Most of the Acropolis had been destroyed or was in ruins after war with the Persians. Since this was around the time of Pericles coming to power most people looked to him for hope of rebuilding their city. Pericles began the reconstruction of the Acropolis around 460 and hired the best sculptors and architects to work on this project. The people who were put in charge of rebuilding the Acropolis were Phidias, Ictinus, and Callicrates. Ictinus and Callicrates were well known architects in Athens and would construct one of the most well known structures of all time the Parthenon. Pericles was in the process of reconstructing the long walls at this time therefore he had to leave this project to his two trusted architects. The Parthenon was built in the place of the Temple to Athena and would at one point be used as the treasury for the Delian League. In 437 the Propylaea, or the gates to the Acropolois, were being built by Mnesicles. These gates had columns made of Pentelic Marble which were built in place of the old gates which somewhat remained. Behind the gates a structure made by the great sculptor Phidias called the Promachos Athena stood at enormous heights. This was a gigantic bronze statue of Athena that was created in the time from 450-448 The last major structure that was being built during the time that Pericles ruled Athens was the Temple of Athena…
All around the Parthenon there are 92 metope carvings. The metopes of the east side, above the main entrance, depict the Gigantomachy, the mythical battles between the Olympia gods and the giants. The metopes of the west side show Amazonomachy, the mythical battle of the Athenians against…
The controversy of whether the Elgin or Parthenon Marbles should be kept in Britain, or returned to Greece, has been a frenzied dispute since the early 1800’s. Lord Elgin originally took possession of the Marbles to either salvage them from being further destroyed, or he bought them and re-sold them to the British Museum. Whether Lord Elgin, ambassador to the then ruling Ottoman empire, had the authority to handle the Marbles presents great confusion, “[a]s to whether Elgin had legal authority to remove the marbles, the Ottomans being the ruling power, as the British maintain… “The problem is not legal,” he [Mr. Pandermalis] decided. “It’s ethical and cultural” (Kimmelman).The British can return the Marbles to Greece, where they originally belonged, or Greece can be satisfied with the casts of the Marbles. Despite the casts of the real Marbles in the Acropolis Museum in Greece, there are still requests by the Greek government to return the Marbles from Britain. Lord Elgin’s decision to salvage the Marbles finds a way to appear as vandalism in the eyes of others. Britain has a strong argument as to why they should remain the owners of the Marbles, but because of Greece’s ownership of the Marbles before Britain, and their capability of protecting the Marbles in the new Acropolis Museum, it is perfectly understandable as to why Greece believes the Marbles should be returned.…
The “Elgin Marbles” are Ancient Greek art from The Parthenon in Greece, named this after Lord Elgin. The ancient art was acquired by Britain, initially through Lord Elgin’s removal from the Parthenon during his time as an Ottoman ambassador in Athens, Greece. He somehow convinced the Ottoman emperor to allow him to take the ancient art, beginning in 1805. The British government purchased the ancient artifacts from Lord Elgin and placed them in the British Museum, where they have remained since 1816. Currently, Greece’s government argues that the artifacts should be returned. Britain states that it is a bad idea due to the irreversible damage that…
Parthenon in Athens was built during the greatest time on the Athenian Empire, in 5th century BC. The construction was largely promoted by the politician Perikles (The Parthenon, n.d.). The Parthenon was built as a sign of gratitude to the gods for the defeat of Persians, who earlier destroyed Athenian acropolis. Parthenon was built as a temple for the goddess Athena - a goddess of Athens. Parthenon is built in Doric style with colonnade around the periphery of rectangular floor. It has a main room for the statue and a smaller room for treasure (The Parthenon, n.d.)…
Upon entering The Parthenon, I scaled the columns and classical architecture. The Acropolis offered one of the world’s dramatic landscapes as setting for the Parthenon, constructed entirely of marble from the diggings at nearby Mt. Pentelicon. The sculptures consisted of elaborate religious and historical events of importance to the Athenian self-image. The East pediment told the story of the birth of Athena from the head of Zeus. The west pediment told the story of the competition between Athena and Poseidon for the lands of Attica.…
Its façade is in accord with the golden ratio, able to be divided into golden rectangles. It is a Doric temple, which means that it is rectangular in style, with steps on each side, and a row of columns, or a colonnade, around the entire perimiter of the building. Inside there are two rooms. The larger room, called the naos, once held a statue of Athena. The smaller room, the opisthodomos, was once used as a treasury. The metopes are 92 panels that run along the outside of the building. The metopes on each side have a different subject: the final stages of the battle between the Greek gods and the giants, the Battle of the Lapiths and the Centaurs, the invasion of the Amazons, and the Trojan War. The frieze is the most notable feature of the Parthenon, in the upper part of the largest room. It is most agreed upon that it depicts a procession from Athens to the Acropolis in celebration of Athena. The pedimens are some of the finest examples of classical Greek sculpture, narrating the birth of Athena and the competition between her and Poseidon to become the patron of Athens. The sculptures depict figures in natural and graceful movement, with idealized and perfected…
