Parthenon in Greece

The Parthenon was built in the fifth century BC and is one of the most famous buildings from ancient Greece that still stands today. It was originally made as a temple for the goddess Athena, but has seen many other uses throughout history, as different forces attacked and took control of the country. For example, the Parthenon served over 250 years as a Roman Catholic Church. They removed some of the columns from the inside of the temple during this time. They also removed and destroyed some of the sculptures.

Some of the original sculptures from the Parthenon can be seen at the British Museum in London. They were sold to the museum by Thomas Bruce the seventh Earl of Elgin. He had removed the sculptures with permission after a bomb had exploded in the building. He had done this in hopes of keeping the relics safe from future attacks.

Some of the sculptures that are not in the British Museum are in the Louvre in Paris, Copenhagen, and other places around the world. Most of them are located in the Acropolis Museum in Athens. Acid rain and car pollutants have caused damage to the sculptures that still remain in the temple, so the future of them is not assured.

In 1975, Greece began to restore the Parthenon. It took eight years for a committee to be formed for the project. The remaining artifacts from the building were all documented and the results were put into computers. Marble from the original quarry is being used to fill in all the chipped sections of the drums and lintels in the Parthenon.

Today, millions of tourists travel to see the Parthenon by going through the restored Propylaea and up the Panathenaic Way. A low fence now protects the structure from further damage.