoration work has been carried out. 
During the Crusades, the Parthenon Temple became a source of strife, as the Christian Church tried in every possible way to eradicate paganism from the inhabitants of Hellas. Around the 3rd century, the statue of Athena Parthenos disappeared without a trace; in the 6th century, the Parthenon was renamed the Cathedral of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Since the beginning of the 13th century, the once great pagan temple became part of the Catholic Church; its name often changed, but no significant reconstructions were made.
In 1458, Christianity gave way to Islam as Athens was captured by the Ottoman Empire. Despite the fact that Mehmet II admired the Acropolis and the Parthenon in particular, this did not prevent him from placing military garrisons on its territory. During hostilities, the building was often shelled, causing the already destroyed building to fall into even greater disrepair. 
Only in 1832 did Athens again become part of Greece, and two years later the Parthenon was declared an ancient heritage. From this period, the main structure of the Acropolis began to be restored literally bit by bit. During archaeological excavations, scientists tried to find parts of the Parthenon and restore it into a single whole while preserving the architectural features.
The pictures of the ancient temple do not seem so unique, but upon closer examination we can say with confidence that such a creation cannot be found in any city of the Ancient World. What’s surprising is that during construction, special construction methods were used that create visual illusions. For example:
- the columns are inclined in different directions depending on their location in order to visually appear straight;
- the diameter of the columns differs depending on the position;
- the stylobate rises towards the center.
Due to the unusual architecture of the Parthenon Temple, attempts have often been made to copy it in different countries around the world. If you are wondering where similar architecture is located, it is worth visiting Germany, the USA or Japan. Photos of replicas are impressive in their similarity, but they are not capable of conveying true greatness.
Athena patronizes those striving for knowledge, cities and states, sciences and crafts, intelligence, dexterity, and helps those who pray to her to increase their ingenuity in this or that matter. At one time she was one of the most revered and beloved goddesses, competing with Zeus, since she was equal to him in strength and wisdom. She was very proud of the fact that she remained a virgin forever.
Birth of Athena
She was born in an unusual way, like most divine creatures. According to the most common version, Almighty Zeus heeded the advice given by Uranus and Gaia, after which he absorbed his first wife Metis-Wisdom at the time of her pregnancy. A son could be born who would eventually overthrow the Thunderer. After being absorbed from the head of Zeus, his heir, Athena, was born.
Description
The warrior goddess differed from her companions in the pantheon in that she had an extremely unusual appearance. Other female deities were gentle and graceful, while Athena did not hesitate to use male attribute in conducting business. So, she was remembered for wearing armor. She also had her spear with her.
The patroness of urban planning also kept an animal near her, which was given a sacred role. She wore a Corinthian helmet, on the top of which there was a high crest. It is typical for her to wear an aegis, which was covered with goat skin. This shield was decorated with the head that the Winged One, a companion of Athena, lost in the past. The ancient Greeks considered the olive to be a sacred tree and associated it directly with this deity. The symbol of wisdom was the owl, which was not inferior to the snake in this responsible role.
According to legend, Pallas had gray eyes and brown hair. Her eyes were great. In addition to beauty, she also had good military training. She carefully polished her armor and was always ready for battle: her spear was sharpened, and her chariot was ready to rush to the battle for justice. In preparation for battle, she turned to the Cyclops blacksmiths for help.
Shrines erected in her honor
She came to us from ancient times, but the goddess is still worshiped today. Athena is widely revered. The temple is the place where everyone can come and turn to her. People are trying to preserve these places of worship.
One of the most significant buildings glorifying the goddess can be considered the temple created by Pisistratus. Archaeologists excavated two pediments and other details. The Hecatompedon was built in the sixth century. The dimensions of the cella reached one hundred feet. It was found in the nineteenth century by German archaeologists.
On the walls of the building there were paintings from the mythology of the ancient Greeks. For example, there you can see Hercules fighting terrible monsters. An extremely picturesque place!
When this happened, they began building the Opitodom, also dedicated to the warrior. The construction could not be completed, because the Persians soon attacked and plundered the city. Column drums from the northern walls of the Erechtheion have been discovered.
