The most important features of the Parthenon architecture. The most famous temple in Greece is the Parthenon, dedicated to the goddess Athena the Virgin. In whose honor was the Parthenon Temple built?
The magnificent temple on the Acropolis of Athens, known as the Parthenon, was built between 447 and 432. BC, in the era of Pericles, and was dedicated to the deity and patron of the city - Athena. The temple was built to house a new cult statue and proclaim the success of Athens to the world.
The temple remained in use for over a thousand years and despite the ravages of time, explosions, looting and damage from pollution, it still dominates the modern city Athens, a magnificent testimony to the glory that the city enjoyed throughout antiquity.
A project to build a new temple, to replace the damaged buildings of the acropolis following the Persian attack on the city in 480 BC, and to restart the destroyed temple project begun in 490 BC, was drawn up by Pericles. And it was financed from the surplus of the military treasury of the Delian League, which rallied together to.
Over time, the confederation grew into the Athenian Empire, and Pericles therefore had no qualms about using League funds to begin a massive building project to glorify Athens.
The Acropolis itself covers an area of about 300 by 150 meters and reaches a maximum height of 70 meters. The temple, which stands on the highest part of the acropolis, was designed by the architects Callicrates and Ictinus.
Pantelian marble from nearby Mount Pentelikon was used for construction, and never before had so much marble been contained in a Greek temple.
Pantelian marble was known for its pure white appearance and fine grain. It also contains traces of iron, which oxidizes over time, giving the marble a soft honey color that shines especially at dawn and dusk.
The name Parthenon comes from one of the many epithets of Athena (Athena Parthenos), that is, the Virgin. Parthenon means "house of the Parthenos", which was so named in the 5th century BC, representing a chamber that housed a cult statue. The temple itself was known as mega neos or "great temple", which referred to the length of the inner cage: 100 ancient legs.
From the 4th century BC the entire building took on the name Parthenon.
Design and dimensions of the Parthenon
No previous Greek temples were so lavishly decorated with sculptures. The Parthenon would become the largest Doric Greek temple, although it was innovative in mixing the two architectural style Doric and the newer Ion.
The temple had an area of 30.88 m by 69.5 m and was built using the 4:9 ratio in several aspects. The diameter of the columns in relation to the space between the columns, the height of the building in relation to its width, and the width of the internal cell in relation to its length are all 4:9.
To give the illusion of true straight lines, the columns are pressed slightly inward, which also gives the effect of lifting the building, illusorily making it lighter than the building material from which the temple was built.
In addition, the stylobate or floor of the temple is not completely level; it rises slightly in the center. The posts also have a slight deviation in the middle, and the four corner posts are noticeably thicker than the other posts.
The combination of these improvements allows the temple to appear completely straight, symmetrical in harmony and gives the whole appearance of the building a certain dynamism.
Architectural elements of the Parthenon
The outer columns of the temple were Doric, eight of which were visible from the front and back and 17 from the sides. This was not the usual 6x13 Doric style, and they were also slimmer and more closely spaced than usual.
The interior was separated by six columns at the back and front. She was visible through large wooden doors decorated with bronze decorations, Ivory and gold.
Kleda consisted of two separated rooms. The smaller room contained four ionic columns to support the roof section and was used as the city's treasury.
The larger room housed the cult statue, which was surrounded by a Doric colonnade on three sides. The roof was constructed using cedar beams and marble tiles and would have been decorated with acrotherapy (of palms or figures) at the corners and central peaks. Lions' mouths were also placed in the corners of the roof to drain water.
Parthenon decorative sculpture
The temple was unprecedented in both the quantity and quality of architectural sculpture that adorned it. No Greek temple was so richly decorated.
The subjects of the sculpture reflected the turbulent times in which Athens was still involved in conflicts. Following victories over the Persians at Marathon in 490 BC, at Salamis in 480 BC, and at Plataea in 479 BC, the Parthenon became a symbol of the superiority of Greek culture against the "barbarian » foreign forces.
This conflict between order and chaos was symbolized in particular by the sculptures on the metas running along the outside of the temple, 32 along the long sides and 14 on each of the short ones.
They depict the Olympian gods fighting giants (the eastern metropolises are the most important, as this was the side where the main entrance to the temple was), the Greeks, probably including Theseus, fighting the Amazons ( western meteors), the Fall of Troy (Northern Meteors), and the Greeks fighting the centaurs.
The cutters ran along all four sides of the building (ion). Beginning at the southwest corner, the millet narratives follow either side, meeting at the far end. The temple features a total of 160 m of sculpture with 380 figures and 220 animals, mainly horses.
This was more common for a treasury building and may have reflected the Parthenon's dual function as both a religious temple and a treasury.
The frieze differed from all previous temples in that all sides depicted one object, in this case, the Panathenaic procession that took place in Athens, and which brought a new, specially woven robe to the ancient wooden cult statue of Athena, located in the Erechtheion.
