Parthenon

The Parthenon is a monument of ancient architecture, an ancient Greek temple located on the Acropolis of Athens. The main temple is dedicated to the goddess Athena, the patroness of the city and the whole of Attica. The Parthenon was built in 447-438 b.c. by the architect Kallikrates, designed by Iktinus, and decorated in 438-431 b.c. under the direction of Phidias, the previous temple having been destroyed by the Persians around 480 b.c. Most of the historical finds from the temple are on display today in the Acropolis Museum. The temple created a huge three-stage base on which was built a rectangular temple of seventeen columns on the north and south sides and eight on the east and west sides. In the central hall of the temple was a golden statue of Athena, now lost. The sculptures were integrated into the building itself: pedimental groups depicted the birth of Athena and her struggle with Poseidon. The metopes included battle scenes between gods and giants, as well as between Greeks, centaurs, Amazons, and the famous frieze that was at the top around the cella, showing the Panathenaic procession in Athena's honor. The work of Phidias marked the golden age of Greek culture. Sculptors such as Polyclitus, Praxiteles, Lysippus and Myron created some of the greatest works of art of antiquity, although they are now known only from Roman copies.