The Parthenon is also considered one of the most significant monuments. This is a unique structure, erected in honor of Athena the Virgin. The structure dates back to the mid-fifth century BC. The architect is considered to be Kallikart.
The old Parthenon left behind several details that were used to build up the Acropolis. Phidias did this during the era of Pericles. Due to the widespread veneration of Athena, temples in her honor were numerous and pompous. Most likely, many of them have not yet been found and will pleasantly please us in the future. Although even now there are a large number of buildings representing a rich historical heritage.
In Athens it can be called an outstanding monument. It was built by Greek architects. The temple of Pallas Athena is located in the north - near the Parthenon on the Acropolis. It was built between 421 and 406 BC, according to archaeologists.
Athena inspired the people to create this beautiful structure. The temple is a model In addition to the goddess of war and knowledge, within these walls you can venerate the ruler of the seas, Poseidon, and even the Athenian king Erechtheus, about whom we can learn from legends.
Historical reference
When Pericles died, Greece began to build the temple of Athena, whose construction was not such a simple task and was completed at the time when the city was destroyed.
According to legend, at the point where the structure was built, the warrior goddess and Poseidon once argued. Everyone wanted to become the ruler of Attica. Information about the Temple of Athena includes references to the most important relics of the polis kept here. Previously, the archaic Hecatompedon, which was built during the reign of Pisistratus, was allocated for this.
The temple was destroyed during the Greco-Persian conflict. The goddess Athena also played a big role in this place. The temple included her wooden idol, which was supposed to have fallen from the sky. Hermes was also revered here.
In the temple, great importance was attached to the flame of the golden lamp, which never went out. It was enough to pour oil into it just once a year. The temple was named in reference to the remains that used to be the tomb of Erechtheus. In addition to everything listed above, there were many other shrines, which, however, were not of such great importance.
Serving the Warrior Goddess
As one of the most important Greek deities, temples and statues of Athena are numerous and impressive. An olive tree was associated with the goddess, which was burned in 480, but it grew from the ashes and continued its life.
The tree grew not far from the temple-sanctuary dedicated to the nymph Pandrosa. Having entered the holy place, one could look into the waters of the well, which was replenished from a salty water spring. It was assumed that the god Poseidon himself knocked him out.
Transfer of ownership of the temple
The goddess Athena did not always reign within these walls. The temple belonged to Christians for some time, who held their services here during the existence of Byzantium.
Until the 17th century, the structure was monitored, maintained and looked after. The damage was done when 1687 brought Venetian troops to Athens. During the siege, the shrine was damaged. When Greek independence was restored, the fragments that had fallen were put back in their proper places. At the moment, unfortunately, there is nothing left but ruins. You can still see the former features in the portico of Pandrosa, which is located on the north side.
Lord Elgin, who was sent by the British to Constantinople in 1802, received permission given by Sultan Selim III to remove from the country all parts of the shrine that could be found with inscriptions or images. One caryatid of the temple was transported to Britain. Now this relic, like the Parthenon frieze, is an exhibit of the British Museum.
Architectural design
This sanctuary has an unusual asymmetrical layout. This is due to the fact that there was a difference between the heights of the soil on which the construction took place. From south to north the ground level decreases. There are two cellas. Each of them had to have an entrance. The structure is abundantly filled with relics of antiquity. Parishioners entered from two entrances: northern and eastern. Ionic porticoes were their decoration.
In the eastern part of the Erechtheion, which was located higher, there was a space dedicated to the guardian of the city, who was Athena-Poliada. The wooden image of the goddess was kept here. When the Panathenaea passed, they made an offering to him of a new peplos. The portico of this cella has six columns.
Interior view of the temple
In the western part of the temple one could see things and elements that glorified Poseidon and Erechtheus. On the front side there is a restriction that is created by two antas. Between them there are four semi-columns.
The presence of two porticoes has been confirmed: northern and southern. The doorway's entrance frame to the north included carvings that included rosettes. The southern side is notable for the famous Portico of the Caryatids.
It was named after six statues just over two meters high. They support the architrave. The sculptures include Pentelicon marble. Today, they are replaced by copies. As for the originals, the British Museum became their repository. Lord Elgin brought one caryatid there.
