Essay On The Parthenon

The Parthenon was a temple built to the goddess of wisdom, Athena, and was served as a place of worship for the Greeks. It was placed in the highest point on Acropolis of Athens so that it could be seen from far away and close to the gods. Athena was a daughter of Zeus and the Titan Metis. Zeus fell in love with Metis and she became pregnant. An oracle predicted that Metis would have a girl first and later a boy, and the boy would be powerful enough to overthrow Zeus when he grew up. In fear of losing his throne, Zeus swallowed Metis along with her unborn child. However, eating Metis had consequences. After a few months, Zeus had a terrible headache so Hephaestus, the blacksmith god, had to crack Zeus’s skull open. Out of Zeus's head, Athena was born, fully grown and fully armored. Athena was the goddess of wisdom, of warfare, and of crafts. She was also the patron goddess of the city of Athens. Athena was …show more content…
It replaced the former temple of Athena, the Pre-Parthenon or Older Parthenon, that was destroyed in the Persian invasion of 480. The Parthenon’s floor plan reflected Pre-Parthenon rectangular floor plan with steps on four sides. The Parthenon was made of white marble from Mount Pentelikon north of Athens. It was built by Pericles, designed by Phidias, the greatest sculptor of ancient Greece, and supervised by architects Ictinos and …show more content…
Many Artists around the world have been inspired by this Greek architecture. Even in partially ruined state, Parthenon is still one of the most recognizable icons and popular tourist attractions in the world. Today, many tourists visit the Parthenon just to get a glimpse of what it feels like to live in the Golden Age of