The item itself was a unique choice, as typically scenes from Greek mythology were chosen to decorate buildings. The procession depicts dignitaries, musicians, horsemen, chariots and Olympian gods in the center of Athens.
To alleviate the difficulty of viewing the frieze, from such a steep angle, from the narrow space between the Kleda and the outer columns, the background was painted blue and the relief varied so that the carving was always deeper at the top.
In addition, all the sculptures were brightly colored, mainly using blue, red and gold. Bronze added details such as weapons and horses, and colored glass was used for the eyes.
The most important sculpture located in the temple
The temple passages were 28.55 m long with a maximum height of 3.45 m at the center. They were filled with approximately 50 figures, an unprecedented number of sculptures in any temple.
Only eleven of them survive, and their condition is so poor that many are difficult to identify with certainty. With the help of Pausanias' descriptions from the 2nd century AD, however, common items can be identified. The eastern pediment as a whole depicts the birth of Athena, and with west side- competition between and, for the patronage of the great city.
One of the problems of pediments for a sculptor is the reduction of space in the corners of the triangle. The Parthenon presented a unique solution, dissolving figures into an imaginary sea or sculpture covering the lower edge of the pediment.
Athena statue
The most important sculpture of the Parthenon is not outside, but inside - the Chryselephantine statue of Athena by Feidias.
It is a gigantic statue, over 12 feet tall and made of carved ivory for the body parts and gold (1,140 kilograms or 44 talents) for everything else, wrapped around a wooden core.
Therefore, gold parts can be removed if necessary during periods of financial need. The statue stood on a pedestal measuring 4.09 by 8.04 meters.
Athena, standing majestic, fully armed, in the aisle with the head of the famous Medusa, holding Nike.
The statue was lost (and may have been taken to Constantinople in the 5th century AD), but smaller Roman copies survive. In her right hand she holds a shield depicting scenes from the battles of Amazons and giants. Behind the shield was a large spiral snake. On her helmet were a sphinx and two griffins. In front of the statue is a large pool of water, which not only adds the necessary moisture to preserve the ivory, but also acts as a reflector for light passing through the doorway.
The admiration and richness of this temple, artistically and literally, should send a message and create a clear picture of the power of a city that could pay tribute to their patron.
The Parthenon unconditionally fulfilled its function as the religious center of Athens for more than a thousand years. However, in the 5th century AD. the pagan temple was converted into a church by early Christians.
An apse was added to the eastern end, which required the removal of part of the eastern frieze. Many of the meteopes on other sides of the building were deliberately damaged, and the figures in the central part of the east pediment were removed.
Windows were set into the walls, more parts of the frieze were destroyed, and a bell tower was added to the west.
In 1816, the British government bought the collection now known as the Elgin Marbles, which is now housed in the British Museum in London.
Elgin took 14 metopes (mostly from the south), a large number of the best preserved slabs from the frieze and some figures from the pediments (in particular, the torsos of Athena, Poseidon and a fairly well preserved horse).
The remaining pieces of sculpture left at the site suffered from harsh weather, especially in the late 20th century AD, the devastating effects of chronic air pollution.
The most important pieces are now housed in the Acropolis Museum, a purpose-built modern exhibition space that opened in 2011.
Later history
The building survived in its new form for another thousand years. Then, in 1458, the occupying Turks converted the building into a mosque and added a minaret in the southwest corner.
In 1674 A.D. a visiting Flemish artist (possibly one Jacques Carey) was busy drawing much of the sculpture, an extremely fortuitous action given the disaster that was about to strike.
In 1687, the Venetian army under the leadership of General Francesco Morosini besieged the acropolis, which was occupied by the Turks, who used the Parthenon as a powder keg.
On September 26, a direct hit from a Venetian cannon set it on fire, and a massive explosion tore apart the Parthenon. All the internal walls, with the exception of the eastern side, were swollen, the columns collapsed to the north and south, and with them half of the meteors.
This was not enough, Morosini further damaged the central figures of the west pediment in an unsuccessful attempt to plunder them, and destroyed the horses from the west pediment when he realized that they were beyond his reach.
From the ruins of the temple, the Turks cleared the area and built a smaller mosque, but no attempt was made to collect artifacts from the ruins, or to protect them from the occasional robber. Often, in the 18th century, foreign tourists took a souvenir from the famous ruins of the Parthenon.
The Parthenon Temple is the most famous monument of ancient Greek civilization, built in 432 BC. It is an international symbol of Greece and is located in Athens, on the Acropolis.
It was built in the Doric style under the direction of the architects Iktinos and Kallikrates in honor of the patroness of the city, Athena Parthenos.
In the center of the temple, surrounded by 50 columns, you can see a statue of Athena, made of gold and ivory by Phidias.
The frieze of the façade is decorated with images of a centauromachy, an amazonomachy and a gigantomachy, and the cella is decorated with a bas-relief ribbon depicting main holiday ancient Athens - Panathenaic procession. The pediments of the sanctuary are decorated with magnificent sculptural compositions.
