The largest temple in Rome is the Parthenon. Greek Athena: temples and statues of the goddess
For almost 2,500 years, the Parthenon has reigned over Athens, the Temple of Athena the Virgin - the symbol of the city, the pride of ancient architecture. Many experts consider it the most beautiful and harmonious temple Ancient world. And most tourists who see the Parthenon with their own eyes share this opinion.
History of construction
For many years after the destruction of the main temple of Athena, the Hekatompedon, by the Persians, there was no sanctuary in Athens worthy of the patroness of the city. Only after graduating from Greek Persian wars in 449 BC e. the Athenians had enough money for large-scale construction.
The construction of the Parthenon began during the reign of Pericles, one of the greatest political figures of Ancient Greece. This was the "golden age" of Attica. Recognition of the leading role of Athens in the fight against the Persians led to the creation of the Delian Maritime League, which included 206 Greek city-states. In 464 BC. e. The treasury of the union was transported to Athens. After this, the rulers of Attica virtually uncontrollably disposed in cash most of the Greek states.
The money was used not only to fight the Persians. Huge amounts of money were spent by Pericles on grandiose construction work. During his reign, a magnificent temple ensemble grew on the Acropolis, the center of which was the Parthenon.
Construction of the Parthenon began in 447 BC. e. V highest point Acropolis hill. Here back in 488 BC. e. The site for the new temple was prepared and work began on its construction, but at the initial stage they were interrupted by the renewed war.
The Parthenon project belonged to the architect Ictinus, and the progress of the work was supervised by Callicrates. The great sculptor Phidias took an active part in the construction of the temple, who was engaged in the external and internal decoration of the building. The best craftsmen of Greece were involved in the construction, and the general control of the work was carried out by Pericles himself.
The consecration of the temple took place in 438 at the annual Panathenaic Games, but the finishing work on the building was finally completed only in 432 BC. e.
Architectural appearance of the Parthenon
Architecturally, the temple is a classic peripterus with one row of Doric columns. There are 50 columns in total - 8 on the end sides and 17 on the sides. The width of the end sides is larger than the traditional one - 8 columns instead of 6. This was done at the request of Phidias, who sought to achieve the maximum width of the cella, the interior space. The height of the columns was 19.4 meters with a diameter at the bottom of 1.9 m. The corner ones were somewhat thicker - 1.95 m. Towards the top, the thickness of the columns decreased. Each column has 20 longitudinal grooves - flutes - machined into it.
The entire building rests on a three-stage base 1.5 m high. The size of the upper platform of the base, the stylobate, is 69.5 by 30.9 meters. Behind the outer row of columns, two more steps with a total height of 0.7 m were built, on which the walls of the temple stand.
The main entrance to the Parthenon was located on the side opposite the main entrance to the Acropolis - the Propylaea. Thus, to get inside, the visitor had to walk around the building on one side.
The total length of the temple (without the colonnade) is 59 m, width 21.7. The eastern part of the temple, where the sanctuary of Athena itself was located, had an external size of 30.9 m and was called the hecatompedon, “one hundred feet” (Attic foot - 30.9 cm). The length of the cella was 29.9 m. The cella was divided into three naves by two rows of 9 Doric columns. In the middle nave there was an altar of the goddess, as well as the famous statue of Athena Parthenos, the creation of Phidias.
The western part of the building was occupied by an opisthodome - a room in which offerings to Athena and the state archive were kept. The dimensions of the opisthodome were 13.9 x 19.2 m. It was here that the treasury of the Delian League was transported. The name of the opisthodome, Parthenon, was subsequently transferred to the entire temple.
The building was built from marble quarried from Mount Pentelikon, 20 km away. from Athens. The peculiarity of Pentelicon marble is that, being almost white immediately after extraction, over time it acquires a yellowish color. This explains the golden hue of the Parthenon. The marble blocks were held together with iron pins, which were inserted into drilled grooves and filled with lead.
Unique project Iktina
Art historians consider the Parthenon to be a standard of harmony and harmony. His silhouette is flawless. However, in reality there are practically no straight lines in the outlines of the temple.
Human vision perceives objects somewhat distorted. Iktin took full advantage of this. Columns, cornices, roofing - all lines are slightly curved, thereby creating the optical illusion of their ideal straightness.
A building as significant as the Parthenon, located on a flat area, would visually “press through” the base, so the stylobate was made rising towards the center. The temple itself was moved away from the center of the Acropolis to the southeastern corner, so as not to overwhelm the visitor entering the citadel. The sanctuary seems to grow as you approach it.
