What materials did they use to build the Parthenon?
The Parthenon is constructed out of a combination of limestone and marble. The foundation of the building is limestone, while the columns are made of Pentelic marble, a kind of white, fine-grained marble quarried from the Penteli region in Greece.
What is the Parthenon and what was it used for?
What was the Parthenon used for? The Parthenon was the center of religious life in the powerful Greek City-State of Athens, the head of the Delian League. Built in the 5 century B.C., it was a symbol of the power, wealth and elevated culture of Athens.
What is the original purpose of the Parthenon?
What was the original purpose of the Parthenon? The main purpose of the Parthenon was as a temple for Athena, virgin goddess and patron of Athens. The building's very name means “the virgin's place” in Greek, according to the Columbia Encyclopedia. View more on it here.
Whose idea was it to build the Parthenon?
The celebrated Greek statesman Pericles is credited with ordering the design and construction of the Parthenon as a temple for Athena—the goddess of wisdom, arts and literature and war—but it may not have been the first attempt to house the deity.
What was the purpose of the Parthenon?
The purpose of the Parthenon has changed over its 2,500-year history, beginning as a temple dedicated to the goddess Athena Parthenos (“Athena the Virgin”). Some scholars, however, question the building's religious function, partly because no altar from the 5th century BCE has been found.
Why was the Greek pantheon built?
The Pantheon was originally built as a temple to all the Roman gods. It is currently a Roman Catholic church and a popular tourist attraction. The Parthenon was originally built as a temple to the Greek Goddess Athena. It is now a museum.
What God was the Parthenon built for?
The Parthenon on the Acropolis of Athens was built between 447 and 438 BC as a temple dedicated to the goddess Athena Parthenos.
Why is the Pantheon so important?
One of the reasons the Pantheon is so famous is the amount of times it was rebuilt. According to Amanda Claridge, the Pantheon was first built between 27-25 BC but that building would not be recognizable today.
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.
Why was the statue of Athena built?
The temple was constructed to house the new gold and ivory cult statue of the goddess by the master sculptor Phidias (also Pheidias) and to proclaim to the world the success of Athens as leader of the coalition of Greek forces in the Persian Wars.
Who was the ugliest god?
HephaestusHephaestus. Hephaestus is the son of Zeus and Hera. Sometimes it is said that Hera alone produced him and that he has no father. He is the only god to be physically ugly.
What is the Greek pantheon known for?
The Greek Pantheon was ruled by a council of twelve great gods known as the Olympians, namely Zeus, Hera, Poseidon, Demeter, Athene, Hephaistos, Ares, Aphrodite, Apollon, Artemis, Hermes, Dionysos, and sometimes Hestia. These twelve gods demanded worship from all their subjects.
When was the Greek pantheon built?
ParthenonLocationAthens, GreeceCoordinates37.9715°N 23.7266°EConstruction started447 BCCompleted432 BC17 more rows
Who is the Pantheon dedicated to?
RomulusRoman legend has it that the original Pantheon was built on the very site and was dedicated to Romulus, their mythological founder, after he ascended to heaven from that site. Most historians claim that Emperor Augustus' right hand, Agrippa, built the first Pantheon in 27 BC.
What is the purpose of the Parthenon?
The purpose of the Parthenon has changed over its 2,500-year history, beginning as a temple dedicated to the goddess Athena Parthenos (“Athena the...
Why is the Parthenon important?
The Parthenon is the centrepiece of a 5th-century-BCE building campaign on the Acropolis in Athens. Constructed during the High Classical period, i...
How is the Parthenon still standing?
The careful placement of precisely cut masonry ensured that the Parthenon remained essentially intact for over two millennia. Although some of the...
How was the Parthenon built?
Directed by the Athenian statesman Pericles, constructing the Parthenon was the work of the architects Ictinus and Callicrates under the supervisio...
How is the Parthenon imperfect?
Although the Parthenon is regarded as the culmination of the Doric order, it has several Ionic elements, including the interior frieze (a sculptura...
How much marble did the Parthenon mine?
According to the former coordinator of the late 20th/early 21st-century restoration, Manolis Korres, builders of the Parthenon mined 100,000 tons of marble from a quarry about 10 miles from Athens. Using wagons, they conveyed blocks of marble from the quarry and up the Acropolis’s incline.
