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May 23, 2013
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Parthenon
The Parthenon is a large temple from ancient Greece architecture. The architects of the Parthenon had set out to make this the best temple ever. The Parthenon in Athens is the most famous surviving building of Ancient Greece and one of the most famous buildings in the world. The significance is important because it is probably the best example of Greek architecture that we have left.
If you look at a lot of the buildings and architecture we have in this country or elsewhere in the world you can tell that they are based on Greek architecture. . Three buildings based on Greek architecture are the U.S. Capital Building, Second Bank of America and the Washington Monument .
In order for this new, large, beautiful temple, the Athenians used the tribute money from their allies that was supposed to be spent for defending the Greeks from Persian invasions. The Parthenon construction cost the Athenians 469 silver talents.
The Parthenon was built on top of the highest hill in Athens, the Acropolis. After the Greek and Persian Wars, the Athenians left the Acropolis in ruins, as a kind of war memorial. But by the 440’s BC, a generation later, the Athenians wanted to rebuild their Parthenon bigger and better than before. The Athenians had hired two great architects, Callicrates and Ictinus, and a great sculptor, Phidias, to rebuild the Parthenon. This time the whole building would be made of beautiful marble. The marble was the latest style and it was also big. Most Greek temples had six columns across the front but the Parthenon has eight. There's a set of trigyphs and metopes on the main the lowest division of an entablature resting in classical architecture on the capital of the column, over Doric columns. There is also a frieze on the inner architrave, over the Ionic columns. So while most Greek temples are either Doric or Ionic, the Parthenon is both.
Throughout its long life, the Parthenon was used for most importantly as a Greek temple, but has also been a treasury, a fortress, a church, and a mosque. Today, it is one of the most recognizable icons and popular tourist attractions in the world. The Parthenon remains as an important piece of history today because it stands as the symbol of both Ancient Greece and of the age of Athenian Democracy. Although some consider it to be both an old and a new Parthenon the history of the Parthenon is part of its appeal. The many decorative sculptures that decorate or add beauty to the Parthenon are considered to be the highest forms of Greek art.
As you can tell, the Parthenon is a very famous and popular building. It is very different than a lot of other Greek buildings and other architecture. That is what we have learned about The Parthenon
Article posted March 23, 2012 at 07:42 AM •
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