The solution to the colonnade is interesting. Ideally straight columns would seem too thin, so they have an imperceptible thickening in the middle. To create a feeling of lightness of the building, the columns were installed slightly inclined towards the center. The corner columns were made slightly thicker than the others, which gave the building visual stability. The spans between the columns increase towards the center, but to the viewer walking along the colonnade it seems that they are exactly the same.
By using this feature of human perception in the Parthenon project, Iktin thereby discovered one of the fundamental principles on which the architecture of subsequent centuries grew.
Parthenon sculptures
The best craftsmen of Greece took part in the work on the sculptures of the temple. The general supervision of the sculptural decoration of the sanctuary was carried out by Phidias. He is also the author of the main shrine of the Parthenon - the statue of Athena the Virgin.
The best preserved is the bas-relief frieze that encircled the entire temple above the colonnade. The total length of the frieze is 160 meters. It depicts a solemn procession in honor of Athena. Among the participants in the procession are elders, girls with palm branches, musicians, horsemen, chariots, and young men leading sacrificial animals. Above the entrance to the temple is depicted the final act of Panathenaia - the priest of Athena, surrounded by gods and the most prominent citizens of Attica, accepts peplos (a type of women's outerwear) woven by the Athenians as a gift to the goddess.
Remarkable works of art are the Parthenon metopes - relief images that were located above the frieze. Of the 92 metopes, 57 have survived to this day. The reliefs are grouped thematically and are dedicated to subjects common in Hellas. Above the eastern entrance was depicted the battle of the gods with the giants, above the entrance to the opisthodome in the west - the battle of the Hellenes with the Amazons. The metopes of the south reproduced the battle of the Lapiths with the centaurs. The metopes of the northern part, which told about the Trojan War, suffered the most.
The pediment sculptures have survived only in fragments. They depicted key moments for Athens. The eastern group reproduced the scene of the birth of Athena, and the western pediment depicted the dispute between Athena and Poseidon for the right to become the patron of Attica. Legendary figures from the history of Athens are depicted next to the gods. Alas, the condition of the sculptures does not allow us to accurately determine the identity of most of them.
In the central nave of the temple there was a statue of Athena 12 meters high. Phidias used the chrysoelephantine technique, when he first created a wooden frame for the sculpture, and plates of gold, representing clothing, and ivory, imitating open parts of the body, were fixed on it.
Descriptions and copies of the statue have been preserved. The goddess was depicted wearing a comb helmet and standing at full height, but otherwise eyewitness accounts differ. Famous geographer of the 2nd century AD. e. Pausanias claimed that Athena held a spear in one hand, and in the palm of her other hand stood the messenger of victory, Nike. At Athena’s feet lay a shield, and on the goddess’s chest was an aegis - a shell with the head of Medusa the Gorgon. In the copies, the goddess rests on a shield, but there is no spear at all.
On one side of the shield the battle of the gods with the giants was depicted, on the other - the battle of the Greeks with the Amazons. Ancient authors passed on the legend that Phidias depicted Pericles and himself on the relief. He was later accused of blasphemy for this and died in prison.
The further fate of the Parthenon
The temple was highly revered throughout Greece even after the decline of Athens. Thus, Alexander the Great made rich donations to the Parthenon.
However, the new rulers of Attica treated the sanctuary with much less respect. In 298 BC. e. By order of the tyrant Lahar, the golden parts of the statue of Athena were removed. In the 2nd century AD e. There was a severe fire in the Parthenon, but the building was restored.
Timeline of changes in the appearance of the Parthenon from the moment of construction to the present day
In 426, the Parthenon became the Temple of Hagia Sophia. The statue of Athena was transported to Constantinople, where it was destroyed in a fire. In 662, the temple was reconsecrated in honor of the Mother of God, and a bell tower was added to it.
The Turks, who conquered Athens in 1460, built a mosque in the Parthenon, rebuilding the bell tower into a minaret, and in 1687 tragedy struck. During the siege of Athens by the Venetians, a Turkish gunpowder warehouse was set up in the temple. The cannonball hitting the barrels of gunpowder caused a powerful explosion, which destroyed the middle part of the building.
The destruction of the temple continued in peacetime, when city residents stole the marble blocks for their own needs. At the beginning of the 19th century, the main part of the sculptures was exported to England with the permission of the Sultan. Nobody cared about the building itself until Greece gained independence. The Parthenon was recognized as part historical heritage Greece, and in the 20s of the 20th century restoration work began. Foundation for the Preservation of the Parthenon, listed World Heritage UNESCO.
Work to restore the Parthenon is ongoing. Alas, there is no hope of seeing the temple in its original form - too much has been lost. However, even in its current state, the Parthenon is a masterpiece of ancient architecture and leaves no doubt about the genius of the architects and builders who once erected it.
