Acropolis Research Paper

The Greeks finished building an exquisite temple to their beloved goddess, Athena in the year 432 BCE. (Sayre 60). The name of this enriched, unique temple was the Parthenon. The Parthenon took the Greeks approximately fifteen years to complete and as Pericles stated, it was built to give gratitude to their goddess Athena for the salvation of their city, Athens and all of Greece in the Persian Wars (Sayre 60). It was also a symbol of their power and superiority among other cultures. It was something the Greeks took great pride in and recognized it to a great extent. The Parthenon was built on the highest point of the city of Athens to look over the precious Greek city. On the exterior walls of the Parthenon there was beautiful artwork that

One of the greatest Greek monuments is the Parthenon in Athens, built for Goddess Athena. The prominent Athenian politician, Perikles supported its construction. The work on this building began when the Athenian Empire was at the peak of its power in 447 BC and continued until 432. The Parthenon, then, represented the blossoming of Athenian imperial power (web.archive.org,

Greece is a country full of culture and tradition. This is Acropolis of Athens built in 6th

Acropolis of Athens, and more specifically the Parthenon is the most mysterious. It is thought to be the most characteristic monument in in Greek history. Symbolizing the beginning of Western civilization, it is also an icon of European history. The Parthenon was dedicated to Athena, Goddess of the city of Athens and the goddess of wisdom. In modern culture, more than half the sculptures are now located in the British Museum in London. Christianity was established in the 6th century. With this development, the temples were changed to Christian churches. Today the return of the Parthenon sculptures to their original home of Acropolis is highly anticipated.

This building still partly stands today, but pillaging of artifacts, as well as destruction from war has left the building in shambles. However, the frieze is still largely in tact and is now located in the Acropolis Museum and the British Museum. These friezes are still under ownership discrepancies, as Greece feels Lord Elgin illegally acquired them and Britain feels that he was allowed excavation from the Ottomans, whom reigned supreme over Greece at this time. This monument helps explains a broader context of world culture, it was highly pillaged, and tells its own story. The monument is also known as the Temple of Athena Parthenos, which was designed by Itkinos and Kallikrates. This building, which is part of a larger Acropolis, would have taken many years to build. The monument began its construction around 447 BC and has several key architectural features. First, the pediments contain chiseled works such as the birth of Athena. Secondly, the building is equipped with metopes, friezes, and artifacts like the Selene horse or artworks of a centaur which make this monument a cultural icon even today. The Parthenon is also the only temple from the era where real-life scenes are

The Parthenon is known for being one of the greatest achievements of the Athenians. The massive building is a work of perfection and beauty. The Parthenon, which took ten years to build was placed on the highest point of the Acropolis that overlooks the Athenian City. Constructed entirely of marble and embellished with sculptures, the Parthenon is one of the finest examples of the Classical style. It has columns that are specific to the Classical style.

During the Classical period, the Peloponnesian war brought a great change that transformed the city of Athens into a reconstructed and wealthy city. However, when the Persian war is ended, a new style of architecture and sculptures is created based on better techniques and different sculptures’ designs used as a representation of Greek history and epic mythology to open a new age of improvements on the temple’s elaboration.

It clear that both cultures built these temples to honor their gods, however, the first contrasting element is the fact that the Romans built their Pantheon to honor all their gods. The locations of both temples are another vital area to highlight, the Greek Parthenon is located on the Acropolis in Athens. It is believed that during the time construction of the temple begun, the Athenian empire was the head of the Greek defense league as well as master over all other Greek states (Reed College, n.d.). The presence of the temple in Athens signifies and expresses the dominance and confidence in which the Athenians had gained

The Temple of Athena Nike was built where it is for various strategic and religious reasons. Pericles rebuilt it as part of an effort to increase morale and renew culture during wartime. It was built over a previous temple to Athena, which was used for similar things. Utilized continuously by Bronze Age Greeks, the temple also served as a military base. References to Nike, the goddess of victory, also strengthened the luck associated with this structure and, therefore, its appeal as a fort. It also was arranged to face an altar to the east. Furthermore, the location affected the use of stone, as the natural shapes and quality of local marble inspired the Doric and Ionic orders. Thus, the Ancient Greeks had reasons for placing the Temple of Athena Nike where it still stands today. (Ancient-Greece.org)(Reidel, Brown.edu)

Temple of Hera at Olympia is one of the oldest temples built in Greece. The Olympia site including the Temple of Hera at Olympia is set at the foot of Mount Kronos. (fig. 1) The Temple is located at the northwest corner of the Sanctuary of Zeus at Altis, at the top center of the Olympia site, in between Nymphaeum of Herodes Atticus and Prytaneion. (fig. 2) The name of the mountain is named after the Greek deity Kronos. Greeks have a long history of building architectures near or up on the top of the mountain. There are many examples in the history. The Parthenon in

Reconstructed under the direction of Pericles after been destroyed by the Persians, the Acropolis was the ideal site to reconstruct the most important buildings for the Greeks, the temples. “ In Fact, where the Akropolis temples were being rebuilt, some of the marble column drums spoiled in the fire were used in rebuilding the parapet walls; symbols of the victory of the Greeks and perpetual visual evidence of their military spiritual superiority.” Although the Greek temples were for public function, entering the

The acropolis is influential to archietcts and sculptors of today as they see Athens as a great wonder and sets high architecture standards for today. Although it was designed and built in the 5th century the level of craftmanship is exceptionaly high given the crude tools they would have had at the time. Sadly, the affect of the Parthenon and the rest of the acropolis is diminished due to the poor treatment of its sacred buildings. The temples have been ruined due to a mixture of reasons including wars, air pollution and neglect. Architects, sculptors, archaelologists and historians can go see the Elgin marbles if they’re interested. These are a collection of classical Greek marble structures taken from the Parthenon and resculpted by Phidias,

If you were in Athens for only one day, hands down, the first place you should go is to see the heart of the ancient city, the Acropolis. This marbled monument to the Greek Goddess Athena, the now ruins were once believed to be the home of the Gods themselves. This area has been inhabited by humans for thousands of years and the temples and monuments carved out of stone are a spectacular tribute to the architects who constructed them nearly 500 years BC.

Ancient Greek civilization provided notable ideas and approaches due to their large emphasis on creativity and individualism. Much of the Greek’s culture is currently shown through various forms including philosophy, sport, democracy and food. In particular, Greek architecture plays an important role in how structures are built in present day society. One of the most impressive and extraordinary structures built during the Ancient Greek period is the Parthenon. Built in honor of the Greek goddess Athena, the Parthenon stands as a symbol of Greek architecture and culture. Although the Parthenon served many functions,“the temple’s main function was to shelter the monumental statue of Athena that was made by Pheidias out of gold and ivory” (The

“The city was colonized in the eleventh century B.C. by the Athenians. In subsequent generations it was conquered by the Persians, the Macedonians, and the Romans. Destroyed by fire in 356 B.C., it was immediately rebuilt because of the pride of its inhabitants and the importance of its strategic location. Located on the banks of the Cayster, it was both the chief port and capital of the province of Asia. In New Testament time it was famous as a political, commercial, and religious center. It boasted a twenty-five-thousand seat theatre, a race course, and the temple of Diana, known as one of the seven wonders of the ancient world.