Parthenon Research Paper

Improved Essays
The characteristics of the Parthenon are truly remarkable. Following this, the Parthenon is a genuine masterpiece of Classical Greek architecture. In fact, the Parthenon is the largest temple on the Acropolis. The plan of the temple, a rectangle delimited on all four sides by a colonnaded walkway, reflects the typically Classical reverence for clarity, balanced, and harmonious proportion. (cite book) Indeed, an exceptional architectural setting. In addition, the flat- topped hill, which overlooks the city of Athens. Built in glittering Pentelic marble, its decorative sculptures are considered some of the high points in Greek art. (cite book) Dedicated to the Greek Goddess Athena, and named after the cult of Athena Parthenon. Equally important, …show more content…
In this specific instance it was built as a replacement for the older Pre-Parthenon temple, destroyed in 480 by the Persians, and illustrates the Doric order, the most controlled of the three Classical Greek architectural guidelines. Each of the orders-Doric, Ionic, and (in Hellenistic times) Corinthian-prescribes a fundamental set of structural and ecorative parts that stand in fixed relation to one another. (cite book) The design for the beautiful Parthenon came from the Greek architects Ictinus and Callicrates. The indication for stone and Pentelic marble was under the direction of the sculptor Phidias (488-431 BCE). A case in point, the freestanding columns on the east and west ends of the temple provide inner porticos (cite book). Originally, 48 marble columns surrounded its peristyle. The interior of the Parthenon is divided into two rooms (cite book) the larger room, contained Phidias’s massive statue of the patron Goddess Athena. Behind the statue was a smaller square room. This room contained the treasury of the Athenian League, the funds stored in this room included bronze and other votive offerings to the Goddess. Indeed, scholars have suggested that the Parthenon was both a shrine to Athena and a victory monument. (cite

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    Classical Age DBQ

    • 1240 Words
    • 5 Pages

    This artwork shows an example of propaganda surrounding the Persian Empire since it depicts the king as a person with all-powerful control over his incredibly widespread Empire. This leaves a physical legacy of the imperial power Persia prided itself in having (textbook, 78-80). Within the Polis of Athens, they utilized architecture to depict their governmental power. An article written in the World History Encyclopedia titled “Parthenon” discusses specific architecture further by explaining the Athenian Parthenon created in 430 BCE under Athenian ruler Pericles. The Parthenon was created in honor of the Greek Goddess Athena and was overall beautifully built with many intricate designs, pillars created to look perfectly straight, and the building placed atop a hill and pedestal.…

    • 1240 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Elgin Marbles

    • 2526 Words
    • 11 Pages

    The temple was built between 447 and 432 BCE in the Age of Pericles. The Parthenon was dedicated to the city’s patron deity Athena. The Parthenon was “constructed to house the new cult statue of the goddess by Phidias and to proclaim to the world the success of Athens as leader of the coalition of Greek forces which had defeated the invading Persian armies of Darius and Xerxes” (Cartwright). For more than a thousand years, the Parthenon continued to be used as Athens’ most beloved temple. The Parthenon’s decorative sculptures set this temple apart from any other temples in Greece.…

    • 2526 Words
    • 11 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The Parthenon was designed to house an enormous gold and ivory statue of Athena, which was designed by the sculptor Phedias, as mentioned by Plutarch in his writing of the Life of Pericles “But is was Phedias who directed the making of the great golden statue of athena, and his name is duly inscribed upon the marble table on the Acropolis as…

    • 344 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Gateways To Art Summary

    • 997 Words
    • 4 Pages

    It was made of glistening white marble and its design was thought to epitomize ideal proportions (pg. 381). Up until 1687, the Parthenon had a timber roof covered with marble tiles but was destroyed when Turkish army munitions stored there exploded. Also while it was first made, the structure was covered with sculptures that were painted in red, yellow, and blue just like the building was (pg. 381). In multiple spots, there were statues of Athena in order for the Greeks to receive offerings and prayer. The interior space was decorated with an enormous 38-foot tall statue of the goddess that was made of gold and ivory (pg.…

    • 997 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    This essay explores and analyses a classical building from the ancient world, in the terms of the cultural context of the world in its time. The classical building for which I have chosen to discuss is The Parthenon, located in Athens, Greece. The Parthenon is a Greek temple, constructed between 447 and 432 BCE, by the architects; Ictinus and Callicrates with Sculptor Phidias.…

    • 63 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    According to the writer, "the temple had two massive pediments decorated with the figures of Pallas Athena, Poseidon, and the gods of the sun and the moon". Through all the desciptions, the author transmits something much more meaningful than the explicit information: The passion he feels about the building. Accordingly, the audience can empathize with the argument being made. However, this is not the only function that imagery fulfills in the article. Sensory details challenge the audience, especially those who have not ever seen the Parthenon, to imagine its spledor and sublime beauty.…