When we think about the great civilizations in human history, it is impossible not to think of the ancient Greeks. Many centuries ago, Western culture was born on their land, from law and politics to athletics and architecture. Remnants of the former glory of one of the most advanced civilizations in the world still excite the imagination, and it is unlikely that there will be such an iconic architectural monument that will be more reminiscent of Ancient Greece than the Parthenon.
As one of the most famous landmarks in the world, the Parthenon attracts millions of tourists every year who seek to see its majestic form with their own eyes. Naturally, with such a long history of existence, there will always be interesting facts, which it would be nice for a modern person to know about in order to have an idea about this iconic architectural structure.
A little history: Situated on the Acropolis in Athens, the Parthenon was built during the greatest period of the Greek Empire. Its construction began back in 447 BC, in 9 years the main work was completed, but it took another 6 years to decorate it with decorative elements. Despite the fact that the construction method cannot be called innovative, nevertheless, the proportions of the Parthenon have been studied for centuries and have become the canon of classical architecture.
1. The temple was built in honor of the Greek goddess Athena
The Parthenon was built in honor of the goddess Pallas Athena, who was considered not only the patroness of Athens, but also of crafts, art, knowledge and science. She was also revered as the goddess of wisdom, victorious war, and defender of justice and law. Taking into account all the virtues of their patroness, the Greeks built the majestic Parthenon on the site of the old temple of the goddess as a sign of gratitude for the victory over the Persian invaders.
2. Origin of the name Parthenon
The name Parthenon comes from the Greek word παρθενών, which translates as “apartments for unmarried women.” The word is believed to refer specifically to one room in the Parthenon, although historians still debate which room it was. On at the moment There are different theories, it is quite possible that the name of the temple refers to the maidens (parthenoi), who participated in sacrifices to the goddess Athena, it was this action that guaranteed the safety of the city.
3. The Parthenon is located on a sacred site
The history of the Acropolis goes back much further than the Parthenon itself. In fact, the temple is located on the site of a much older temple dedicated to Athena, which is now called the Prethephenon or Old Parthenon. This old temple was destroyed during the Persian War in 480 BC, and it was destroyed during the construction stage, so even the ancient Greeks could not see the shrine in its finished form. Only 30 years later, after a devastating war, the Greeks decided to revive this place again and still build a majestic structure, the ruins of which we can see even after more than one millennium.
4. The Parthenon is one of the best examples of Greek architecture
The Parthenon became one of the iconic examples of architecture of the ancient Greeks, who created it in the form of a peripterus - a temple surrounded by columns in the Doric order. The structure of the building measures 30.9 by 69.5 meters and consists of two internal chambers (cells). A 12-meter statue of the goddess Athena was installed in the eastern cella. In the western chamber the main treasury of the Union of Greek city-states (Delian League) was located; only priests could be in it, who were responsible for the safety of the treasury.
Considering that the Parthenon was built in best traditions architectural canons of the Doric order, which means that its columns have carved shafts and simple capitals. The impressive pediments that crowned each corner of the building were decorated with sculptures, and a continuous frieze ran around each inner chamber and column spandrels.
5. The Parthenon did not serve as a temple
Although we are accustomed to talking about the Parthenon as a temple - and it looks like a religious building, in ancient times the main cult image of Pallas Athena was located in another area of the Acropolis. While inside the Parthenon there was a majestic statue of Athena, which was created by the famous sculptor Phidias, but it was not associated with any specific cult and therefore was not worshiped.
6. Statue of Athena in the Parthenon
Despite the fact that the Parthenon was not a cult temple, it was created so that it could accommodate the 12-meter statue of Athena Parthenos, which was created by Phidias. The legendary sculptor and architect depicted Athena as the goddess of war. The patroness's head was decorated with a golden helmet; in her right hand she holds a statue of the winged Nike, and in her left hand she leans on a shield. The frame of the statue, made of wood, is lavishly decorated with ivory and gold. Unfortunately, Phidias’s creation has been lost, but in Nashville (USA) you can see a full-scale copy of Athena Paladas in a modern interpretation.
7. During Ancient Greece, the Parthenon was bright and colorful
There is an opinion that the architectural structures of antiquity had the natural color of untouched stone or marble, but this is a misconception. The Parthenon - like most Greek architecture and even sculptures were originally painted. While historians debate how much of the structure was covered in color, archaeologists using ultraviolet light discovered pigments that had simply faded away over time and lost their color completely. Research has shown that all sculptures and carved elements on the pediments, frieze and roof were painted in ultra-blue, red and gold tones.
8. Transformation of an ancient temple into a Christian church
The Parthenon served as a treasury depository and was the temple of the goddess Athena for a thousand years. But when Athens lost its former power and glory, turning into a dilapidated provincial city of the Roman Empire, which could not protect its shrine from the greed of the emperor, who seized all the treasures and took them to Constantinople.