What was the role of the Parthenon in the 19th century?
After serving as an army barracks at the end of Greece’s war for independence (1821–32), the Parthenon assumed its role as tourist destination during the late 19th century, just as restoration efforts began. Learn about Athena, the Greek goddess to whom the Parthenon was dedicated.
What is the Parthenon?
© Ron Gatepain ( A Britannica Publishing Partner) The Parthenon embodies an extraordinary number of architectural refinements, which combine to give a plastic, sculptural appearance to the building.
What is the significance of the metopes in the Parthenon?
The sculpture decorating the Parthenon rivaled its architecture in careful harmony. The metopes over the outer colonnade were carved in high relief and represented, on the east, a battle between gods and giants; on the south, Greeks and centaurs; and on the west, probably Greeks and Amazons.
What is the Parthenon's ionic element?
Although the Parthenon is regarded as the culmination of the Doric order, it has several Ionic elements, including the interior frieze (a sculptural band). It also embodies an extraordinary number of architectural refinements, which some experts believe were intended to correct for distortions in human vision.
What was the system used to lift marble blocks?
Because the Athenians were a great naval power, experts speculate that they adeptly used a system of pulleys, ropes, and wood cranes to tow and lift the marble blocks. Pericles. Learn more about Pericles, the statesman responsible for construction of the Parthenon.
What wars led to the destruction of Athens?
Greco-Persian Wars. Find out about the Greco-Persian Wars, a series of wars that led to the destruction of Athens in 480 BCE and subsequent rebuilding campaign on the Acropolis.
What type of tile was used to cover the roof of the Parthenon?
Imbrices and tegulae, a type of overlapping tiles regularly used in Ancient Greek buildings, were used to cover the roof of the Parthenon. Due to the complexity of its design as well as its beauty, architects consider the Parthenon to be the perfect example of Doric architectural style.
What is the most important structure that survived from the Classical Greek era?
Several historians consider the Parthenon to be the most significant structure that survived from the Classical Greek era and is one of the oldest places of worship still standin g.
How many columns are there in the Parthenon?
One of the unique features of the Parthenon is the collection of eight columns on each of the building's sides which was a common architectural design in Ancient Greece known as octastyle. Apart from the octastyle columns, the building also has seventeen columns on the sides.
What is the Parthenon?
The Parthenon is one of the most well-known pieces of Ancient Greek architecture. The residents of Athens constructed the Parthenon at the time when they were at the height of their dominance. The Parthenon was mainly constructed as a temple for the Goddess Athena who was the chief deity worshipped by the residents of Athens.
Who designed the Parthenon?
Several ancient sources indicate that the designers of the Parthenon were Ictinus and Callicrates. Ictinus was famous for integrating several architectural styles in his buildings such as the Temple of Apollo at Bassae which successfully incorporated the Corinthian, Ionic, and Doric styles. Callicrates was famous for designing the Temple of Nike.
Is the Parthenon a UNESCO site?
A committee was formed, and the efforts to restore the building to its original status, which attracted aid from the European Union. The Parthenon, as part of the Acropolis of Athens, is designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Benjamin Elisha Sawe November 5 2018 in World Facts. Home.
Who designed the statue of Athena?
The statue, designed and sculpted by Phidias, was one of the most important pieces in the entire Parthenon since it was one of the most famous images of Athena. Other statues contained in the Parthenon were pediments which were described by Pausanias.
What was the purpose of the Parthenon?
Like most Greek temples, the Parthenon served a practical purpose as the city treasury. For a time, it served as the treasury of the Delian League, which later became the Athenian Empire. In the final decade of the 6th century AD, the Parthenon was converted into a Christian church dedicated to the Virgin Mary .
Where is the Parthenon?
The Parthenon ( / ˈpɑːrθəˌnɒn, - nən /; Ancient Greek: Παρθενών, Parthenṓn, [par.tʰe.nɔ̌ːn]; Greek: Παρθενώνας, Parthenónas, [parθeˈnonas]) is a former temple on the Athenian Acropolis, Greece, dedicated to the goddess Athena, whom the people of Athens considered their patroness. Construction began in 447 BC when the Athenian Empire was at ...
What does the name Parthenon mean?
According to this theory, the name of the Parthenon means the "temple of the virgin goddess" and refers to the cult of Athena Parthenos that was associated with the temple. The epithet parthénos ( παρθένος) meant "maiden, girl" as well as "virgin, unmarried woman.".
