The ancient Greek civilization contributed many great new ideas and aspects to everyday life that shaped and inspired the modern day society. The Greeks are well known for their construction of temples, acropolis’ and other grand architectural structures. Among these structures stood one of the most famous, the Parthenon. The Parthenon was a symbol of Greek society and culture as it stood as one of Greece’s most important architectural buildings.
Besides being the Athenians greatest architectural achievement, the Parthenon serves a basic purpose. The Parthenon is a temple devoted to Athena, the Greek goddess of wisdom and guardian of the city- state of Athens that got its name from her. The temple marked the zenith of ancient Greek architecture (Glancey 26). The structure was built to protect and shelter the statue of Athena, which was sculpted by Phidias. The enormous statue of Athena consisted of gold and ivory and stood up to be approximately nine to eleven meters. Unfortunately, this statue of Athena was thought to be lost in the future and was later replaced. Upon construction of the Athenian pride and symbol, the Parthenon successfully stood for 2,500 years. Later, the Parthenon was converted into a church for Virgin Mary of Athens in the sixth century AD. The condition and position of the building seemed well until the fait of the Parthenon changed in the future when two major collisions occurred.
Built in the fifth century BCE, the construction of the Parthenon was one of Greece’s most mathematically accurate structures. The Parthenon was built in the Doric order, with seventeen columns at the flanks and eight columns on the sides which formed a cella and a ratio of nine to four. “This ratio governed the ...
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There is an ongoing debate on whether the Parthenon Marbles, now located in London, England, should be returned to their original homeland of Athens, Greece. The marbles were removed from the Parthenon by Lord Elgin from 1801-1812 and transported to England. They were sold to the British government in 1816 and put in the British Museum where they have been for the last 200 years. I believe that the marbles should now be returned to Greece, not only because of the method and circumstances surrounding their removal, but because they are original pieces of the oldest and most symbolic structure in Greek history that epitomizes the pinnacle of Ancient Classical Greece and the beginning of western democracy through artistic ingenuity.
After learning more about these two buildings, I discovered that the Romans were “inspired” by Greek architecture. The columns used in both are common to Greek architecture. Based on the photos that were viewed from online searches, it appears that the Romans were more ornate during the construction of their temple which can be seen by their choice of building materials, such as marble. The Parthenon seems to have had more simple lines. It was rectangular in shape as opposed to the Pantheon that was rounded in many areas, particularly where the sculptures of the gods were. This was to lend to the idea that they were on the same level and that no god was given more preferential treatment since the Pantheon was to honor all of them equally. The structures resemble one another in that they both have those ominous columns as a way to emphasize the dominion the gods had over the
...the Athenian Parthenon’s in some ways its powerful imagery has caused it to be acknowledged it as one of the most wonderful examples of Hellenistic art and architecture.
The Parthenon is an amazing Greek temple that was built 2,500 years ago. Even the architects of today have numerous questions about how it was constructed and how it has held up through its eventful past. The Parthenon's detailed appearance is not its only meaningful quality. The Parthenon was constructed as a temple to the goddess, Athena, and as an icon of the Greek people themselves. The Parthenon represents the Greek ideals of humanism, idealism, and rationalism.
Brief History Though the Persian wars were possibly over before the Parthenon was being considered, the wars played a vital role for Athens and her temples. During the wars, the armies of Persia attacked Athens and sacked the city leaving much of it in ruins, including the new temple in honour of Athene atop the Acropolis that was under construction. During the struggle, many of the states in Greece joined together to fight against the Persians and decided that they should not rebuild any of the temples that had been destroyed by the Persians to have an eternal memory of the devastation they caused and the lack of respect they have for religion. The once impressive city of Athens was reduced to dust, with small basic houses and nothing really imposing.
The Parthenon, Shogi Effendi's main influence for building the Archives Buildings, was built in Athens, Greece, in 490 B.C.E. by Perikles. The Parthenon stood distinct among it's surroundings. In fact, it's the largest building on the Acropolis. Its grandeur has symbolic reference to its purpose as the temple to the goddess Athena. The Parthenon was surrounded by several buildings which a lso had religious significance for instance, the temple dedicated to Athena Nike (goddess of victory and war) and the Erechtheion which was another temple dedicated to several deities.
The Parthenon was built to honor the goddess of wisdom, Athena. When structures are built using straight lines they tend to look slightly distorted due to the science of optics. The architects Iktos and Kallikretes were skilled architects of their time and they used illusory tactics to create an ideal aesthetic for The Parthenon. The architects compensated for these visual illusions by counteracting them in their design. The end result is a structure that is not composed of straight lines, but when viewed by the human eye, looks perfectly straight. Plato would have mentioned one of his famous dictums, ?That which changes least is most real.? He would have viewed Iktos and Kallikretes designs as less real than other designs that do not u...