Much debate has been seen on returning antiquities to the country of origin. It seems as though most outsiders side with the country of origin, but are they correct in their opinion? Just as stated, it is their opinion. The following gives way to my beliefs that the Elgin Marbles should stay at the Duveen Gallery in Britain. The first section seeks to credit Lord Elgin and a legitimate purchase. The second section revolves around the Elgin Marbles as a symbol of Greek identity and why keeping them in Britain makes sense. Finally, the third section focuses on the location of the antiquities in relation to the accessibility by scholars and world-travelers.…
The Parthenon in Nashville, Tennessee is a full-scale replica of the original Parthenon in Athens, Greece. The Parthenon was dedicated to the Greek goddess Athena, the goddess of war and wisdom, by the people of Greece. The replica was made to represent the Athens of the South which is Nashville because at the time it was one of the few places in the south with significant growth of culture and education. While the completion of the original was in 432 B.C., Nashville’s replica was completed in 1897 by architect William Crawford Smith. The original Parthenon is thought of to be the most important surviving building of Classical Greek era. The replica Parthenon was originally built of plaster, wood, and brick, for it was not intended to be permanent.…
The pieces were damaged, hacked burned even, but can one account for the time and the reasons for this effacement? This “city on a hill” was distinct in its presence and expensive in its “right” to be constructed. However its use over time has worn or even destructed all of its original purpose: the roof, the cult statue of Athena-Parthenon, among a great deal of other things. Can the Acropolis be seen as only a memorial to a war? Greece/Athens fought a great deal of wars, but perhaps the zeal and the nationalism, perhaps even hubris that the ancient Athenians felt forced them to reconstruct their most holy site in what we see today. Athens certainly celebrated their past, but also worshipped their Gods/Goddesses with fervor, can we view their relationship with the Divine in the same way we interpret the Divine…
“It may be unfair, but what happens in a few days, sometimes even a single day, can change the course of a whole lifetime...”…
Many historians believe that the Greek and Roman architecture, known as "classical architecture," evolved from basic Egyptian column design, consisting of a pedestal, column and "equity" or top. The Greeks and Romans out this design by creating five more types of columns to support their many civilian buildings and religious temples. The Romans also borrowed from the Etruscan arch design to create the dome.…
Watching the documentary, Secrets of the Parthenon, allows an intimate glimpse into the creation and restoration of one of classical Greece’s most iconic symbols, the Parthenon. Back in 447BC, Percicles gathered support for the construction of the Parthenon, a temple decided to the goddess Athena, who was considered extremely important in Athens. During the nine years of construction, new precision construction techniques were used and applied to the marble construction, with the end result being a structure so large and so beautiful to the eye, unlike any other ever constructed before.…
The Parthenon was built to honor the goddess of wisdom, Athena. When structures are built using straight lines they tend to look slightly distorted due to the science of optics. The architects Iktos and Kallikretes were skilled architects of their time and they used illusory tactics to create an ideal aesthetic for The Parthenon. The architects compensated for these visual illusions by counteracting them in their design. The end result is a structure that is not composed of straight lines, but when viewed by the human eye, looks perfectly straight. Plato would have mentioned one of his famous dictums, "That which changes least is most real." He would have viewed Iktos and Kallikretes designs as less real than other designs that do not use illusory tactics to fool the eye. Changing the nature of contemporary construction standards would lead Plato to deem the design as a "change" in architecture of the times. Several elements of the Parthenon follow nature-based models. The rectangular shape of The Parthenon was derived from the Golden Ratio of 5:8, which can be seen in some flowers and nautilus seashells. The drums of The Parthenon's columns also have natural characteristics. Their diameter is similar to the height of man. Plato's view of…
When comparing the two arguments about whether or not Lord Elgin stole the marbles, the British side has some pitfalls. While Lord Elgin may have asked for permission, the firman only permitted him to take some of the marbles, not the majority of them. Additionally, the British Museum stated that they had a “Parliamentary Select Committee” determine whether it was legal or not. This committee is based in the UK which calls into question the legitimacy and depth of their investigation. There could be a significant bias that resulted in clearing the British Museum from the responsibility of admitting to stolen property. The British argument that the marbles cannot return to the Parthenon because of its “ruined state” does not hold up to the fact that the action of taking the sculptures contributed to that ruin in the first place. In addition to that, the argument that the marbles are better suited to the British Museum because of their contribution to the “public worldwide benefit” does not hold up to the fact that their heritage and proper place is within Athens where they could still contribute to the public worldwide benefit. Possibly in even greater capacity because they would be located in their…