Coordinates: 37.97014200,23.72249500
Ruins of the Temple of Nemean Zeus
South-west of Corinth, a few kilometers from the road to Mycenae, is located ancient city- the famous Nemea. Here the scene of the myths about the heroic feat of Hercules, who defeated the Nemean Lion, took place. In ancient times, Nemea was also famous for the fact that from the 6th century BC. e., as in Olympia, sports competitions were held here, which in 270 BC. e. were transferred to Argos. The center of the games was the temple complex, which was studied in detail by archaeologists. The main building of the complex is the temple of Nemean Zeus. To this day, only three slender Doric columns towering above the ruins have been relatively well preserved. In addition to the Temple of Zeus, the city has preserved several other ancient buildings, as well as a wonderful museum of archeology and one of the oldest stadiums in Greece with a capacity of 40 thousand spectators, on the walls of which are the names of famous athletes of antiquity.
Coordinates: 38.00351800,23.71753000
Temple of Saint Eleftherius
The Church of St. Eleftherius, or the old Metropolis, is located in the very center of Athens, next to the modern Cathedral Metropolis of Athens.
The Church of St. Eleftherios is one of the most original churches of the Byzantine era that has survived to this day. The church was built in the 12th century. It has a cross shape and a dome. The church differs from all traditional buildings in its material. The architect of the church collected fragments of monuments and used them in construction. The result was a harmonious structure.
Initially, the church was called the “Small Metropolis” and was consecrated in honor of the Virgin Mary of the Quick to Hear. In the 17th century, for some time the church even served as a metropolis.
The church later housed a library, but it was destroyed during the Greek Revolt of 1821.
The Church is a living embodiment of the unity of Greek culture.
Coordinates: 37.97507300,23.72996700
Temple of Nike Apteros
The Temple of Nike Apteros, or wingless victory, was the very first structure on the famous Acropolis, which overlooks the Greek capital. The construction of the temple dates back to 427 BC. (at this time the Peloponnesian War was going on). The walls of the temple were made of marble blocks; inside there was a picturesque statue of Athena, holding a helmet in one hand and a pomegranate in the other, a symbol of victory and fertility.
During its history, the temple was repeatedly destroyed. The largest reconstructions took place twice: after it was dismantled by the Turks in 1686, and also in 1936, when the platform collapsed. The miniature temple of Nike Apteros is one of the few monuments of the Ionian order that have reached us.
Coordinates: 37.97228200,23.72622000
Temple of Tesseion
The Temple of Hephaestus (Hephaestion), or Thesseion, gave rise to many legends associated with its name. According to one version, the temple was dedicated to the son of Zeus and the god of fire Hephaestus, the patron of blacksmithing. According to another version, the temple was named Tesseion - in honor of Theseus, the famous hero of ancient Greek mythology.
The temple was built four hundred years BC, and is an excellent example of a Doric order building. The name of the architect has been erased from the pages of history, but according to most researchers, the same man created the temple at Cape Sounion and the Temple of Ares on the Agora.
Surprisingly, from the beginning of the sixteenth century the temple was used as Orthodox Church. Subsequently, the temple was turned into a museum, which it is to this day.
Coordinates: 37.97627400,23.72156000
Temple of Hephaestus
Hephaestus is the ancient Greek god of fire and metalworking. Among the inhabitants of Olympus, he was the only god who had a physical disability - he was lame. In addition, Hephaestus was the only god who did heavy physical labor, he worked as a blacksmith and his duties included repairing Achilles' damaged armor. In addition, the temple was dedicated to the warrior goddess Athena, who was the symbol of the city and patronized pottery, as well as some others.
The construction of the temple was carried out in 449-415 BC. The name of the architect, unfortunately, is unknown, but many researchers believe that it was the same master who erected the Temple of Ares on the Agora and some other buildings.
Coordinates: 37.97608800,23.72145700
Church of the Holy Trinity
The temple, which today is called the Russian Embassy Church, has rich history. In ancient times, on the site of the temple there were Roman baths, which were destroyed over time. It was on the foundations of the former baths that the early Christian church arose, which was consecrated in honor of the Holy Trinity. Since 1202, the temple has been a convent. Subsequently, it became Benedictine, and then masculine.
The temple more than once became a victim of tragic circumstances - at different periods of history, the temple suffered from earthquakes and attacks by foreigners. The temple became Russian in 1847, when it was acquired by the government of the Russian Empire. After this, the temple was restored for a long time.
The consecration of the temple took place in 1855. It is still active today.
Coordinates: 37.97227800,23.73369700
Temple of Olympian Zeus
Once upon a time, in the center of the temple there was a huge chrysoelephantine (covered with gold and ivory) statue of Zeus. She exactly copied the famous statue of Olympian Zeus, created by the great master Phidias.
Near the statue of Zeus stood a statue of Emperor Hadrian, made in the same technique, under whom the temple was consecrated. Near the temple in 130 AD. Greek architects erected Hadrian's Arch, which served as a gateway to the new city quarters built by the emperor.
