Information Report: The Parthenon

AP Art History

The Parthenon, also known as the Temple of Athena Parthenos(virgin), is one of the most recognized buildings of Ancient Greece. The building, whose architects are Iktinos and Kallikrates, is located atop the Acropolis of Athens on a site that was already considered sacred. The Parthenon had been built to thank the goddess Athena for the victory over Persia in the Persian Wars and stands on the ruins of the foundations of a building that had been destroyed in the war. The temple is a great, imposing structure that from its position above the city on the Acropolis, has inspired innumerable people and held the imagination and wonder of many scholars.

The Parthenon was built between 447 B.C and 432 B.C by Pericles who was essentially the ruler of Athens. The historical atmosphere of the time greatly contributed to the temple's existence. Before it was built Athens had joined together in the Delian League with several other city-states to defend against the Persians. The temple was built out of funds from this league that Athens had access to as leader of the coalition. In 1204 a Roman emperor took the cult statue of Athena that would have been placed in the naos. Later the Parthenon was converted to a Christian church in 600 A.D called the Church of the Theotokos and later also the Catholic Church of Our Lady. These changes of dedication and religious affiliation of the temple was accompanied by frequent architectural modifications. A variety of changes that can be noted are the removal of walls of the cella and columns and of sculptures as well. During the Persian War in 1687 the Ottoman Turks held the temple in their control and used it to store ammunition. When Venetians attacked, the temple was damaged by rocket fire. This damage explains the completely missing roof, many ruined pillars, and the poor condition of many of the reliefs.

The Parthenon, constructed by Phidias, Iktinos, and Kallikrates, is considered the height of the Doric order. The material used to construct it is marble transported from Mount Pentelicus, which was sixteen kilometers from Athens. The temple has been looked on in awe since its construction. The temple is masterfully constructed so for the common people looking up at it the temple would be as close to perfect as they would have ever seen. The columns, which measure 1.9 meters in diameter and are 10.4 meters high are tapered at the top and the corner columns are larger in diameter than the other, which helped to make the temple look more symmetrical when gazed up at. The naos walls are also tapered upward and the stylobates where the columns rest are curved to reduce any appearance of imperfection. The curving of the stylobate near the center is 60 millimeters and towards the ends it is 110 millimeters. The Parthenon is a peripteral temple with two parallel sides of eight columns on the eastern and western directed sides and two parallel sides of seventeen columns on the northern and southern sides that encircle it as well as steps on every side. Past that first set of eight parallel columns, on both sides, are the two entrances, which have an additional six prostyle columns in front of them. The columns are Doric and taper upwards with a very simple capital that flares up from the column in a circular shape that meets the at the abacus, which is a small square block between it and the entablature. The Doric columns also have no bases and rest directly on the ground. Through one entrance on the western end of the temple one could reach a small room called an opisthodomos that was used as a treasury and has four small, slender ionic columns for the eastern entrance side is the pronaos and a large cella with a u-shape that measures 29.8 meters long by 19.2 meters wide . There are 23 columns forming a columnade at the end of which is the statue base where the cult statue of Athena Parthenos would rest and in front of the base is a shallow indentation where a reflecting pool would be. The exact dimensions of the base of the building are 69.5 meters by 30.9 meters

The sculptural decorations for temple were created by Phidias. They began early in the building process and continued on five years after construction was completed in 438 B.C. Beautiful marble sculptures decorate a large portion of the temple. On the eastern pediment was a depiction of the birth of Athena. The western pediment showed Athena's battle with Poseidon for possession of the land of Attica. There were ninety-two metopes in all and each was decorated. On the metopes of the southern side the battle of the Lapiths and the Centaurs is depicted, on the east the battle of the gods and the giants, and on the west the battle of the Greeks and the Amazons. These sculptural decorations are damaged and some parts such as the metopes on the northern side are nearly unrecognizable. Many of the reliefs and statues were taken between 1801 and 1803 by Lord Elgin when the Turks still held it in their possession and are now called the Elgin Marbles and kept in the British Museum. Around the entire temple in a 524 foot long frieze is a continuous sculptural relief called the Panathenaic Procession. This frieze, unlike the others, is located on the interior of the peristyle and done in Ionic form. It is of a Panathenaic Festival that took place in Athens every four years, which makes it a depiction of not a single gathering or certain people but of a periodic gathering. In the festival the Athenians would start in the marketplace and end at the Acropolis. The frieze begins on the western side and continues to its end at the center of the eastern frieze, which is also over the doorway to the cella where the cult statue is kept. The upper portion was also adjusted, like the columns, so that they would appear as clearly as the other portions of the frieze. The western frieze is covered with marshals and townsfolk mounting their horses and starting on the procession. The pace quickens as they reach the Acropolis and more people such as musicians and servants join in. On the east they are watched by gods and goddesses like Aphrodite, Eros, Apollo, Artemis, and Poseidon as they near the temple. Aside from the sculptures the Parthenon was also painted. The sculptures and reliefs are believed to have been painted bright blue and reds. Also, the inner ceiling was a deep blue at some point and the many columns were painted in bright colors like red and yellow so as to stand out more to observers. The pedimental sculptures are very impressive. They are in the triangular space above the metopes on the east and west ends of the temple. On the west end are sculptures of Poseidon and Athena competing for the title of patron deity of Athens, which shows very clearly the Athenians feeling of importance as the gods were so eager to be their patrons that they competed for it. They both offer to the people gifts. Poseidon offers a spring and Athena offers an olive tree, which they accept. This also explains why the Athenians used the olive tree as their symbol. The eastern pediment is simply of Athena's birth where she emerged fully grown from Zeus' head, which is actually in a bad state of preservation.

In conclusion, the Parthenon of Greece is a great structure of both architecture and art. The unique design of it and its idiosyncratic aspects such as the columns(which were made under a strict mathematical canon) and the mix of styles make it one of the most unique structures of Classical Greek Architecture. The sculptures that adorn all sides of the temple and are both within and without distinguishes it as a great work of art. Although the condition of the temple is bad it is proof of the temple's significance that even now, several thousand years later the nation of Greece hold it above most other landmarks and are seriously attempting to preserve and restore it.