What happened to the Parthenon after the Ottoman conquest?
After the Ottoman conquest, it was turned into a mosque in the early 1460s. On 26 September 1687, an Ottoman ammunition dump inside the building was ignited by Venetian bombardment during a siege of the Acropolis. The resulting explosion severely damaged the Parthenon and its sculptures.
What were the most important buildings in Athens?
The most important buildings visible on the Acropolis today – the Parthenon, the Propylaia, the Erechtheion and the temple of Athena Nike – were erected during this period. The Parthenon was built under the general supervision of the artist Phidias, who also had charge of the sculptural decoration. The architects Ictinos and Callicrates began their work in 447 BC, and the building was substantially completed by 432. However, work on the decorations continued until at least 431.
Where are the metopes of the Parthenon?
In March 2011, archaeologists announced that they had discovered five metopes of the Parthenon in the south wall of the Acropolis, which had been extended when the Acropolis was used as a fortress.
What does the Athenian statesman mean by the Parthenon?
The Athenian statesman thus implies that the metal, obtained from contemporary coinage, could be used again if absolutely necessary without any impiety. Some scholars, therefore, argue that the Parthenon should be viewed as a grand setting for a monumental votive statue rather than as a cult site.
What is the Pantheon made of?
Made primarily from bricks and concrete, the Pantheon consists of three sections: a portico with granite columns, a massive domed rotunda and a rectangular area connecting the other two sections. Measuring 142 feet in diameter, the domed ceiling was the largest of its kind when it was built.
When was the Pantheon built?
The Pantheon is one of the best-preserved monuments of ancient Rome. The structure, completed around 126-128 A.D. during the reign of Emperor Hadrian, features a rotunda with a massive domed ceiling that was the largest of its kind when it was built. The Pantheon is situated on the site of an earlier structure of the same name, built around 25 B.C.
How wide is the Oculus?
At to the top of the dome sits an opening, or oculus, 27 feet in width. The oculus, which has no covering, lets light—as well as rain and other weather—into the Pantheon. The walls and floor of the rotunda are decorated with marble and gilt and the domed ceiling contains five rings of 28 rectangular coffers.
When did the Pantheon become a Christian church?
The Pantheon’s long decline continued. Then, in 609 , Pope Boniface IV got permission from Byzantine emperor Phocas to convert the Pantheon into a Christian church, known as in Latin as Sancta Maria ad Martyres (St. Mary and the Martyrs). It was the first Roman pagan temple to be consecrated as a Christian church.
When was the Pantheon destroyed?
The original Pantheon was destroyed in a fire around 80 A.D. It was rebuilt by Emperor Domitian, only to be burned down again in 110 A.D. Hadrian became emperor in 117, a time when the Roman Empire included much of present-day Europe, as well as parts of the Middle East and northern Africa.
Is the Pantheon a church?
The Pantheon’s design has influenced countless buildings throughout history, across Europe and throughout the Americas. Today, the Pantheon continues to function as a church, as well as a major tourist destination.
Who put Agrippa's inscription on the Pantheon?
It’s uncertain why, but Hadrian put Agrippa’s original inscription on the new Pantheon—“Marcus Agrippa the son of Lucius, three times consul, made this”—which led to centuries of years of confusion about its origins. No one knows the original purpose of the present-day Pantheon, but Hadrian sometimes held court there.
What is the Parthenon?
The Parthenon is a Doric style temple, with fluted baseless columns on a rectangular base. It is decorated with many art features, including metopes around the perimeter of the roof, a frieze that circles the entire building, and sculptures showing Greek myths on the pediments.
What are the relief sculptures in the Parthenon?
The Relief Sculptures in the Parthenon. The metopes around the Parthenon feature the Greek armies and heroes defeating various monsters. On the west, they are fighting Amazons, on the east, giants, on the north, the armies of Troy, and on the south, centaurs.
What style of architecture did the Parthenon use?
The Architecture of the Parthenon. The Parthenon was designed and built in the Doric style, while also incorporating some Ionic elements. Doric architecture features fluted columns without bases, topped with simple capitals, or tops, that are rectangular.
Why is the Parthenon so unique?