It’s always a pleasure to be here, because the place was chosen with a very subtle artistic design: if you look towards the Acropolis from the Temple of Zeus, you will see another ancient Greek shrine - the Parthenon, which seems to be framed by this arch. And if you look at it from the side of the Acropolis, you will certainly be amazed by the powerful forms of the huge temple of Olympian Zeus.
Coordinates: 37.96998200,23.73295800
Temple of St. Panteleimon
The Church of St. Panteleimon, founded on September 12, 1910 by King Georgios I, is one of the greatest temples in the Balkans and most big temple Saint Panteleimon. It is located almost in the center of Athens.
The huge, impressively sized temple was built by Nomikos Georgios according to the design of the architect John Papadhakis and was consecrated on June 22, 1930 by the Archbishop of Athens and All Greece Chrysostos I. Most of the icons of the temple were painted by the famous Greek artist John Karouzos.
Coming here, you should not be surprised that the cathedral is filled with rows of chairs - Greek churches have their own peculiarities that need to be remembered: parishioners are allowed to sit during the service. In addition, nothing can be touched in any temple except candles.
Coordinates: 37.99701700,23.72700200
Erechtheion Temple
The Erechtheion Temple, built in 421-406 BC, is the sacred center of Athens and is rightfully considered the pearl of ancient Greek architecture. It is located near the Parthenon Temple at the Acropolis.
The temple, which has no analogues in ancient Greek architecture, was built in the Ionic style on the initiative of Pericles on the site of a dispute between Athena and Poseidon for power over Attica. Due to the variety of sanctuaries combined in the temple and the unevenness of the ground, it has an asymmetrical layout.
On the south side you will see the famous portico Pandroseion, named after the daughter of King Kekrop Pandrosa. At the western façade is the Kekropion - the tomb and sanctuary of the legendary Kekropos, the first king of Attica. Above it rises the world-famous portico of the caryatids - six marble statues of girls that support the ceiling.
Coordinates: 37.97202800,23.72570200
The goddess Athena is the strangest (in terms of motivation) character in Greek mythology.
After all, she is the goddess of “smart” war, but at the same time she tries to resolve all issues peacefully.
She despises the pettiness of the other Olympians and rarely interferes in their conflicts.
But in the event of a threat to the Pantheon itself, Athena will be the first to enter the battle.
The goddess Athena repeatedly served as the punishing sword of Olympus, punishing the most self-confident mortals, but it was she who founded the greatest city of Greece, and then remained to watch over these mortals after the gods of Olympus had left forever.
And it is not surprising that her greatest sanctuary, the legendary Parthenon, also faced a very difficult and at times simply amazing fate.
Where is
The Parthenon is located in the very center of the capital, on the Acropolis of Athens.
The center of Athens is easy to navigate. There are many pedestrian areas, and the attractions are concentrated closely. It is impossible to get lost - two guiding hills rise above the main plane of the city: the Acropolis and Lycabettos.
Acropolis (Akropolis) - translated from Greek: “upper city” - was built on a rocky hill 156 meters high, which served as a natural fortification during sieges.
Parthenon during ancient Greece
The Parthenon is located on top of the Acropolis, the nearest Athens metro station from which you can get here is called Akropolis.
The large pedestrian street Dionysiou Areopagitou leads from the center of Athens to the main attraction of Greece.
Follow it straight, without turning anywhere. Gradually climbing up the mountain, it will lead you straight to your goal.
The Parthenon in Athens is visible from almost everywhere and looks especially beautiful at night when the lights are turned on.
Moreover, at first glance at the Acropolis, you can understand that the gods played a very important role in the life of the Greeks - it is literally crammed with various temples and sanctuaries of almost all more or less noticeable Olympians, from the powerful and formidable Zeus to the eternally drunk, but no less formidable Dionysus.
It is worth noting that the Parthenon is not the first sanctuary of the Acropolis dedicated to Athena. 200 years before its construction, not far from its current location, there was another temple - Hekatompedon. Scientists even admit that for some time, temples existed in parallel.
History of the temple, who built the Parthenon
Parthenon during restoration
Construction of the Parthenon began in 447 BC. The project is attributed to the architect Icten, and the construction was led by Callicrates, who was practically the court master of the ruler Pericles.
In addition to the Parthenon, Callicrates built several more temples on the Acropolis, and also actively participated in the secular life of the city, bringing to mind and completing the project of the Long Walls, which then very unpleasantly surprised the Spartan army during the Pelloponnesian Wars.
True, the offended Spartans still razed the walls to the ground thirty years later, but, alas (or maybe vice versa, fortunately), Kallicrates did not see this. In addition, the city residents restored the walls and they served as a symbol of Athenian independence for another three hundred years.
The Parthenon is the master’s main masterpiece. The temple still did not turn out the way Callicrates intended it. Construction took more than nine years, and all these years the Athenian government regularly reported to its people for every coin spent on construction (archaeologists managed to find marble tablets with reports).
