Importance of Partheon

One of the most well known places in Greece would be the Athenian Acropolis, where the Parthenon resides. Built in dedication to the Greek Goddess Athena, the current temple was constructed after the original temple was destroyed in the Second Persian Invasion in 480 B.C. The Parthenon is a most prominent figure in Classical Greek history, designed by Callicrates and Ictinus with the supervision of Phidias over the order of Pericles to show the wealth and the extravagance the Athenian power was capable of. Though in restoration, its value becomes clear looking at its sculptures and realizing the extensive history it holds. Being over 2000 years old, the history of the temple is astronomical. Just by looking at it, the affects of an ancient battle and rule are clear. Construction began in 447 B.C., and ended in 438 B.C. The Parthenon was purely a temple to Athena, up till the 4th century. The building held many treasures, the most magnificent being a statue of Athena in full armor holding Nike, Goddess of Victory, made purely of ivory and gold. This statue was lost and eventually destroyed in the 5th century, Athens now being a province of the Roman Empire. In the 5th century, the building was turned into a Christian church. It remained this way for around 250 years, the actual structure remaining intact, but with most sculptures of the Greek Gods destroyed. Then it was the Ottomans' who took control, and turned the temple into a mosque. Under their control, it was maintained, until the 17th century. 1678 was when the Parthenon took a direct shot from mortar fire from the Venetians, and since the building was being used as a store for gunpowder, a huge explosion occurred, leaving most of the destruction visible today. The Venetians soon took control and took whatever they could from the structure, and wrecking the rest, leaving it nearly empty. Whatever was left was then taken by the British in 1801. We can only tell what the sculptures and depictions look