Parthenon

The Parthenon is a temple that was built on Acropolis Hill, overlooking the city of Athens. It was built to honor a Greek goddess, Athena, who was the patron goddess of the ancient city of Athens.

It was designed, very simply, by a famous sculptor named Phidias. The temple was originally going to be a very cheap creation, not costing the city much in economic, or human, resources. However, Phidias made a huge statue of Athena, sculpted of elephant ivory and gold. There were a great amount of costly items built in the temple, which is expected, but none of them could be compared to the statue of Athena.

The work on the temple began in 447 BC, and it is believed to have measured 111 feet by 228 feet. Although time has set in, the Parthenon used to be one of the most beautiful temples in the world. In 1687, the Venetians bombed the temple, which caused a fire to break out, bringing the temple to the ruins we know of it today.

Lord Elgin, from England, claimed that he had permission from the Turkish officials to take what he wanted from the temple when it was in ruins, but he went overboard and took the Parthenon Marbles. The Greek officials are still trying to get them back, but they are being kept in the British Museum in London, England.

The temple was actually built over an older temple, it featured a rectangular floor with a series of low steps on all sides. The columns were 8 feet by 17 feet, round, and went all the way around the entire temple. The hope is that eventually the temple may be fully rebuilt to it’s former existence.