The Parthenon was also unique in the way it was designed to trick the eye. Since a row of perfectly straight columns will often appear to be thinner in the middle than at the top and bottom, the architects designed the columns of the Parthenon to be slightly wider in the middle than at the ends.
How wide is the Parthenon?
The Parthenon uses a 9:4 ratio in many of its components and is 30.88 meters wide by 69.5 meters long. This floor plan shows all of the columns of the Parthenon, and the location of the Athena statue in the center. The Parthenon was also unique in the way it was designed to trick the eye.
Where is the Parthenon located?
What is the Parthenon? A Parthenon is a large marble temple dedicated to the Greek goddess Athena, and it is located in the Acropolis in Athens, Greece. The name Parthenon comes from the Greek word "Parthenos," which means "unmarried women's apartments.". Historians believe the name is related to a room inside the temple, ...
How many columns are there in the Parthenon?
While most Doric temples have 6 columns along the short sides and 13 along the long sides, the Parthenon's columns have 8 on the short sides and 17 on the long sides. The columns were also closer together and carved narrower than normal Doric columns.
What was the Parthenon?
Building the Parthenon was a technologically innovative and, of course, extremely difficult task for the ancient Greeks. They managed to extract, transport and lift huge quantities of marble from Penteli, to the rock of the Acropolis, with their technology. Free citizens, settlers, slaves and marble workers from Paros, ...
Who was the architect of the Parthenon?
It is a historic machine in the construction of which the architect and restorer of the Parthenon, Manolis Korres, was also involved. The historical crane of the Parthenon is exhibited in the Lavrio museum for educational purposes.
How many tons of marble were used in the Parthenon?
At least 20 thousand tons of Pentelian marble were used for the construction of the Parthenon. In order to transport the marbles, the ancient craftsmen built the "Lithagogias Street". The road started from the quarry in the cave of Davelis in Penteli and ended at the south side of the Acropolis. The journey took about 6 hours. It is estimated that there were about 20 carriages that covered the route ten times a day. The coordination was complex and impeccable, as everything had to arrive at the Acropolis construction site at the right time and not earlier to avoid overcrowding. When the marbles arrived, the workers had to lift them onto the sacred rock. It was impossible for them to do it with their physical strength alone. Thanks to their engineering knowledge and ingenuity, they discovered ways of lifting that resembled modern methods.
Who was the stonemason that built the Parthenon?
It is said that among the thousands of workers was the Athenian philosopher Socrates, who was a stonemason. The projects were completed within 8 years.
Why was the coordination of the Acropolis complex and impeccable?
The coordination was complex and impeccable, as everything had to arrive at the Acropolis construction site at the right time and not earlier to avoid overcrowding. When the marbles arrived, the workers had to lift them onto the sacred rock. It was impossible for them to do it with their physical strength alone.
Where is the Parthenon?
The Parthenon is probably the most famous surviving site from Ancient Greece. Standing at the heart of The Acropolis in the centre of Athens, the Parthenon is a monument to Classical Greek civilisation.
Is the Parthenon a World Heritage Site?
Today the Parthenon remains on the ‘must-see’ list of most history enthusiasts and is a UNESCO World Heritage site. Extensive large-scale renovations have been taking place since 1975, with the largest being completed in 2000.
Reasons For The Construction of The Parthenon
Designers of The Parthenon
- Several ancient sources indicate that the designers of the Parthenon were Ictinus and Callicrates. Ictinus was famous for integrating several architectural styles in his buildings such as the Temple of Apollo at Bassae which successfully incorporated the Corinthian, Ionic, and Doric styles. Callicrates was famous for designing the Temple of Nike.
Architectural Style of The Parthenon
- The architectural style used in constructing the Parthenon has long been a subject of fascination for historians and architects. In designing the Parthenon, the designers made use of both the Doric and Ionic architectural styles. One of the unique features of the Parthenon is the collection of eight columns on each of the building's sides which was a common architectural design in An…
Sculptures in The Parthenon
- The Parthenon housed some popular structures such as the statue of Athena Parthenos which was made from gold and ivory. The statue, designed and sculpted by Phidias, was one of the most important pieces in the entire Parthenon since it was one of the most famous images of Athena. Other statues contained in the Parthenon were pediments which were described by Pausanias.