Panatheneon holiday
At the Panathenaic festival of 438 BC. e., the temple was solemnly opened to visitors, but decorative work continued for another six years under the direction of the sculptor Phidias, successor of Callicrates and creator of one of the Seven Wonders of the World - the statue of Zeus at Olympia. For the Parthenon, Phidias created an equally beautiful statue of Athena Parthenos, which became the main decoration of the temple.
Alas, the glorious history of the sanctuary did not last even two hundred years - the last ruler who truly honored Athena was Alexander the Great. After his visit to the temple in 323 BC. e., Athens gradually slipped into tyranny, and was later repeatedly captured, first by barbarian tribes, and then by the Romans. Around the same time, there was a big fire in the temple and the statue of Athena Parthenos was lost (however, by the time of the fire it was practically worthless - all the gold elements were torn off in advance so that the then ruler of Athens could pay the soldiers).
Byzantine era Parthenon
After the fire, the temple was restored and served last refuge goddess for almost 800 years, until under Patriarch Paul III it was turned into the Cathedral of St. Sophia.
All the treasures were taken to Constantinople, however, by that time there were few of them left. The temple was significantly rebuilt, but overall retained its characteristic appearance.
But in 1458, Athens again changed its state affiliation, becoming part of the Ottoman Empire.
The Turks placed a military garrison in the Acropolis, and turned the Parthenon into a mosque, rebuilding it once again and seriously damaging the paintings inside the temple. What’s interesting is that, apart from painting over all subjects that are contrary to Muslim culture, there are no other changes in interior decoration the temple was not brought in.
In 1687, during the war between the Ottomans and the Holy League, the Parthenon, which served the Turks as a warehouse and shelter, was fired upon from a commanding height - Philopappou Hill. A direct hit on the powder magazine literally destroyed the temple, burying more than 300 Turks under it.
Parthenon in 1840
For the next two hundred years, the ruins of the Parthenon served as a historical monument, until restoration began in 1840.
The process of restoring the main ancient temple is still going on, with varying success, but the fact that many archaeological discoveries have been made is difficult to deny.
True, in recent years, the restoration project was frozen - after joining the EU, Greece simply did not have any money left to restore the monuments.
What the Ancient Greek Parthenon looked like
The ancient Greek Parthenon was a truly magnificent sight.
Parthenon in section
The basis of the temple is the stylobate that has survived to this day - a three-stage rise leading to the temple. The temple itself is a rectangular building, with a colonnade on each of the four sides. The dimensions of the base rectangle are 69.5 × 30.9 meters.
There were 8 columns on the facades of the temple, and another 17 on the sides, which in total gives us 48 supports (the corner columns are simultaneously elements of both the facade and the side part).
Interestingly, the columns were not perpendicular, but located at an angle, leaning inward. Moreover, the angle of inclination of the corner columns is much less than that of others. The columns themselves were classic examples of the Dorian order, although they were unusually large in size.
One of the surviving friezes of the Parthenon
Inside the temple, two additional steps were made, which led to the central platform, surrounded on the facades by another 12 columns.
The site was divided into three naves, a large central one and two small ones on the sides. The central nave was surrounded on three sides by 21 columns. In its center was the same, later missing, statue of Athena Parthenos.
The internal frieze of the temple was made in the Ionic style and depicted a festive procession on the last day of Panathenaia.
A total of 96 plates of this frieze have survived, most of them in British Museum. For many decades, the Greek government has been trying in vain to return the marble fragments of the Parthenon to their historical place.
As for the exterior, quite little is known about it. The pediments of the Parthenon were destroyed back in the Middle Ages, so they are being restored mainly by guesswork.
The east pediment may have depicted the birth of Athena, but almost no details of the sculptures remain. The western one most likely shows the dispute between Athena and Poseidon for the possession of Attica. A total of 30 statues from the pediments have survived, but their condition is quite deplorable, especially those that were in the British Museum at the end of the 20th century - they were subjected to a rather barbaric cleaning.
The external friezes of the Parthenon are a little better preserved - at least we know exactly what was depicted on them.
On the eastern side of the temple the story of the war between the centaurs and the Lapiths was depicted, on the western side - Trojan War, in the north there is a gigantomachy, and in the south there are scenes from the battle of the Greeks and the Amazons.
Most of the surviving high reliefs are in the Athens Museum, and their exact copies are gradually taking their places in the restored Parthenon.
Athena statue
The most successful copy of the famous statue of Phidias
The statue of Athena is described as one of Phidias' greatest works. The statue of the goddess was made of wood covered with gold (about a ton) and decorated with ivory.
Instead of emphasizing the inaccessibility and aloofness of the deity (as he did with Olympian Zeus), Phidias portrayed Athena as simple and close to her people.
The statue was relatively low (13 meters) and depicted a proudly standing Athena, holding a spear in one hand, and a two-meter figure of the goddess of victory Nike in the other.
The goddess's head was decorated with a three-crested helmet, and at her feet there was a shield depicting scenes from battles.
Alas, the statue cost the Parthenon architect his life - in an effort to immortalize not only the divine Athena, but also himself, the master included a bald old man with a sculptor’s hammer in one of the scenes decorating the goddess’s shield.