Also the Acropolis Museum contains the rest. Pandrozeion - this was the name of the portico of the caryatids. Pandrosa was the daughter of Kekrops. The building is named after her. The myths telling about the Cecropids and Erechtheus were taken as the plot on which the frieze was built. Some remains of the monument have survived to this day. The statues, the material for which was Parian marble, were fixed in front of a dark background, which formed the Eleusinian material.
János Korom Dr. / flickr.com Parthenon in Athens (Panoramas / flickr.com) János Korom Dr. / flickr.com Chris Brown / flickr.com Parthenon, 1985 (Nathan Hughes Hamilton / flickr.com) The Parthenon rises on the Acropolis (Roger W / flickr.com) jjmusgrove / flickr.com Nicholas Doumani / flickr.com claire rowland / flickr. com Dennis Jarvis / flickr.com Parthenon at night (Arian Zwegers / flickr.com) psyberartist / flickr.com George Rex / flickr.com Reconstruction of the Parthenon (Emiliano Felicissimo / flickr.com) Comrade Foot / flickr.com In front of the Parthenon (Kristoffer Trolle / flickr.com)
The Parthenon Acropolis of Athens is the most outstanding religious building and the greatest monument of ancient Greek architecture. Built in the 5th century. BC, the temple amazed contemporaries with its size and grandeur, and continues to amaze and interest eyewitnesses of the modern era.
What is the Parthenon - what was its significance in Ancient Greece?
The Temple of the Virgin Athena in the city named after her was the most important cult object of the ancient Hellenes. For the residents of the city of Athens, it became consonant with the meaning of the words prosperity and well-being.
This reverent attitude is explained by the fact that it was dedicated to the goddess Athena, who was considered the patroness of the city and ancient Greece.
The word “Parthenon” in the language of the ancient Hellenes meant “most pure.” In other words, Athena became the forerunner of the “Most Pure Virgin Mary” in the Christian religion. The goddess was also an ancient Greek invariant of the common “mother goddess” archetype.
Legend of the Goddess Athena
Interestingly, Athena was given birth to by Zeus himself. According to ancient Greek myths, the supreme god of Olympus was foretold of death at the hands of his son.
In front of the Parthenon (Kristoffer Trolle / flickr.com)
Fearing the fulfillment of the words of the prophecy, the Thunderer swallowed his wife Metis, who was carrying a child under her heart.
However, the prediction did not come true - a daughter was born who came out of the head of Zeus (the heavenly ruler himself ordered his skull to be cut because he could not stand the torment).
Athena, like her brother Ares, became the patroness of wars. But unlike her divine relative, she stopped injustice and advocated the peaceful resolution of conflicts.
According to ancient Greek mythology, it was Athena who gave people crafts, in particular, she taught women weaving. In addition, the goddess contributed to the development of science and philosophy.
The Hellenes, who valued the intellectual factor of life above all else, decided to thank their patroness by erecting in her honor the most majestic temple in the history of mankind.
Where is the Parthenon?
The temple of the warrior maiden is located in the very center of the modern capital of Greece, on the Acropolis of Athens and is visible even from the most remote point of the city. The word "Acropolis" meant "Upper City". And this city performed defensive functions - the Athenians hid behind its walls, waiting out the siege.
Acropolis - abode of the gods
One glance at the Acropolis is enough to understand that the gods played a primary role in the lives of the inhabitants of ancient Greece - its entire territory is dissected by temples and sanctuaries dedicated to almost all the gods of Olympus.
The buildings of the Acropolis amaze with the genius of architectural thought and serve as classic examples of the use of the golden ratio in construction.
The Greeks valued the correctness and proportionality of forms so much that they even applied the rules of the golden ratio in plastic art.
The Parthenon in Athens is not the first Acropolis structure erected in honor of Athena. Even 200 years before him, the goddess was glorified in the Hekatompedon temple. According to ancient historians, both sanctuaries actually existed in parallel until the first fell into decay.
Today, the monastery of Athena is a ruin, carved with traces of numerous destructions, but they still bear the stamp of their former greatness. The temple is the hallmark of Athens and all of Greece.