Restoration of The Parthenon
- Due to the cultural importance of the Pantheon, the Greek government put in place several plans to ensure that the building and other important cultural sites were preserved. A committee was formed, and the efforts to restore the building to its original status, which attracted aid from the European Union. The Parthenon, as part of the Acropolis of Athens, is designated as a UNESCO …
Overview
The Parthenon is a former temple on the Athenian Acropolis, Greece, dedicated to the goddess Athena, whom the people of Athens considered their patroness. Construction started in 447 BC when the Delian League was at the peak of its power. It was completed in 438 BC, although decoration of the building continued until 432 BC. It is the most important surviving building of Classical …
Etymology
The origin of the Parthenon's name is from the Greek word παρθενών (parthenon), which referred to the "unmarried women's apartments" in a house and in the Parthenon's case seems to have been used at first only for a particular room of the temple; it is debated which room this is and how the room acquired its name. The Liddell–Scott–Jones Greek–English Lexicon states that this room was the western cella of the Parthenon, as does J.B. Bury. Jamauri D. Green holds that the …
Function
Although the Parthenon is architecturally a temple and is usually called so, some scholars have argued that it is not really a temple in the conventional sense of the word. A small shrine has been excavated within the building, on the site of an older sanctuary probably dedicated to Athena as a way to get closer to the goddess, but the Parthenon apparently never hosted the official cult of Ath…
Architecture
The Parthenon is a peripteral octastyle Doric temple with Ionic architectural features. It stands on a platform or stylobate of three steps. In common with other Greek temples, it is of post and lintel construction and is surrounded by columns ('peripteral') carrying an entablature. There are eight columns at either end ('octastyle') and seventeen on the sides. There is a double row of columns …
Sculpture
The cella of the Parthenon housed the chryselephantine statue of Athena Parthenos sculpted by Phidias and dedicated in 439 or 438 BC. The appearance of this is known from other images. The decorative stonework was originally highly colored. The temple was dedicated to Athena at that time, though construction continued until almost the beginning of the Peloponnesian War in …
Later history
A major fire broke out in the Parthenon shortly after the middle of the third century AD which destroyed the Parthenon's roof and much of the sanctuary's interior. Heruli pirates are also credited with sacking Athens in 276, and destroying most of the public buildings there, including the Parthenon. Repairs were made in the fourth century AD, possibly during the reign of Julian the Apo…
Restoration
In 1975, the Greek government began a concerted effort to restore the Parthenon and other Acropolis structures. After some delay, a Committee for the Conservation of the Acropolis Monuments was established in 1983. The project later attracted funding and technical assistance from the European Union. An archaeological committee thoroughly documented every artifact remainin…
Sources
• Burkert, Walter (1985). Greek Religion. Harvard University Press. ISBN 978-0-674-36281-9.
• Connelly, Joan Breton (1 January 1996). "Parthenon and Parthenoi: A Mythological Interpretation of the Parthenon Frieze" (PDF). American Journal of Archaeology. 100 (1): 53–80. doi:10.2307/506297. JSTOR 506297. S2CID 41120274. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 August 2018.
Origins
from Pagan Temple to Christian Church
- In 330, the capital of the Roman Empire was transferred from Rome to Byzantium (modern-day Istanbul, Turkey) by Emperor Constantine. Afterward, the Pantheon fell into a long period of disrepair. In 476, the German warrior Odoacer conquered the western half of the Roman Empire, where Rome was situated. The Pantheon’s long decline continued. Then, in 609, Pope Boniface I…
Pantheon Dome
- Made primarily from bricks and concrete, the Pantheon consists of three sections: a portico with granite columns, a massive domed rotunda and a rectangular area connecting the other two sections. Measuring 142 feet in diameter, the domed ceiling was the largest of its kind when it was built. At to the top of the dome sits an opening, or oculus, 27 feet in width. The oculus, whic…
The Pantheon Today
- Following the Pantheon’s conversion into a Christian church, it eventually became the burial place for Renaissance figures including painter Raphael, composer Arcangelo Corelli and architect Baldassare Peruzzi. Several monarchs are buried there too, including Vittorio Emanuele II, who died in 1878 and was the first king of Italy since the 6th century; his son, Umberto I, who was ass…
Sources
- Hadrian: life and legacy. The British Museum Interior of the Pantheon, Rome (painting). National Gallery of Art. The Pantheon William L. MacDonald. Harvard University Press