In ancient Greece, around 500 B.C.E, the culture was revolving around gods and goddesses. The lifestyles and actions of the people of Greece had an interdependence with the common belief of Hellenism. By understanding that many Greeks looked to their gods and goddesses in most aspects of their life, we can better understand how Greek culture worked as a whole. This can be seen specifically in Athens Greece. In Athens they looked to the Goddess Athena in particular because she was their patron Goddess. During this time a sculptor, named Phidias, sculpted a grand statue called the Athena Parthenos. The Athena Parthenos was viewed as an actual incarnation of the Goddess Athena, and symbolize victory in wars that ultimately create peace and harmony. …show more content…
The statue was a staggering 40 feet tall, which is a remarkable height. Things that have a grand stature are normally associated with being of greater power or importance, and in the case of the Athena Parthenos it portrays a Goddess like aura. The statue was also made of gold and ivory which are very esteemed and sought after materials. They are extremely valuable materials, and Phidias had made a whole 40 foot tall statue out of them.*footnote* Gold and ivory are often associated with importance and power, and are thought to be very valuable and pure. These are all qualities that would also be associated with a figure that is Goddess-like. The size and the choice of material suggest that the statue was of great importance and power, which are qualities that should be associated with a …show more content…
The Parthenon was home to the Athena Parthenos, but where it was located in the Parthenon is crucial. It was located in a special chamber called the cella.*footnote* The only people that were actually allowed into the Parthenon were priests, who are could be considered the holiest of all people in their culture.*footnote* This elevates the Athena Parthenos to a very high level of holiness, that most would consider to be Goddess-like. Normal citizens of Athens had to worship in a courtyard outside of the Parthenon, which means that they couldn’t even be under the same roof as the Athena Parthenos.*footnote* The placement of the statute clearly indicates a very high level of religious standing, that could be best described as Goddess-like. Athena is the Goddess of war and craftsmanship.*footnote*Athena, the Goddess of war, was depicted holding the Goddess of victory, which one could interpret the two Goddesses together as meaning victory in war.*footnote* Also Athena was portrayed in full military attire, which can clearly be seen as another symbol of war. The Goddess Athena was very intelligent and powerful in war, and viewed war as a way to achieve peace, versus just fighting to be violent. *footnote* This very powerful statute was a beacon to greeks, that helped them to achieve victory in war and achieve peace through
The Parthenon at the Acropolis in Athens, Greece, built between 447 BCE and 432 BCE to honor the Greek goddess Athena. The Parthenon located in the acropolis is located on the top of a big hill. This could be a tactic to protect the structure from invaders, however, this is also symbolic of wanting to be closer to the gods, in this case closer to Athena. This great architectural piece made of huge slabs of marble creates a sense of grandness only the gods deserved. The architect included relief sculpture of larger than
Parthenon is a former temple,Greece dedicated it to their goddess Athena, the people of Parthenon considered it as their patron.While they were creating a building the Persians decided to come over and burn it down and where that building was after the Persians burnt it down the Greeks built the Parthenon right where the other building was.
The Parthanon was constructed in Athens in the middle of the 5th century B.C. The Greeks had just come up victorious against their arch-rivals the Persians. Greeks of that time firmly believed in the control over their lives as free citizen, they also thought that the Gods had great influence over the existence of men. The leaders of Athens found it wholly appropriate to build a great temple dedicated to Athena, the patron saint of Athens. They did this as thanks for victory, and continued good fortune, as the Gods could be capricious if not curry-favored.
The Parthenon is dedicated to Athena, the goddess of wisdom and military victory. [3] Built as a post and lintel temple, the Parthenon is by no means the largest temple built in ancient Greece, nor the most elaborate. It has however survived mostly intact through nearly twenty five centuries, including
The Athenians began the construction of The Parthenon in 447 BCE. It was eventually burned down by the Persians in 480 BCE, while still under construction. It was known to be dedicated to the goddess Athena, and after its destruction, much of its ruins were made use of in the building of the fortifications at the Acropolis. The temple remains a partial mystery to us, and whether or not it was still under construction when it was destroyed has been argued. Its main foundations were made of limestone, and the columns of Pentelic marble. The main function of the temple was to hold a statue of Athena made by Pheidias out of gold and ivory.