After all these sad events, around the 5th century AD, Patriarch Paul III of Constantinople ordered it to be rebuilt into the Church of St. Sophia. For almost 1 thousand years it served as a place of worship for Christians, until the Ottoman Empire came to these lands.
9. For almost 200 years, the Parthenon acted as... a mosque
It is not surprising that the Parthenon has undergone several transformations over its long history, as this is quite common for many ancient structures. In the 1460s, when Greece was under the rule of the Ottoman Empire, the temple was converted into a mosque and served as such for almost 200 years. As the authors of the site learned, the minaret was formed from a tower that was previously used as a bell tower, because before that a Catholic Church was created here.
10. Some Parthenon sculptures are kept in the British Museum
At a time when Greece was still under Ottoman rule, the Scottish nobleman Thomas Bruce removed half of the Parthenon sculptures that had survived at that time. The British claim that he received permission from the Ottomans, and in 1800-1803. they were transported by sea to Great Britain and are now in the British Museum.
But most experts agree that the Parthenon marbles, the greatest example of classical Greek fine art, were sold by enterprising Turks. But be that as it may, for more than a decade Greece has been calling on the British to return unique ancient sculptures to their homeland, but no agreement has been reached on this issue.
Any work of art that has been the main attraction of the country in which it is located for many centuries is surrounded by rumors and legends. Truth and fiction are closely intertwined in traditions and legends passed on from mouth to mouth. The ever-falling Leaning Tower of Pisa was no exception, which for many years has undergone not only the pilgrimage of millions of tourists, but also reconstruction, because
The Parthenon is a world-famous ancient temple, which is a monument of ancient architecture. It is located on the territory of the architectural complex of the Acropolis in Athens. The Parthenon Temple was built in honor of the goddess Athena, the patron goddess of the city. Today the temple is half destroyed and restoration work is underway.
The construction of the temple took place from 447 to 438 BC. The main architect was Callicrates, but the design of Ictinus was used during construction. The decoration and decoration of the Parthenon was carried out in 438 - 431 BC by one of the greatest sculptors of the ancient period, Phidias.
Features of the Parthenon architecture.
Ancient Greece did not strive to overwhelm the viewer with gigantic, superhuman scales. On the contrary, they relied on the peculiarities of visual perception by human vision of shapes and sizes, and therefore tried to bring each part of their structure into a single, harmonious ensemble.
The Parthenon was built in the oldest of the architectural orders. At first glance, the columns of the building are located at equal distances from each other. In fact, at the ends of the temple, the spans between the columns gradually and imperceptibly increased towards the center, which helped to give harmony to the structure.
The peculiarity of the perception of objects by the human eye is that against the background of a light sky, objects appear somewhat smaller or thinner. Ancient Greek architects were well aware of this, and used the technique of distorting lines to give the building a more perfect shape.
So, the columns do not stand strictly vertically, but slightly inclined inward towards the walls of the building, and this makes them look much taller and slimmer. In the construction of cornices, steps, ceilings, the imperfections of human vision are taken into account everywhere.
The exterior of the Parthenon is slightly curved, everything is done in such a way that all parts of the structure look perfectly correct and harmonious. For the Greeks, the columns represented the feathers of a bird, so temple buildings were called “peripterus” - which translated means “feathered.”
The colonnade surrounded the temple with an air layer, which made it possible to make a soft, gradual and completely natural transition from an architectural object enclosed by walls to the space of nature. The Greeks spared no effort or money to build the Parthenon, completed in the 5th century BC.
Relief images.
The main holiday of the Athenians, Panathenaia, was celebrated annually for 5 days (from the 24th to the 29th) of the month of Hecatombaion, which fell in the period July - August according to the modern calendar. The Panathenaic Games were cult solemn celebrations in Ancient Hellas in honor of the goddess Athena.
At first, poetic works were read, theatrical performances and sports competitions were held. Then people lined up in a procession and went to present Athena with peplos - a solemn gift, the role of which was wool clothing. The architectural ensemble of the Acropolis was located on a hill, and due to the features of its construction, it was designed for the leisurely and solemn movement of religious processions.
On marble relief. encircling the Pathenon building, naked youths are depicted preparing and caring for horses, and their comrades who have already ridden bareback animals. Girls in long robes are driving the steep-horned bulls chosen for sacrifice.
The elders, calm and noble, walk important. The figures either come closer or move away from each other, or merge into picturesque groups. All movement is directed towards the eastern facade, where above the entrance to the temple there is a relief that completes the entire ensemble. The relief image shows a feast of the twelve most important gods revered in Ancient Greece.
