The Parthenon

The Parthenon, a masterpiece of ancient Greek architecture, was built to honor the goddess Athena. It was part of the Acropolis, a collection of ancient temples and monuments found on a hill in the center of Athens, Greece.

The Parthenon was built between 447 and 432 bc. Pericles, a popular politician, envisioned the project and Phidias, a famous sculptor, was in charge of building it. Phidias also carved a large gold and ivory statue of Athena that stood inside it.

The Parthenon’s raised base is about 225 feet long and 100 feet wide. The temple that sat on it was about 98 feet long and 65 feet wide. Fifty marble columns - each 6 feet around and about 34 feet high - formed the sides and held up the roof. A band of carved stone picturing famous battles ran around the top of the columns. Marble statues stood inside and out.

The Parthenon remained Athena’s temple for almost 1,000 years. But when the Romans took over Athens in the 600s, they moved her statue and later destroyed it. Soon after, the Parthenon became a Christian church and many of its pagan statues were destroyed. In 1456, Athens was conquered again and the church became a mosque. Finally, in 1689, Venetians attacked the city and badly damaged the structure. Only some of the columns remained standing.

European tourists visiting Athens in the late 1700s made the ruins of the Parthenon famous. In 1801, Lord Elgin took many of its remaining decorative pieces to Britain. Known as the Elgin Marbles, they are now in the British Museum. The Greek government wants them back, but so far the British have refused.

Today, vibrations from central Athens’ heavy traffic may be destabilizing the land beneath the Acropolis and the pollution from vehicle exhaust fumes is corroding the Parthenon’s remaining marble columns.