Every year, crowds of tourists interested in history flock to the foot of the Acropolis to touch history.
Acropolis of Athens (© A.Savin, Wikimedia Commons)
Who built the Parthenon?
The construction of the main temple of Athens, the Parthenon, dates back to 447 BC. e. The building was designed by the famous ancient architect Ikten. The construction was carried out by Callicrates, the court architect of the ruler Pericles, who took the initiative for the construction.
Parthenon, 1985 (Nathan Hughes Hamilton / flickr.com)
Under the leadership of the master, other objects of the Acropolis and more than a dozen civil objects of Athens were also erected. All the master’s projects are built in the best traditions of the architecture of Ancient Greece - using the principle of the golden ratio.
The temple of the goddess Athena was originally part of the extensive program of the Athenian ruler Pericles to improve the city.
An interesting fact is that it took 450 talents to build it. Considering that for 1 talent one could build 1 warship, we can say that Pericles left his empire without a navy, but gave the world one of the unique architectural monuments.
Construction of the temple lasted 9 years, and in 438 BC. e. he opened his doors. However, finishing work was carried out for another 6 years, led by Phidias, who went down in history thanks to an interesting fact of his creative biography.
Parthenon at night (Arian Zwegers / flickr.com)
The master is the creator of one of the Seven Wonders of the World - the sculpture of Zeus in Olympia. For the new temple, the sculptor created a statue of Athena Parthenos - an eleven-meter statue made of ivory and gold. This was a rich gift for the revered goddess.
The monument has not survived to this day, and we can judge its beauty only from surviving ancient sources.
The interior of the temple was filled with numerous sculptural compositions and statues of gods. Many of them are irretrievably lost. Some are kept in museums around the world. Statues from the Parthenon can be seen in the Hermitage.
Most of the surviving heritage is in the London Museum - these are statues and metopes bought back in the 19th century. from the Ottoman government. Currently, Greece is working to return the exhibits to their native lands.
Features of the architectural solution
The Parthenon Temple was in many ways an innovative building. Its appearance and design findings amazed contemporaries at one time and still arouse research interest.
Architecture of the Parthenon (George Rex / flickr.com)
The temple was actually built entirely from Pendelic marble, which cost a lot of money, and the decoration was replete with gold.
Under the influence of sunlight, the southern facade acquired a golden hue over time. The northern side of the building, which was less exposed to radiation, had its original gray color.
The temple of the warrior goddess is located at the highest point of the Acropolis, and the rays of the setting sun create a visual effect of a golden glow.
At the same time, observers get the impression that the temple is small in size. As you approach, the panorama expands and the building “overwhelms” with its massiveness.
Hyperbolic diagram of the curvature of the Parthenon (© A.Erud, Wikimedia Commons)
From the outside, a visual image emerges that the building has an ideal straight structure. In fact, most architectural elements are devoid of straight lines:
- the upper parts of the steps have a slight deflection in the center, the columns are somewhat thicker in the center, and the corner ones have a larger volume compared to the rest;
- The pediments of the Parthenon face inward, while the entablatures protrude outward.
All these optical techniques actually made it possible to create the illusion of perfect straightness. In addition, the principle of the golden ratio was used in the construction of the temple.
The external facade of the structure was decorated with numerous metopes - relief images of the gods: Zeus, Apollo, winged Nike, etc. The Parthenon, like all sanctuaries of ancient Greece, was painted in bright colors.
The dominant colors in the color palette were shades of red, blue and gold. Over time, they have worn out and we can judge the beauty of the building only according to the words of ancient scrolls.
Parthenon – Temple of Three Religions
The fate of the Parthenon was such that it became a place where the words of three religions were heard - paganism, Orthodoxy and Islam. The history of the greatness of the temple did not last long.
Parthenon, Acropolis of Athens (Carole Raddato / flickr.com)
The last ruler who revered the wise goddess was Alexander the Great. Subsequently, Athens was subjected to numerous seizures. The temple was looted, the gilding was removed from the statues, and the sculptures themselves were barbarously destroyed. However, the cult of the goddess Athena was so high among the Athenians that the sanctuary was restored by the incredible efforts of the townspeople, despite the fact that the treasury was actually looted.
