The Parthenon, a magnificence cultural epicenter of ancient Greece, may appear to be a temple to most, but behind her detailed architecture and bold awing appearance, her purpose runs deeper. I believe the Parthenon was intended to serve as a temple but was used for many different functions and had many different meanings. Although it is a piece of material evidence that has survived many years, this evidence can be interpreted in many different ways. In order to ultimately determine if the Parthenon was a temple, we must first discover the reasons the Parthenon was built and its actual use.
Plutarch tells us that, in its infancy, the Persians destroyed the beginnings of a temple atop the Acropolis, when they attacked Athens. “Greeks took …show more content…
Due to the magnitude of this building project, many jobs were created for the Athenian citizens which increased worker moral (Plutarch 12. 6). Perikles, as well as the rest of Athens, saw this building as a symbol of dominance and prestige. Yet some did not agree. Plutarch tells us that Perikles was accused of misusing money from the Delian League to finance the Parthenon. Perikles asked the citizen assembly in which many agreed, so Perikles volunteered to finance the Parthenon himself (Plutarch 14.1). Thucydides tells us about Perikles’s vision of Athens and how her power should be portrayed (Thucydides, Funeral Oration 2.34-46). Perikles attests ‘Our city … is an education to Greece’ (Thucydides, Funeral Oration 2.43).
By the middle of the fifth century BC, Athens was an even more powerful political and cultural leader and the Parthenon only added to its fame and power. Many metics as well as philosophers, poets, and scientists came from all over the ancient world to admire the sculptures and architecture of the Athenian intellectual society (Woodford, 1981, 41). We know from Thucydides that the people of Athens had great pride in not only their city, but also this building project, which brought glory to
Plutarch tells us that, in its infancy, the Persians destroyed the beginnings of a temple atop the Acropolis, when they attacked Athens. “Greeks took …show more content…
Due to the magnitude of this building project, many jobs were created for the Athenian citizens which increased worker moral (Plutarch 12. 6). Perikles, as well as the rest of Athens, saw this building as a symbol of dominance and prestige. Yet some did not agree. Plutarch tells us that Perikles was accused of misusing money from the Delian League to finance the Parthenon. Perikles asked the citizen assembly in which many agreed, so Perikles volunteered to finance the Parthenon himself (Plutarch 14.1). Thucydides tells us about Perikles’s vision of Athens and how her power should be portrayed (Thucydides, Funeral Oration 2.34-46). Perikles attests ‘Our city … is an education to Greece’ (Thucydides, Funeral Oration 2.43).
By the middle of the fifth century BC, Athens was an even more powerful political and cultural leader and the Parthenon only added to its fame and power. Many metics as well as philosophers, poets, and scientists came from all over the ancient world to admire the sculptures and architecture of the Athenian intellectual society (Woodford, 1981, 41). We know from Thucydides that the people of Athens had great pride in not only their city, but also this building project, which brought glory to