The gods in the relief image are presented in an ordinary, completely human form - that is, they are not superior to the participants in the procession, neither in height, nor in appearance, nor in beauty, nor in the splendor of their attire. The procession on the relief is perceived by the Greeks as an eternal procession, in which every participant in the celebration was included.
Having rounded the Parthenon, the procession approached the eastern facade, where in the center of the pediment the main ancient Greek god Zeus solemnly sat on a throne. Near Zeus is a naked male figure with an ax in his hands, slightly leaning back. This figure depicted the god - the blacksmith Hephaestus, who had just cut open the skull of the Lord of the Gods, and from it emerged the goddess Athena in armor and a helmet, with the constant attribute of wisdom - a snake.
To the right and left of Zeus were other gods. And in the corners of the pediment are depicted the heads of snoring horses. Noble animals pull the chariots of Helios, the god of the Sun, and Selene, the god of the Moon. The faces of the gods are calm, but by no means indifferent, they are restrained, but restraint is worth composure. readiness for immediate action.
Athena statue.
In the Parthenon, meeting the procession, stood a 12-meter statue of the goddess Athena. The beautiful head of the goddess, with a low, smooth forehead and a rounded chin, was slightly tilted under the weight of the helmet and wavy hair. Her eyes were made of precious stones, and the craftsmen managed to give them an attentive and searching expression.
The goddess in the form of a beautiful woman is the proud personification of Athens. The sculptor Phidias embodied in her image the desire for the common good, by which the Greeks meant justice. According to ancient mythology, Athena was once the chairman of the highest court of Greece - the Areopagus, and therefore the judicial system was under the patronage of Athena.
Thousands of plates made of expensive material - ivory - were so skillfully fitted to the wooden base of Athena that it seemed as if the head and hands of the statue were sculpted from one piece of noble material. The slightly yellowish tint of the ivory looked delicate, and the statue's skin looked translucent, thanks to the contrast with the goddess's glittering robe of gold.
The helmet, hair and round shield were also made of chased gold plates, the total of which amounted to more than one ton. On the golden shield, in low relief, the battle of the Greeks with the warlike Amazons was minted, and in the center of the battle, Phidias depicted himself as an old man lifting a stone.
Peloponnesian War.
In the 5th century BC, the Greeks were a very proud people, and arrogantly considered other peoples to be inferior. Gradually, the inhabitants of Athens began to oppose themselves not only to other peoples, but also to the rest of the Greeks living in other cities-states throughout the country.
During the Persian Wars, the Greeks bore all the hardships of the common struggle, but half a century later the Athenians began to attribute the laurels of victory only to themselves. The allied policies responded to Athens with ever-increasing suspicion and could barely contain their indignation.
In 431 BC, the Peloponnesian War began between Athens and Sparta for supremacy over the rest of the city-states of Ancient Hellas. At that time, Sparta was ruled by kings. The war was fierce, devastating and bloody, but the forces were approximately the same for a long time, so after 10 years peace was concluded.
The goddess Athena is the strangest (in terms of motivation) character in Greek mythology.
After all, she is the goddess of “smart” war, but at the same time she tries to resolve all issues peacefully.
She despises the pettiness of the other Olympians and rarely interferes in their conflicts.
But in the event of a threat to the Pantheon itself, Athena will be the first to enter the battle.
The goddess Athena repeatedly served as the punishing sword of Olympus, punishing the most self-confident mortals, but it was she who founded the most great city Greece, and then remained to look after these mortals after the gods of Olympus left forever.
And it is not surprising that her greatest sanctuary, the legendary Parthenon, also faced a very difficult and at times simply amazing fate.
Where is
The Parthenon is located in the very center of the capital, on the Acropolis of Athens.
The center of Athens is easy to navigate. There are many pedestrian areas, and the attractions are concentrated closely. It is impossible to get lost - two guiding hills rise above the main plane of the city: the Acropolis and Lycabettos.
Acropolis (Akropolis) - translated from Greek: “ upper city“- built on a rocky hill 156 meters high, which served as a natural fortification during sieges.
Parthenon during ancient Greece
The Parthenon is located on top of the Acropolis, the nearest Athens metro station from which you can get here is called Akropolis.
The large pedestrian street Dionysiou Areopagitou leads from the center of Athens to the main attraction of Greece.
Follow it straight, without turning anywhere. Gradually climbing up the mountain, it will lead you straight to your goal.
The Parthenon in Athens is visible from almost everywhere and looks especially beautiful at night when the lights are turned on.
Moreover, at first glance at the Acropolis, you can understand that the gods played a very important role in the life of the Greeks - it is literally crammed with various temples and sanctuaries of almost all more or less noticeable Olympians, from the powerful and formidable Zeus to the eternally drunk, but no less formidable Dionysus.