Phidias on the shield of the sculpture of Athena the Virgin
The Athenians did not appreciate the humor and condemned it for blasphemy. Phidias died in prison.
The famous statue was probably destroyed by fire, probably in the 5th century BC. e., but there are several copies of varying degrees of accuracy.
The most reliable one, called “Athena Varvarikon”, can be seen in the National Archaeological Museum.
Modern Parthenon
Modern Parthenon
It makes no sense to describe in detail what the Parthenon looks like today - Greek archaeologists and builders brought it as close as possible to the ancient temple.
Of course, all the gloss and beauty of the Parthenon sculptures have been lost, but the building still amazes the imagination.
Every year the temple becomes more beautiful and the stories of the guides more impressive, so visiting the Parthenon is an experience that is interesting to repeat every few years.
How much does a visit cost?
Surviving sculptures on the roof pediment of the Parthenon
Access to the main monument of ancient Hellenic architecture is open from 8.30 to 18.00.
It is recommended to visit it in the early hours or in the evening, when the heat is not particularly strong and the influx of tourists is not very large. At the entrance there is a small stall selling sparkling water and freshly squeezed juices (4.5 euros). Please note that you will not be allowed inside with a glass, and the glass is quite large.
Bring a bottle of water; there are fountains and a toilet upstairs in front of the entrance and to the left.
Entry with large bags is also prohibited, but there are storage lockers on site where you can leave them.
There are several entrances and ticket offices, including from the side of the museum and on the south-eastern side, near the Theater of Dionysus.
The line at the ticket office on the museum side is usually shorter.
The ticket price for entry to the Parthenon territory (12 euros) includes visits to 6 attractions, including the Temple of Olympian Zeus, the Ancient and Roman Agora, the Theater of Dionysus and the oldest district of Athens - Ceramics.
The ticket is valid for 4 days.
The ancient Parthenon temple in Athens is not only a grandiose monument. It is also a national symbol of Greece, of which the country is very proud.
Incredibly beautiful in its simplicity, the building successfully stood the test of time and fell only under shells from heavy cannons made thousands of years after the construction of the last sanctuary of Athena.
Isn’t this worthy of admiration for the work of ancient masters!
Despite the fact that the temple of the Greek goddess has been restored for a long time and is surrounded by scaffolding, being next to it is an amazing and exciting feeling.
If you happen to visit Athens, be sure to visit the Parthenon - the great spirit ancient Hellas, frozen in Pentelic marble.
The Parthenon Temple is one of the symbols of Greece, a monument of ancient architecture, located in the central part of the Athens Acropolis.
The Parthenon is an ancient temple, the main symbol of the capital of Greece, Athens, and the entire country. Together with other buildings of the Athenian Acropolis, the Parthenon is the object of the List world heritage UNESCO. The temple is dedicated to the patroness of the city, Athena the Virgin, who is also considered the patroness of the entire Attica - the area around the city.
Translated from ancient Greek, the Parthenon means “most pure”, “virgin”. Athena was awarded this epithet for her virginity, which was one of the fundamental qualities of the goddess. Scientists believe that the Christian cult of the Mother of God subsequently grew out of the cult of the warrior maiden Athena.
The temple is located in the center of the Acropolis of Athens - the upper city of Athens. The Acropolis of Athens is a hill in the center of the city, which is a rock 150 m high above sea level with a flat top. On the upper platform of the acropolis, measuring 300 m by 170 m, various temples, palaces and sculptures have been located since archaic times.
Parthenon architecture
Thanks to the developed culture of the Athenian polis, history has brought down to this day the names of the people who built the temple. The marble tablets on which the city authorities wrote down their decrees indicate who built the Parthenon. The author of the project is the architect Iktinus, the architect Callicrates supervised the construction of the temple, the great sculptor Phidias carried out the external decoration of the building and was the author of the sculptures that decorated the pediments and the interior of the temple. The general leadership was carried out by the great statesman and founding father of Athenian democracy, Pericles.
The Parthenon is a classical ancient Greek temple, rectangular in its base, surrounded on all sides by a Doric colonnade. The central facades have 8 columns, the side facades have 17, the total number of columns in the Parthenon is 50.
The Parthenon is interesting primarily for its unique architectural design used in the construction of the temple. In order to avoid optical distortions, the authors of the project resorted to innovative architectural techniques: the columns were thickened in the central part, and the corner columns were also inclined towards the center of the temple and had a slightly larger volume. During the construction of the temple, the principle of the golden ratio was used. Thanks to the techniques used by the architects, the impression of absolutely straight lines of the temple and its perfect appearance is created.
The temple was almost entirely built from expensive Pentelic marble, and gold was widely used in the initial decoration. The temple stands on three steps one and a half meters high; from the central western façade of the building the steps used to enter the building were cut out. The total length of the building is 70 m, width - 31 m, height - 14 m.
