The Parthenon--Temple Of Athena

The temple of the great goddess Athena that sits atop the Acropolis in Greece is known as the Parthenon. This is one of the most important surviving buildings left over from the classic Greek architecture. Due to its importance in Greek history, The Greek Ministry of Culture is currently conducting a program to restore and reconstruct the Parthenon to its former glory. The original Parthenon was destroyed when the Persians invaded Greece in 480 BC. The Parthenon we see today was built to replace that structure and used as a treasury for the Athenian Empire.

In 6th century AD the Parthenon was converted into a Christian church, and after the Ottoman conquest, it was converted into a mosque in the 1460s. Construction of the New Parthenon started in 447 BC, by the architects Iktinos and Kalikarates. The building was almost totally finished by 432 BC, but the interior decoration and sculptures were still being completed in 431 BC. The Pan-Hellenic sanctuary was moved from Delos to the Acropolis and was the most expensive part of the construction.

Some surviving sculptures were removed from the Parthenon in 1806 by Thomas Bruce, 7th Earl of Elgin. In 1816 these sculptures (Parthenon Marbles) were sold to the British Museum in London. Though Greece is committed to the return of the Parthenon Marbles they have had no success in getting them returned. The reconstruction of the Parthenon began in 1975 and the structure and its base were deemed monuments in 1983. The most damaging problem facing the Parthenon and the Acropolis today is acid rain caused by car pollutants, which is corroding the marble at an alarming rate.