The Parthenon was built during the Golden age in Athens, Greece. The Parthenon is made of mainly columns; there is a 9:4 ratio. It was almost destroyed in war; the ruins that remained were dedicated to Athena. The purpose of the Parthenon was to house the statue of Athena, made of ivory and gold, and also Athena’s treasure. The ratios and the equations used to make the Parthenon were used as a sign of the harmony in the natural world around us. The mathematical harmony in the world shows how we can work with the world rather than destroy to make it what we want. The Parthenon also has no straight lines. The columns of the Parthenon are angled going up getting smaller the higher they get. This was done so that you could get the best lighting
This reverence for Pandora is a likely reason Phidias felt comfortable with depicting her birth on the base of the Athena Parthenos statue in the Parthenon. This project was funded by the Athenian government. Since the original no longer exists I will be relying on a interpretation created by Alan LeQuire for the Nashville Parthenon. The original would have been made with an armature overlaid with chryselephantine, gold and ivory. Ivory was used for the body of Athena and the figure Nike, resting in Athena’s right hand, with gold being used in ornamentations such as the garment Athena is wearing, her sandals, and helmet.
The Parthenon was an amazing and important temple. Dedicated to Athena, the goddess of war and wisdom, it was a very important temple to the Greeks. Greeks worshiped all of their gods by building temples for them and giving sacrifices. Most of the sacrifices were sacred tiles designed especially for the gods, not many were human.
The Parthenon is an ancient Greek temple dedicated to the goddess Athena Parthenos (Athena the Virgin), on the Acropolis in Athens. 2 Most Greek cities had an acropolis (meaning "high city" in Greek). The Greeks developed three architectural systems, called orders, each with their own distinctive proportions and detailing. The Greek orders are Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian.3 The Parthenon architecture is of the Doric order. It is the earliest and simplest of the Greek architectural orders. The Parthenon's columns give an impression of graceful solidity and power. It was built from 447 to 432 BC, under the leadership of Pericles. The Parthenon was a rectangle marble temple measuring about 102 by 230 feet. It had 17 columns along each of its sides and 8 columns on each end. 4 The distances between the columns of the Parthenon vary mathematically so that when viewed from a distance, the columns reflected optical distortions. For example, a column that was perfectly straight would look like...
The parthenon is a former temple on the Athenian Acropolis in Athens, Greece and it is dedicated the the goddess athena to whom the people of athens considered their patron. The Parthenon started to be built in 447 B.C. when the athenian empire were at their most power. It was completed in 438 B.C. and they didn’t finish decorating the interior until 432 B.C. The Parthenon is forty-five feet tall and two hundred twenty eight by one hundred one feet long. Its sculptures are some of the greatest of greek art.
The Parthenon, with no doubt, is one of the best well-known Greek temples of all times. It is also the dominant temple on the Akropolis. Its construction began in 447 BC and ended in 438 BC; however, it was partly destroyed on September 16, 1687. This massive building measures 13.72 m (45.0 ft.) in height and 69.5 by 30.9 m (228 by 101 ft.) long and was built with white marble. According to Greek historians two architects, Iktinos and Kallikrates, oversaw the construction. This temple was built for and dedicated to the Greek goddess Athena. It served as a gathering place, as well as a location for political debates; but its current tenant serves as a tourist destination. The Parthenon featured an octastyle, which was an eight-column arrangement at its end. Although the Parthenon gives the impression that it can be approached from all angles, it can only be accessed by two entrances.
Throughout history, there have been several significant architectural movements. The last, and perhaps most enduring movement is that of Classic Greece. Although for centuries, the architecture of ancient Greece has been admired, mimicked, and replicated, its beginnings are somewhat surprising to one unfamiliar with the history of the region. It is important to understand the history and mechanics of Classic Greek architecture in order to fully appreciate its form, function, and beauty. “Ancient Greek architects strove for the precision and excellence of workmanship that are the hallmarks of Greek art in general. The formulas they invented as early as the sixth century B.C. have influenced the architecture of the past two millennia” (metmuseum.org).
It had an impact throughout the Renaissance Era. An example of classical humanism is showed by the Athens Acropolis. It is the trademark monument of Greece and of Athens (servi, 2011). The Parthenon is the most significant and attribute monument of the civilization of ancient Greek and still persists its international symbol (Green, 1973).