Not all the treasures of the Parthenon have survived to this day: such a masterpiece of the temple as the 13-meter statue of Athena Parthenos by the great sculptor Phidias, which once stood in the center of the Parthenon, has been lost forever to humanity. Of the many sculptural groups representing scenes from the life of the ancient gods and decorating the pediments of the building, only 11 have survived to this day; another 19 sculptures were barbarously cut down in the 19th century and taken to Great Britain, where they are now kept in the British Museum.
History of the Athens Parthenon
Marble tablets, on which the city authorities wrote down their decrees and orders, have preserved for us the exact date when the Parthenon was built. The start of construction was 447 BC. e. The construction of the temple took 10 years, after which in 438 BC. e. it was open. The construction of the temple dedicated to the goddess Athena cost the city treasury 700 talents - more than 18 tons of silver.
In the 3rd century BC. e. Athens survived the Heruli invasion, during which the Parthenon was sacked and burned. The roof, ceilings and doors of the temple were damaged. During the restoration, ancient builders did not strive to restore the Parthenon to its original form, so architectural distortions were introduced into it.
For about a thousand years the Parthenon was pagan temple , however, after the collapse of the Roman Empire and the formation of Byzantium, it was converted into a Christian church, presumably in the 6th century AD. e. During the turbulent medieval history of the Balkans and Athens in particular, the Parthenon either became a Catholic church or returned to the disposal of the Orthodox Patriarchate of Constantinople.
In the 15th century, Athens and all of Greece were conquered by the Ottoman Turks, after which the Parthenon was turned into a mosque, and a military garrison, a pasha's palace and even a harem were located on the territory of the Athenian Acropolis. The Great Turkish War between the Christian states of Europe and the Ottoman Empire was a heavy blow to the Parthenon. During the storming of Athens by the Venetians in 1687, the Parthenon was destroyed. The territory of the acropolis was fired from cannons, after which the temple, in which the gunpowder warehouse was located, exploded.
The Venetians who captured the city noted the colossal damage caused to the Parthenon by their own artillery. Three dozen columns were destroyed, the roof collapsed, some of the sculptures were destroyed, and the central section of the building collapsed. From that time on, the Parthenon fell into ruins and was never used as a temple again.
Throughout the 18th century, the Parthenon slowly collapsed: local residents used the ruins of the building as building material, and numerous European hunters for antique values exported elements of sculptures and decoration of the building to their countries. The picture of the destruction of the Parthenon was completed by the British ambassador to Turkey, Thomas Bruce, who at the beginning of the 19th century took to Great Britain more than 200 boxes with sculptures, fragments of columns and other artifacts of the Parthenon.
As a result, it is impossible to give a definite answer to the question “Who destroyed the Parthenon?” The destruction of the great temple was the work of many people: from the Ottoman rulers of Greece and the inhabitants of Athens to connoisseurs of ancient art from Europe.
After Greece gained independence in the first half of the 19th century, the area of the acropolis was cleared of later buildings such as a minaret, a medieval palace and even sculptures from the Roman period. The restoration of the temple began in the 19th century, but it was prevented by the earthquake of 1894, which further destroyed the building. The reconstruction of the Parthenon by Greek architects continued from the beginning of the 20th century until the middle of the century, after which the temple acquired its modern appearance. However, restoration and archaeological work did not stop after this and continues to this day.
What now
Nowadays, the Parthenon is the main attraction of Athens, one of the national shrines of Greece and the heritage of all mankind. The ideal appearance of the temple, although not completely preserved to this day, not only gives an idea of the cultural and technical achievements of ancient Greece, but is also a symbol of the possibilities of human genius. The Parthenon annually attracts millions of tourists to Athens, and since 1987, together with the entire territory of the Acropolis of Athens, it has been included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Where is the Parthenon
The Parthenon is located on the territory of the Acropolis of Athens in the very center of the Greek capital. In order to get to the Upper Town Hill, you need to get to the center of Athens. When traveling by Athens Skytrain, you need to get off at Akropolis station on the Athens Metro Red Line. Also, the large pedestrian street Dionysiou Areopagitou leads to the hill with the temple located on it.
Excursions to the Acropolis
You can visit the territory of the acropolis on your own; to do this, you need to purchase a ticket at the ticket office at the entrance to the territory of the archaeological site.
Opening hours of the Acropolis of Athens: 8:00 - 20:00, seven days a week.
Ticket price: 12 EUR, ticket is valid for 4 days from the date of purchase.
When visiting the acropolis, it is strictly forbidden to touch ancient buildings with your hands, including columns.
Ordering an individual tour of the Acropolis and visiting the main attractions with a Russian-speaking guide will cost 320 EUR. This excursion also includes a sightseeing tour of Athens. Duration of the excursion: from 2 to 5 hours.
The Parthenon is one of the most famous monuments of ancient architecture. This 2,500-year-old magnificent temple on the Acropolis in Athens has survived earthquakes, fires, explosions and repeated looting attempts. And although the Parthenon was in no way an engineering breakthrough in construction, its style became the paradigm of classical architecture.
