Parthenon Research Paper

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Introduction
Athenian Acropolis in the country Greece hosts the temple, Parthenon, which was built for Athena, a goddess, whom Athenians considered as their patron. Parthenon construction commenced in the year 447 BC and was fully completed with decorations in 432 BC. This was the period during which Athenian empire boasted of immense power (Burkert). Today, Parthenon is the most significant building still in existent from classical Greece. The sculptures of Parthenon have elevated Greek art worldwide. Even though Parthenon was Athena’s temple, it was majorly used as a treasury by the Delian league and later the Athenian Empire. Parthenon was later converted to Church for Christians. The Virgin Mary was dedicated the church (Frazer). This occurred in the last decade of the 6th Century AD. The Ottoman conquest of the 1400s led to the conversion of the Parthenon to a mosque. A war between Ottoman and Venice led to bombardment of Parthenon that caused severe damage to
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This changes were accompanied changes in Parthenon’s functions and Parthenon meanings. When the Christians converted Parthenon to a church, they changed its orientation to west from east (whitley). When the Muslims converted the then Church (Parthenon) to mosque, they added minaret to the building. The minaret was situated at the western side of Parthenon (Hurwit, The Athenian Acropolis: History, Mythology, and Archeology from Neolithic era to the Present). The war between Ottoman and Venice in 1687 resulted in Venetians blowing up the temple in order to destroy the Ottoman arsenal which was Parthenon itself. During that war period, the Turks kept gunpowder in the cellar, which was situated precisely at the center of the Parthenon. Parthenon was besieged by the Venetians. In order to destroy the arsenal, they shelled Parthenon till it exploded, destroying a classical antique that generations before had struggled to preserve

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