Subject
Parthenon (Athens, Greece)
Athena (Greek deity)
Acropolis (Athens, Greece)
Temples, Greek--Greece
Ancient Greek religion
Athens (Greece)
Greece--History--Athenian supremacy, 479-431 B.C.
Age of Pericles
Pericles, 495-429 B.C.
Description
The Parthenon is perhaps the most famous Greek temple from Classical Period. Dedicated to Athena's perpetual virginity (Parthenos), the Parthenon was built during the revitalization campaign of Pericles, which rebuilt the infrastructure of Athens after the Persian forces destroyed most of the city in 480 BCE. These new buildings, the Parthenon chief among them, were also meant to demonstrate Athens' dominance over the Mediterranean world. The Parthenon took nearly 15 years to complete, beginning in 447 BCE and finishing in 432 BCE. The main chamber of the building (naos) contained a statue of the goddess sculpted by the artist, Phidias, and standing nearly 40 feet tall. The secondary, smaller chamber behind the main naos was used as a treasury after the Athenians moved the war funds of the Delian League from the island of Delos to Athens.
This photograph captures the western side of the Parthenon. When one first enters the Acropolis through its main gate, the Propylaea, this is the first view one will have of the famous temple. This side of the structure would have contained the riches of the Delian League after the treasury was relocated from the island of Delos to Athens.