1. Acropolis in Athens
The Acropolis in Athens, where the Parthenon is located, is also called the "sacred rock" and was used for defensive purposes.
2. Cultural layers
Cultural layers discovered on the slopes of the Acropolis indicate that there were settlements on the hill since 2800 BC, that is, long before the Minoan and Mycenaean cultures.
3. The Acropolis was a sacred place
Long before the construction of the Parthenon, the Acropolis was sacred place and other temples stood on it. Parthenon replaced old temple Athens, which was destroyed during the Persian invasion in 480 BC.
4. House Parthenos
The name "Parthenon" is derived from one of the many epithets of Athena (Athena Parthenos), and it means ""house of Parthenos"". This name was given to the temple in the 5th century BC because a cult statue of Athena was installed inside it.
5. Construction of the Parthenon
Construction of the Parthenon began in 447 BC. and was completed in 438 BC, but the final decoration of the temple continued until 432 BC.
6. Ictinus, Callicrates and Phidias
The Parthenon, which was built by the architects Ictinus and Callicrates under the supervision of the sculptor Phidias, is considered by most modern architects and historians to be the highest expression of ancient Greek architectural genius. The temple is also considered the culmination of the development of the Doric order, the simplest of the three classical Greek architectural styles.
7. 192 Greek warriors
Several modern historians (including art historian John Boardman) believe that the frieze above the Doric columns of the Parthenon depicts the 192 Greek soldiers who died at the Battle of Marathon against the Persians in 490 BC.
8. Stones from Pentelikon
Some of the financial records of the construction of the Parthenon have been preserved, which show that the largest expense was the transportation of stones from Pentelikon, which was located sixteen kilometers from the Acropolis of Athens.
9. The Greek government and the EU have been restoring the Parthenon for 42 years
The Parthenon restoration project (which is funded by the Greek government and the European Union) has been ongoing for 42 years. It took the ancient Athenians only 10 years to build the Parthenon.
10. 12-meter statue of the goddess Athena
The rectangular building, 31 meters wide and 70 meters high, was built of white marble. Surrounded by forty-six columns stood a 12-meter statue of the goddess Athena, made of wood, gold and ivory.
11. Tyrant Lahar
Although much of the structure remains intact, the Parthenon has suffered significant damage over the centuries. It all started in 296 BC, when the Athenian tyrant Lacharus removed the gold covering from the statue of Athena in order to pay the debt of his army.
12. In the fifth century AD, the Parthenon was converted into a Christian church
In the fifth century AD, the Parthenon was converted into a Christian church, and in 1460 a Turkish mosque was located in the Parthenon. In 1687, the Ottoman Turks placed a gunpowder warehouse in the temple, which exploded when the temple was shelled by the Venetian army. At the same time, part of the temple turned into ruins.
13. 46 external columns and 23 internal
The Parthenon had 46 outer columns and 23 inner columns, but not all remain today. In addition, the Parthenon used to have a roof (it currently does not).
14. The Parthenon's design is earthquake resistant
The Parthenon's design is earthquake-resistant, even though the temple's columns are quite thin.
15. The Parthenon was used as a city treasury
The Parthenon was also used as the city's treasury, like many other Greek temples of the era.
16. The construction of the Parthenon was not financed by the Athenians.
Even though the Parthenon is the most popular Athenian building of all time, its construction was not financed by the Athenians. After the end of the Persian Wars, Athens became, in 447 BC, the dominant power in what is now Greece. Funds for the construction of the temple were taken from the tribute paid to Athens by other city-states of the Delian League.
17. Delhi League deposits were kept in an opisthodome
The monetary deposits of the Delian League, which was ruled by Athens, were kept in the opisthodome - the rear closed part of the temple.
18. The Parthenon, Erechtheion and the Temple of Nike were built over the ruins of the Acropolis.
During the "classical period" not only the Parthenon, but also the Erechtheion and the Temple of Nike were built over the ruins of the Acropolis.
19. The first theater in history
Besides these structures, another important monument at the foot of the Acropolis is the "Theater of Dionysus", which is considered to be the first theater in history.
20. The Parthenon had a multi-colored facade
From 1801 to 1803, part of the remaining sculptures of the temple were taken away by the Turks (who controlled Greece at that time). These sculptures were subsequently sold to the British Museum.
23. A full-scale replica of the Parthenon is located in Nashville, Tennessee.
The Parthenon is the most copied building in the world. There are many buildings around the world that were created in the same style. There is also a full-size replica of the Parthenon located in Nashville, Tennessee.
24. The opening of the Acropolis Museum took place in 2009
More than half a million people visited new museum Acropolis during the first two months after its opening in 2009.
25. Golden Rectangle of the Parthenon
A rectangle's length to width ratio of 1.618 was considered most pleasing to the eye. This ratio was called the "golden ratio" by the Greeks. In the world of mathematics, this number is called "phi" and it was named after the Greek sculptor Phidias, who used the golden ratio in his sculptures. From the outside, the Parthenon is a perfect “golden rectangle”.