It is worth noting that the Parthenon is not the first sanctuary of the Acropolis dedicated to Athena. 200 years before its construction, not far from its current location, there was another temple - Hekatompedon. Scientists even admit that for some time, temples existed in parallel.
History of the temple, who built the Parthenon
Parthenon during restoration
Construction of the Parthenon began in 447 BC. The project is attributed to the architect Icten, and the construction was led by Callicrates, who was practically the court master of the ruler Pericles.
In addition to the Parthenon, Callicrates built several more temples on the Acropolis, and also actively participated in the secular life of the city, bringing to mind and completing the project of the Long Walls, which then very unpleasantly surprised the Spartan army during the Pelloponnesian Wars.
True, the offended Spartans still razed the walls to the ground thirty years later, but, alas (or maybe vice versa, fortunately), Kallicrates did not see this. In addition, the city residents restored the walls and they served as a symbol of Athenian independence for another three hundred years.
The Parthenon is the master’s main masterpiece. The temple still did not turn out the way Callicrates intended it. Construction took more than nine years, and all these years the Athenian government regularly reported to its people for every coin spent on construction (archaeologists managed to find marble tablets with reports).
Panatheneon holiday
At the Panathenaic festival of 438 BC. e., the temple was solemnly opened to visitors, but decorative work continued for another six years under the direction of the sculptor Phidias, successor of Callicrates and creator of one of the Seven Wonders of the World - the statue of Zeus at Olympia. For the Parthenon, Phidias created an equally beautiful statue of Athena Parthenos, which became the main decoration of the temple.
Alas, the glorious history of the sanctuary did not last even two hundred years - the last ruler who truly honored Athena was Alexander the Great. After his visit to the temple in 323 BC. e., Athens gradually slipped into tyranny, and was later repeatedly captured, first by barbarian tribes, and then by the Romans. Around the same time, there was a big fire in the temple and the statue of Athena Parthenos was lost (however, by the time of the fire it was practically worthless - all the gold elements were torn off in advance so that the then ruler of Athens could pay the soldiers).
Byzantine era Parthenon
After the fire, the temple was restored and it served as the final refuge of the goddess for almost 800 years, until under Patriarch Paul III it was turned into the Cathedral of St. Sophia.
All the treasures were taken to Constantinople, however, by that time there were few of them left. The temple was significantly rebuilt, but overall retained its characteristic appearance.
But in 1458 Athens changed again nationality, becoming part of the Ottoman Empire.
The Turks placed a military garrison in the Acropolis, and turned the Parthenon into a mosque, rebuilding it once again and seriously damaging the paintings inside the temple. Interestingly, apart from painting over all subjects that are contrary to Muslim culture, no other changes were made to the interior decoration of the temple.
In 1687, during the war between the Ottomans and the Holy League, the Parthenon, which served the Turks as a warehouse and shelter, was fired upon from a commanding height - Philopappou Hill. A direct hit on the powder magazine literally destroyed the temple, burying more than 300 Turks under it.
Parthenon in 1840
For the next two hundred years, the ruins of the Parthenon served historical monument until their restoration began in the 1840s.
The process of restoring the main ancient temple is still going on, with varying success, but the fact that many archaeological discoveries have been made is difficult to deny.
True, in recent years, the restoration project was frozen - after joining the EU, Greece simply did not have any money left to restore the monuments.
What the Ancient Greek Parthenon looked like
The ancient Greek Parthenon was a truly magnificent sight.
Parthenon in section
The basis of the temple is the stylobate that has survived to this day - a three-stage rise leading to the temple. The temple itself is a rectangular building, with a colonnade on each of the four sides. The dimensions of the base rectangle are 69.5 × 30.9 meters.
There were 8 columns on the facades of the temple, and another 17 on the sides, which in total gives us 48 supports (the corner columns are simultaneously elements of both the facade and the side part).
Interestingly, the columns were not perpendicular, but located at an angle, leaning inward. Moreover, the angle of inclination of the corner columns is much less than that of others. The columns themselves were classic examples of the Dorian order, although they were unusually large in size.
One of the surviving friezes of the Parthenon
Inside the temple, two additional steps were made, which led to the central platform, surrounded on the facades by another 12 columns.
The site was divided into three naves, a large central one and two small ones on the sides. The central nave was surrounded on three sides by 21 columns. In its center was the same, later missing, statue of Athena Parthenos.
The internal frieze of the temple was made in the Ionic style and depicted a festive procession on the last day of Panathenaia.
A total of 96 plates of this frieze have survived, most of them in the British Museum. For many decades, the Greek government has been trying in vain to return the marble fragments of the Parthenon to their historical place.