    • 478 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The most striking component of the building is the 27-foot roundabout hole. By day a shaft of light streams through it, enlightening the luxuriously shaded marble covering the arch's inside. To the Romans, this oculus symbolized the eye of the gods looking down on their city, and the front of the Pantheon, Columns could be detached from the building yet remain attached to the facade at the base and entablature. The Parthenon is a large temple, but it's not the largest one in Greece. The architects of the Parthenon have all the earmarks of being predominant researchers of visual…

    • 740 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The structure of the pantheon and the Parthenon were both made of 8 columns that are made to support the pediment. Also both of them had some destroying parts that were rebuilt. The both churches were along with the middle age churches. In conclusion, the religion connected, saved the pantheon from distortion and some of the Parthenon parts were stolen during the 1700s.…

    • 926 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Between the years 447-432 BC, the Parthenon was constructed. It was designated to be the focal point for a complex of buildings that were located on the Acropolis of Athens. The building was dedicated to the goddess Athena, and its primary function was to serve as a temple which housed a statue of Athena (Parthenon, n.d.). Temples in Greece were not built with the intention of allowing visitors inside. The Parthenon merely allowed visitors to catch a glimpse of the statue of Athena through open doors.…

    • 516 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Parthenon Research Paper

    • 804 Words
    • 4 Pages

    The temple's main function is keeping the monumental statue of Athena (inside the cella) which was made by "Phidias" using the gold and ivory; the cella or the naos of the temple is usually oversized with twenty-three Doric columns surrounding it. There is a small room at the back of the cella (the Opisthodomos) including the treasure of Athena and there are four ionic columns supporting the roof. The Parthenon had 92 metopes, a frieze running around all sides of the construction, and pediments filled with sculpture (Cartwright,…

    • 804 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Acropolis Research Paper

    • 2179 Words
    • 9 Pages

    The acropolis was a place of refuge for the people in case of invasion. Everyone in the city would run to the acropolis for safety from the enemy. Right now, the Parthenon, the Propylaea, the Erechtheum, the Temple of Athena Nike, and many smaller temples are all located on the Acropolis of Athens. The Parthenon is the most famous building on the acropolis. An interesting fact about the Parthenon is, each end of the Parthenon has relief sculptures.…

    • 2179 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Parthenon Research Paper

    • 1004 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Forming the heart of the Athenian Acropolis, The Parthenon built in 447-432 BC, is one of the most iconic temples of its time. The temple was first created as a temple to house the statue of Athena Parthenos and then used in various other ways. The marrying of Doric and Ionic style is seen throughout its original design. Thus presenting a balance between all of its features. This design feature was not found often in Greek architecture.…

    • 1004 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    Though the front of each is similar, the Parthenon has a rectangular shape supported with Doric order columns along all four sides and the temple for Athena on one side with a treasury on the other supported by Ionic order columns on the interior (Silverman, n.d.). The Pantheon, while it has a pronaos similar to the Classical Greek style, has Corinthian order capitals to its columns and once you pass through them you enter into the circular open rotunda, with alcoves along the edges for display. It is clear that the Pantheon was intended for people to come into and see the beauty of the interior, whereas the Parthenon, like most Greek temples, was intended for individuals to look into it at the statue of Athena in her temple home from the exterior, framed among the Doric order columns (Ancient-Greece.org, n.d.). Standing at the respective exteriors, individuals would also note that the friezes beneath the pediments are different. The Pantheon’s pediment is now blank, though there are holes suggesting something was once there, and the frieze simply exclaims “Marcus Agrippa, the son of Lucius, three times consul, built this.”…

    • 659 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The Greek and Roman empires has written their names in golden words in the world history and has brought huge legacy to humanity and they inspire almost of the world in one aspect or the other. The Parthenon and the Pantheon are two examples that portray how mighty those cultures were, with skillful artisans and avant-gardist thinker. Consider how the style and function (use) of each building serves as a typical example of its culture. The Parthenon was built 447-438 BC, by Iktinos, Kalikrates (diffen.com, n.d.) and present the cultural style and live of the Greek empire by that time.…

    • 772 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    The Parthenon has long been considered a paradigm of successful Classical architecture. The construction began roughly around 500 BC and it is generally considered the zenith of the Doric order. During that time, almost every Greek city-state had an acropolis because Greek was an warring state. The Parthenon happened to be laid upon the acropolis of Athens. Its decorative sculptures were considered the pinnacle of Greek classical art.…

    • 1559 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Great Essays