After restoration, the temple operated for another 800 years and became the last refuge of paganism in the territory of modern Greece. With the advent of Christian power, pagan traditions were still strong in the city. In order to stop idolatry in the 4th century. n. e. The monastery of Athens was turned into an Orthodox church in the name of the Most Holy Theotokos.
The building was rebuilt in accordance with the canons of Orthodox architecture, but in general it looked the same as before. In its new form, the temple began to attract pilgrims from all over the Orthodox world. Emperors and generals came running for words of support for the servants of the new “old” shrine.
Reconstruction of the Parthenon (Emiliano Felicissimo / flickr.com)
In the 15th century Greece came under the influence of the Ottoman Empire. The new authorities first hastened to get rid of Christian symbols, and this time the Parthenon acquired the features of Muslim mosques. However, apart from the excision of Christian subjects and words, no fundamental changes occurred in the appearance of the temple. In the 17th century During the military clash between the Ottoman Empire and the Holy League, the walls of the Parthenon were practically destroyed.
In 1840, restoration work began, which breathed new life into the religious building. The restoration process continues to this day with varying degrees of success.
Today, the fate of the Parthenon is again under threat. Financial problems that began after the country joined the EU became the main obstacles to the revival of the greatest historical monument.
For almost 2,500 years, the Parthenon has reigned over Athens, the Temple of the Virgin Athena - the symbol of the city, the pride of ancient architecture. Many experts consider it the most beautiful and harmonious temple of the Ancient World. And most tourists who see the Parthenon with their own eyes share this opinion.
History of construction
For many years after the destruction of the main temple of Athena, the Hekatompedon, by the Persians, there was no sanctuary in Athens worthy of the patroness of the city. Only after the end of the Greco-Persian wars in 449 BC. e. the Athenians had enough money for large-scale construction.
The construction of the Parthenon began during the reign of Pericles, one of the greatest political figures of Ancient Greece. This was the "golden age" of Attica. Recognition of the leading role of Athens in the fight against the Persians led to the creation of the Delian Maritime League, which included 206 Greek city-states. In 464 BC. e. The treasury of the union was transported to Athens. After this, the rulers of Attica had virtually no control over the funds of most of the states of Greece.
The money was used not only to fight the Persians. Huge amounts of money were spent by Pericles on grandiose construction work. During his reign, a magnificent temple ensemble grew on the Acropolis, the center of which was the Parthenon.
Construction of the Parthenon began in 447 BC. e. at the highest point of the Acropolis hill. Here back in 488 BC. e. The site for the new temple was prepared and work began on its construction, but at the initial stage they were interrupted by the renewed war.
The Parthenon project belonged to the architect Ictinus, and the progress of the work was supervised by Callicrates. The great sculptor Phidias took an active part in the construction of the temple, who was engaged in the external and internal decoration of the building. The best craftsmen of Greece were involved in the construction, and the general control of the work was carried out by Pericles himself.
The consecration of the temple took place in 438 at the annual Panathenaic Games, but the finishing work on the building was finally completed only in 432 BC. e.
Architectural appearance of the Parthenon
Architecturally, the temple is a classical peripterus with one row of Doric columns. There are 50 columns in total - 8 on the end and 17 on the sides. The width of the end sides is larger than the traditional one - 8 columns instead of 6. This was done at the request of Phidias, who sought to achieve the maximum width of the cella, the interior space. The height of the columns was 19.4 meters with a diameter at the bottom of 1.9 m. The corner ones were somewhat thicker - 1.95 m. Towards the top, the thickness of the columns decreased. Each column has 20 longitudinal grooves - flutes - machined into it.
The entire building rests on a three-stage base 1.5 m high. The size of the upper platform of the base, the stylobate, is 69.5 by 30.9 meters. Behind the outer row of columns, two more steps with a total height of 0.7 m were built, on which the walls of the temple stand.
The main entrance to the Parthenon was located on the side opposite the main entrance to the Acropolis - the Propylaea. Thus, to get inside, the visitor had to walk around the building on one side.