As for the exterior, quite little is known about it. The pediments of the Parthenon were destroyed back in the Middle Ages, so they are being restored mainly by guesswork.
The east pediment may have depicted the birth of Athena, but almost no details of the sculptures remain. The western one most likely shows the dispute between Athena and Poseidon for the possession of Attica. A total of 30 statues from the pediments have survived, but their condition is quite deplorable, especially those that were in the British Museum at the end of the 20th century - they were subjected to a rather barbaric cleaning.
The external friezes of the Parthenon are a little better preserved - at least we know exactly what was depicted on them.
On the eastern side of the temple the history of the war between the centaurs and the Lapiths was depicted, on the western side - the Trojan War, in the north - the Gigantomachy, and in the south - scenes from the battle of the Greeks and the Amazons.
Most of the surviving high reliefs are in the Athens Museum, and their exact copies are gradually taking their place in the restored Parthenon.
Athena statue
The most successful copy of the famous statue of Phidias
The statue of Athena is described as one of Phidias' greatest works. The statue of the goddess was made of wood covered with gold (about a ton) and decorated with ivory.
Instead of emphasizing the inaccessibility and aloofness of the deity (as he did with Olympian Zeus), Phidias portrayed Athena as simple and close to her people.
The statue was relatively low (13 meters) and depicted a proudly standing Athena, holding a spear in one hand, and a two-meter figure of the goddess of victory Nike in the other.
The goddess's head was decorated with a three-crested helmet, and at her feet there was a shield depicting scenes from battles.
Alas, the statue cost the Parthenon architect his life - in an effort to immortalize not only the divine Athena, but also himself, the master included a bald old man with a sculptor’s hammer in one of the scenes decorating the goddess’s shield.
Phidias on the shield of the sculpture of Athena the Virgin
The Athenians did not appreciate the humor and condemned it for blasphemy. Phidias died in prison.
The famous statue was probably destroyed by fire, probably in the 5th century BC. e., but there are several copies of varying degrees of accuracy.
The most reliable one, called “Athena Varvarikon”, can be seen in the National Archaeological Museum.
Modern Parthenon
Modern Parthenon
It makes no sense to describe in detail what the Parthenon looks like today - Greek archaeologists and builders brought it as close as possible to the ancient temple.
Of course, all the gloss and beauty of the Parthenon sculptures have been lost, but the building still amazes the imagination.
Every year the temple becomes more beautiful and the stories of the guides more impressive, so visiting the Parthenon is an experience that is interesting to repeat every few years.
How much does a visit cost?
Surviving sculptures on the roof pediment of the Parthenon
Access to the main monument of ancient Hellenic architecture is open from 8.30 to 18.00.
It is recommended to visit it in the early hours or in the evening, when the heat is not particularly strong and the influx of tourists is not very large. At the entrance there is a small stall selling sparkling water and freshly squeezed juices (4.5 euros). Please note that you will not be allowed inside with a glass, and the glass is quite large.
Bring a bottle of water; there are fountains and a toilet upstairs in front of the entrance and to the left.
Entry with large bags is also prohibited, but there are storage lockers on site where you can leave them.
There are several entrances and ticket offices, including from the side of the museum and on the south-eastern side, near the Theater of Dionysus.
The line at the ticket office on the museum side is usually shorter.
The ticket price for entry to the Parthenon territory (12 euros) includes visits to 6 attractions, including the Temple of Olympian Zeus, the Ancient and Roman Agora, the Theater of Dionysus and the oldest district of Athens - Ceramics.
The ticket is valid for 4 days.
The ancient Parthenon temple in Athens is not only a grandiose monument. It is also a national symbol of Greece, of which the country is very proud.
Incredibly beautiful in its simplicity, the building successfully stood the test of time and fell only under shells from heavy cannons made thousands of years after the construction of the last sanctuary of Athena.
Isn’t this worthy of admiration for the work of ancient masters!
Despite the fact that the temple of the Greek goddess has been restored for a long time and is surrounded by scaffolding, being next to it is an amazing and exciting feeling.
If you happen to visit Athens, be sure to visit the Parthenon - the great spirit of ancient Hellas, frozen in Pentelic marble.
On the Athenian Acropolis stands the temple of the Virgin Athena Parthenos, dedicated to the patroness of the city of Athens (daughter of the supreme god Zeus) during the reign of Pericles.
Work on its construction began in 447 BC and ended mainly in 438 BC. e., and finishing and sculptural work was carried out even before 434 BC. e.
The architect of the Parthenon is Ictinus, his assistant is Callicrates. The creator of the Parthenon is the famous ancient Greek sculptor Phidias, based on sketches and under whose general supervision work was carried out to create sculptures: the Virgin Athena Parthenos, the marble frieze, metopes, dandies of the Parthenon by the best masters of the 5th century BC.
