WHAT IS THE SIGNIFICANCE OF IT? It was center of religious life in the powerful Greek City-State of Athens, the head of the Delian League. It symbolized power, wealth and elevated culture of Athens. It was the largest and most lavish temple the Greek mainland had ever seen.
HOW MANY STONES WERE USED? It’s estimated that 13,400 stones were used to build the temple, at a total cost of around 470 silver talents (roughly $7 million U.S. dollars today)!
ABOUT THE ARCHITECTURE: The structure has a rectangular floor plan and is built on a 23,000-square foot base, part of which was the limestone foundation of the Old Parthenon. Low steps surrounded each side of the building, and a portico of Doric columns standing on a platform create a border around it. There are 46 outer columns and 19 inner columns. The columns are slightly tapered to give the temple a symmetrical appearance. The corner columns are larger in diameter than the other columns. Incredibly, the Parthenon contains no straight lines and no right angles, a true feat of Greek architecture.
A LOOK AT THE METOPES (Architectural structures) AND THEIR STORIES- Metops are square blocks placed between three-channeled triglyph blocks. On the Parthenon, there are 92 carved metopes adorning the exterior walls of the Parthenon. STORY #1: The metopes on the West side depict Amazonomachy, a mythical battle between the Amazons and the Ancient Greeks, and were thought to be designed by the sculptor Kalamis. STORY #2 - The metopes on the East side show Gigantomachy, mythical battles between gods and Giants. Most metopes on the South side show Centauromachy, the battle of mythical centaurs with the Lapiths, and the metopes on the North side portray the Trojan War.
A LOOK AT THE STORY CARVED ON THE FRIEZES - A broad, decorated horizontal band called a frieze runs along the entire length of the walls of the Parthenon’s inner chamber (the cella). The frieze was carved using the bas-relief technique, which means the sculpted figures are raised slightly from the background. Historians believe the frieze depicted either the Panathenaic procession to the Acropolis or the sacrifice of Pandora to Athena.
WHAT IS A PEDIMENT? Pediment, in architecture, triangular gable forming the end of the roof slope over a portico (the area, with a roof supported by columns, leading to the entrance of a building);
(Image: Pediment - depicting mythological stories on the Parthenon. Credit: https://quatr.us/greeks/parthenon-pediment-ancient-greece.htm)
STORIES CARVED INTO THE GABLES - There are two sculpted, triangular-shaped gables known as pediments on each end of the Parthenon. The East pediment depicted Athena’s birth from the head of her father, Zeus. The West pediment showed the conflict between Athena and Poseidon to claim Attica, an ancient region of Greece which included the city of Athens.
INFO on the parthenon -https://www.history.com/topics/ancient-greece/acropolis
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