The total length of the temple (without the colonnade) is 59 m, width 21.7. The eastern part of the temple, where the sanctuary of Athena itself was located, had an external size of 30.9 m and was called the hecatompedon, “one hundred feet” (Attic foot - 30.9 cm). The length of the cella was 29.9 m. The cella was divided into three naves by two rows of 9 Doric columns. In the middle nave there was an altar of the goddess, as well as the famous statue of Athena Parthenos, the creation of Phidias.
The western part of the building was occupied by an opisthodome - a room in which offerings to Athena and the state archive were kept. The dimensions of the opisthodome were 13.9 x 19.2 m. It was here that the treasury of the Delian League was transported. The name of the opisthodome, Parthenon, was subsequently transferred to the entire temple.
The building was built from marble quarried from Mount Pentelikon, 20 km away. from Athens. The peculiarity of Pentelicon marble is that, being almost white immediately after extraction, over time it acquires a yellowish color. This explains the golden hue of the Parthenon. The marble blocks were held together with iron pins, which were inserted into drilled grooves and filled with lead.
Unique project Iktina
Art historians consider the Parthenon to be a standard of harmony and harmony. His silhouette is flawless. However, in reality there are practically no straight lines in the outlines of the temple.
Human vision perceives objects somewhat distorted. Iktin took full advantage of this. Columns, cornices, roofing - all lines are slightly curved, thereby creating the optical illusion of their ideal straightness.
A building as significant as the Parthenon, located on a flat area, would visually “press through” the base, so the stylobate was made rising towards the center. The temple itself was moved away from the center of the Acropolis to the south-eastern corner, so as not to overwhelm the visitor entering the citadel. The sanctuary seems to grow as you approach it.
The solution to the colonnade is interesting. Ideally straight columns would seem too thin, so they have an imperceptible thickening in the middle. To create a feeling of lightness of the building, the columns were installed slightly inclined towards the center. The corner columns were made slightly thicker than the others, which gave the building visual stability. The spans between the columns increase towards the center, but to the viewer walking along the colonnade it seems that they are exactly the same.
By using this feature of human perception in the Parthenon project, Iktin thereby discovered one of the fundamental principles on which the architecture of subsequent centuries grew.
Parthenon sculptures
The best craftsmen of Greece took part in the work on the sculptures of the temple. The general supervision of the sculptural decoration of the sanctuary was carried out by Phidias. He is also the author of the main shrine of the Parthenon - the statue of Athena the Virgin.
The best preserved is the bas-relief frieze that encircled the entire temple above the colonnade. The total length of the frieze is 160 meters. It depicts a solemn procession in honor of Athena. Among the participants in the procession are elders, girls with palm branches, musicians, horsemen, chariots, and young men leading sacrificial animals. Above the entrance to the temple is depicted the final act of Panathenaia - the priest of Athena, surrounded by gods and the most prominent citizens of Attica, accepts peplos (a type of women's outerwear) woven by the Athenians as a gift to the goddess.
Remarkable works of art are the Parthenon metopes - relief images that were located above the frieze. Of the 92 metopes, 57 have survived to this day. The reliefs are grouped thematically and are dedicated to subjects common in Hellas. Above the eastern entrance was depicted the battle of the gods with the giants, above the entrance to the opisthodome in the west - the battle of the Hellenes with the Amazons. The metopes of the south reproduced the battle of the Lapiths with the centaurs. The metopes of the northern part, which told about the Trojan War, suffered the most.
The pediment sculptures have survived only in fragments. They depicted key moments for Athens. The eastern group reproduced the scene of the birth of Athena, and the western pediment depicted the dispute between Athena and Poseidon for the right to become the patron of Attica. Legendary figures from the history of Athens are depicted next to the gods. Alas, the condition of the sculptures does not allow us to accurately determine the identity of most of them.
In the central nave of the temple there was a statue of Athena 12 meters high. Phidias used the chrysoelephantine technique, when he first created a wooden frame for the sculpture, and plates of gold, representing clothing, and ivory, imitating open parts of the body, were fixed on it.