The Parthenon in Athens was built in honor of the victory of the Greeks over the Persians, which was expressed in the solemnity of the forms of the Doric columns of the temple, in its harmony and harmony, in its proportions.
The interior of the temple was given a majestic appearance by a two-story colonnade. At the same time, the Parthenon inside was divided into the eastern part (a larger room), where there was a statue of Athena Parthenos, made in the chrysoelephantine technique, and the western part, called, in fact, the Parthenon, in which the Athenian treasury was kept.
Architectural and structural solution of the Parthenon
The Parthenon in ancient Greece is a temple of the Doric order, the architecture of the Parthenon is such that in plan it has the shape of a rectangle, its height is 24 m. Its base is the flat top of a huge rock of the acropolis, which seems to serve as a natural pedestal.
The optimal dimensions of the Parthenon, which was supposed to stand on a rock, were determined according to the principle of the “golden ratio”, namely: the ratio of the mass of the temple and the rock should correspond to the proportions of the temple - this ratio, by the way, was considered harmonious in the times of ancient Greece.
The Parthenon in Athens is surrounded on all sides by columns: the architecture of the Parthenon included 8 columns on the short sides and 14 on the long sides. Parthenon columns were placed more often than in the earliest Doric temples.
The entablature is not so massive, so it seems that the columns easily support the ceiling. The columns of the Parthenon are not strictly vertical, but slightly inclined into the building. And they are not all the same thickness. The corner ones are made thicker than the others, but against a light background they appear thinner.
By slightly tilting the columns, making them of different thicknesses, the creators of the temple thereby corrected optical distortions that violated the harmony and plasticity of the building, giving it harmony.
The Parthenon column is divided by vertical grooves - flutes, which make the horizontal seams between the parts of the column almost invisible and seem to eliminate its closedness.
Artistic and decorative design of the Parthenon
The structures that decorated the Parthenon are of significant value to us: a marble frieze, 92 metopes located on the four sides of the temple, two pediments.
Frieze of the Parthenon. On the upper part of the temple wall behind the outer colonnade you can see a frieze - zophorus. It is a continuous multi-figure 160-meter bas-relief marble ribbon, which depicts 350 people and 250 animals from various angles.
The Parthenon frieze was dedicated to the Great Panathenaia festival, which was held in Athens every 4 years in honor of the patroness of the city, the goddess Athena.
At the beginning of the frieze, a competition of horsemen is shown, then there are slaughtered animals, they are replaced by a procession of festively dressed people of Athens, carrying to the Parthenon the festive robe of Athena (peplos), woven by Athenian girls.
At the end of the procession, the end part of the frieze shows the feast of the 12 gods of Olympus. The frieze groups are small in size, but expressive, never repeating the many hundreds of figures of people and animals.
The architecture of the Parthenon involved the placement of metopes above the colonnade, on the outside of the temple, the plots of which were built on the mythological stories of Attica, depicting the minor exploits of Athena.
There were 92 metopes in total - 14 on the front sides and 32 on the side walls. They were carved in high relief - high relief. On the eastern pediment, a scene of a battle between gods and giants is depicted. On the western side there is a scene of the Greeks fighting the Amazons.
On the metopes on the northern side of the temple is the fall of Troy, on the southern side is the struggle between the Lapiths and the centaurs. But the pediment groups are dedicated to the main and most important events in the life of the goddess.
- eastern and western. The eastern pediment, which is better preserved, depicts the birth of Athena from the head of Zeus, according to ancient Greek myth.
In the right corner of the eastern pediment there are three female figures, perhaps these are three Moiras (goddesses of fate). The smooth softness and warmth of chiaroscuro in the folds of clothing of the female figures are interestingly conveyed.
The western pediment depicts a dispute between Athena and Poseidon over dominance over Attica.
Parthenon painting, cladding. The Parthenon was built entirely from squares of white Pentelic marble, laid dry. The properties of this marble are such that, due to the presence of iron in it, over time it acquired a golden patina, which gave the slabs a warm, yellowish tint.
However, some of the Parthenon slabs were painted when it was necessary to highlight some individual elements. Thus, the triglyphs, which were obscured by the cornice, were covered with blue paint. Blue paint was also used for the background of the metopes and pediments.
Gilding was used to paint the vertical slabs of the pediments. The upper parts of the temple were painted dark red, sometimes occasionally shaded with narrow strips of gilding.
The Parthenon in Athens in its original form existed for about two millennia. The following have survived to this day: on the territory of the acropolis - destroyed columns of the temple, a few fragments of metopes, friezes, pediments - are stored in various museums around the world.
