FASCINATING FACTS ABOUT THE PARTHENON

THE ACROPOLIS OF ATHENS, WHERE THE PARTHENON

IS LOCATED, IS ALSO CALLED “THE SACRED ROCK”

AND WAS BUILT FOR DEFENSIVE PURPOSES. DURING

WARTIME THE GREEKS USED THE ACROPOLIS

TO GET A BETTER VIEW OF THEIR ENEMIES’ POSITIONS

NEOLITHIC REMAINS DISCOVERED ON THE SLOPES OF

THE ACROPOLIS INDICATE A CONTINUOUS SETTLEMENT

ON THE HILL FROM AT LEAST 2800 BCE, WELL BEFORE

THE MINOAN AND MYCENAEAN CULTURES THAT LATER

GAVE BIRTH TO THE SO-CALLED ARCHAIC GREEK

LONG BEFORE THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE PARTHENON

THE SITE HAD BEEN A SACRED PLACE AND SEAT OF

OTHER TEMPLES. FOR THAT MATTER, THE PARTHENON

ITSELF REPLACED AN OLDER TEMPLE OF ATHENA,

WHICH HISTORIANS CALL THE PRE-PARTHENON, OR

OLDER PARTHENON, THAT WAS DESTROYED IN

THE PERSIAN INVASION OF 480 BCE

THE NAME PARTHENON COMES FROM ONE OF

ATHENA’S MANY EPITHETS: ATHENA PARTHENOS,

MEANING “ATHENA THE VIRGIN.” PARTHENON MEANS

‘’HOUSE OF PARTHENOS,’’ WHICH WAS THE NAME

GIVEN IN THE FIFTH CENTURY BCE TO THE CHAMBER

INSIDE THE TEMPLE THAT HOUSED THE CULT STATUE.

THE TEMPLE ITSELF WAS KNOWN AS THE

‘‘LARGE TEMPLE,’’ WHICH REFERRED TO THE LENGTH

OF THE INNER CELLA: ONE HUNDRED ANCIENT FEET.

FROM THE FOURTH CENTURY BCE THE WHOLE

BUILDING ACQUIRED THE NAME THE PARTHENON

CONSTRUCTION OF THE PARTHENON STARTED IN

447 BCE AND WAS COMPLETED IN 438 BCE BUT

DECORATING THE TEMPLE CONTINUED UNTIL 432

BUILT BY THE ARCHITECTS ICTINUS AND CALLICRATES

UNDER THE SUPERVISION OF THE SCULPTOR PHIDIAS,

THE PARTHENON IS CONSIDERED BY MOST MODERN

ARCHITECTS AND HISTORIANS THE SUPREME

EXPRESSION OF THE ANCIENT GREEK ARCHITECTURAL

GENIUS AND REPRESENTS THE MARRIAGE OF

SIMPLICITY AND POWER. THE TEMPLE IS ALSO

CONSIDERED TO BE THE CULMINATION OF THE

DEVELOPMENT OF THE DORIC ORDER, THE

SIMPLEST OF THE THREE CLASSICAL GREEK

ARCHITECTURAL STYLES

IT HAS BEEN SUGGESTED BY SOME CONTEMPORARY

HISTORIANS (INCLUDING ART HISTORIAN SIR JOHN

BOARDMAN) THAT THE FRIEZE ABOVE THE DORIC

COLUMNS OF THE PARTHENON DEPICTS THE 192

GREEK WARRIORS WHO FELL IN THE BATTLE OF

MARATHON AGAINST THE PERSIANS IN 490 BCE.

THERE IS AN INSPIRING SYMBOLIC SIDE TO THE

WHOLE AFFAIR, WITH THE BUILDING SHOWCASING

THESE FALLEN HEROES BEING PRESENTED IN A

CEREMONIOUS MANNER TO THE OLYMPIAN GODS

SOME OF THE FINANCIAL ACCOUNTS FOR THE PARTHENON

SURVIVE AND SHOW THAT THE LARGEST SINGLE EXPENSE

WAS TRANSPORTING THE STONE FROM MOUNT PENTELICUS,

ABOUT SIXTEEN KILOMETRES FROM ATHENS,

TO THE ACROPOLIS

A RESTORATION PROJECT FUNDED BY THE GREEK

GOVERNMENT AND THE EUROPEAN UNION IS NOW

ENTERING ITS FORTY-SECOND YEAR, WHILE THE

ANCIENT ATHENIANS NEEDED A LITTLE LESS

THAN A DECADE TO BUILD IT