Descriptions and copies of the statue have been preserved. The goddess was depicted wearing a comb helmet and standing at full height, but otherwise eyewitness accounts differ. Famous geographer of the 2nd century AD. e. Pausanias claimed that Athena held a spear in one hand, and in the palm of her other hand stood the messenger of victory, Nike. At Athena’s feet lay a shield, and on the goddess’s chest was an aegis - a shell with the head of Medusa the Gorgon. In the copies, the goddess rests on a shield, but there is no spear at all.
On one side of the shield the battle of the gods with the giants was depicted, on the other - the battle of the Greeks with the Amazons. Ancient authors passed on the legend that Phidias depicted Pericles and himself on the relief. He was later accused of blasphemy for this and died in prison.
The further fate of the Parthenon
The temple was highly revered throughout Greece even after the decline of Athens. Thus, Alexander the Great made rich donations to the Parthenon.
However, the new rulers of Attica treated the sanctuary with much less respect. In 298 BC. e. By order of the tyrant Lahar, the golden parts of the statue of Athena were removed. In the 2nd century AD e. There was a severe fire in the Parthenon, but the building was restored.
Timeline of changes in the appearance of the Parthenon from the moment of construction to the present day
In 426, the Parthenon became the Temple of Hagia Sophia. The statue of Athena was transported to Constantinople, where it was destroyed in a fire. In 662, the temple was reconsecrated in honor of the Mother of God, and a bell tower was added to it.
The Turks, who conquered Athens in 1460, built a mosque in the Parthenon, rebuilding the bell tower into a minaret, and in 1687 tragedy struck. During the siege of Athens by the Venetians, a Turkish gunpowder warehouse was set up in the temple. The cannonball hitting the barrels of gunpowder caused a powerful explosion, which destroyed the middle part of the building.
The destruction of the temple continued in peacetime, when city residents stole the marble blocks for their own needs. At the beginning of the 19th century, the bulk of the sculptures were exported to England with the permission of the Sultan. Nobody cared about the building itself until Greece gained independence. The Parthenon was recognized as part of the historical heritage of Greece, and restoration work began in the 20s of the 20th century. The Foundation for the Preservation of the Parthenon, listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, has been established.
Work to restore the Parthenon is ongoing. Alas, there is no hope of seeing the temple in its original form - too much has been lost. However, even in its current state, the Parthenon is a masterpiece of ancient architecture and leaves no doubt about the genius of the architects and builders who once erected it.
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The Parthenon has always been considered one of the most significant and monumental buildings of the Acropolis in Athens. The temple was built in honor of the goddess Athena, the patroness of the capital of Greece.
According to ancient myth, the supreme god decided to get rid of his wayward daughter while she was in her mother's womb, swallowing them whole. But she did not give him peace, and then the Thunderer ordered Athena to be removed from his head; at that time she was already in armor, with a sword and shield in her hands. For such a warlike goddess, of course, it was necessary to build a fairly majestic temple.
Construction of the Parthenon began around 447 BC, and lasted more than fifteen years. From all over Hellas, excellent marble, the best examples of ebony, ivory and precious metals were brought to the Acropolis.
The main architects of the temple were Callicrates and Iktin. They were able to implement an extraordinary architectural solution by applying the rule of the golden proportion, where each subsequent part of the whole relates to the previous part in the same way as it relates to the whole whole. The marble columns of the temple are not placed strictly parallel to each other, but at a certain angle. As a result, the Parthenon acquired a number of architectural features - the main one is that it appears to those looking at its facade from three sides at once.
Parthenon
Phidias was in charge of the sculptural design of the Parthenon; numerous friezes and sculptural compositions were made under his strict guidance. He is directly responsible for the main attraction of the temple - the thirteen-meter statue of Athena, the production of which took more than a ton of pure gold from the city treasury and the most expensive solid marble. Phidias also distinguished himself by depicting the initiator of construction, Pericles, on the goddess’s shield.
In the Parthenon, everything is thought out to the smallest detail, each detail has its own unique size, shape and purpose. This is one of the main attractions of Greece, which is deservedly considered a masterpiece of world architecture. Unfortunately, now little remains of its former greatness, but even the ruins that remain in its place delight millions of tourists.