The Parthenon is known as the Temple of Athena Parthenos. Phidias and his team (Ictinus and Callicrates) began the process of building the Parthenon in 447 B.C.E. “It is one of the main buildings in the Acropolis and was dedicated to honor Athena. The buildings showed a lot of wealth and power to the Athenian empire. The architecture of the Parthenon shows elements of the clarity.” The Parthenon has a rather uniquely structured building. There is nothing cookie-cutter about the shape. The surfaces are rarely straight and there are hardly any completely horizontal or vertical lines. Instead of using the straight lines they went with more of a slight curve. Also the floor was not flat it had a more pronounced curve than people had seen before which made it stand out. The outer floor was had about a 6-inch difference from the inner floor. The unusual structure of the Parthenon was not due to poor architect skills it was completely
The Parthenon was built by Pericles in honor of the goddess Athena and because of the victory over Persia. It was built to replace a temple that had been destroyed by Persia. The Greek temple was used for more than a thousand years, transforming into a church and then a mosque. Only Two years after Its completion the Peloponnesian War began and the people’s symbol changed for them. Before the war, it was their pride of civility among those whom they considered to be barbaric. A grudging reality set in after the war; their golden age had passed. Some believed that they were not worthy of such a grand legacy, simply because they felt they were unable to provide it with an even greater
The Parthenon was dedicated to Athena; the Grecian godess of wisdom and military victory. When the Parthenon was being built the Athenian Empire
Even Athens, one of the most notable city-states, was named for Athena, the Goddess of Wisdom and Battle Strategy. The city state built several buildings and statues in offer to her, like the Parthenon. Also, the worship of Athena, rather than Ares, the god of war, shows the values of Ancient Greece. They valued intelligence and knowledge over brutality, battle strategy over blindly running into fight. This may have been the cause of winning the war against Persia, and the explanation of the philosophical insights and scientific advancements Athens had. Greek mythology greatly influenced Roman myths; the Roman more or less stole the stories, changed the names, then made the gods more violent. But the mythology of Greece was influenced by that of the Egyptians. Mythology was a greatly significant part of Athenian culture. Even the myths derived from Greece had lessons that were continuously used. The story of the Minotaur relays the power of the Gods, and how important it is to worship them correctly. It is a story that begins with humility, suggesting humans are not the superior race; Gods and Goddesses are. The story of Persephone is a prime example of their opinion of women. She ate a pomegranate she wasn't supposed to, and as a result was condemned to stay in hell with Hades. She was at fault, a weak and easily-persuaded girl. Much like Eve from the Bible, the woman was at fault, and
These four places are well known in Greece.These are man made major attractions. The Parthenon Dedicated to goddess Athena Parthenos – the Greek goddess of wisdom, courage and warfare. The temple was completed around 438 BC. This monument was built by the architects Ictinus and Callicrates.The massive temple of Zeus, the most important building in the Altis
Beliefs relating to Gods or spirits - The ancient Greeks believed that after you died, your soul would go to a place called the underworld - Polytheistic: • Many gods • Performed specific functions - The believers would have to pray, visit temples and provide offerings to ensure they were seen by the gods. - Afterlife: • Spirit was joined to the underworld - The ancient Greeks believed that gods and goddesses would take care of them when they died.
More than two years of detailed planning went into the Parthenon alone, and the first stone was laid on 28 July 447 BCE, during the Panathenaic festival. Pericles had no limit on how much the Acropolis could cast because he wanted to create a lasting monument which would both honour the goddess Athena (who presided over Athens) and proclaim the glory of the city to the world. Mnesikles, and Iktinos and the sculptor Phidias helped create the designs on the buildings. Hundreds of artisans, metal workers, craftspeople, painters, woodcarvers, and literally thousands of unskilled labourers worked on the Acropolis. Phidias created a gold and ivory statue of Athena which stood either in the Parthenon, known as the Temple of Athena Parthenos ('Athena the Virgin’ in Greek), or in the centre of the Acropolis near the smaller temple of Athena.
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
First let’s examine the Parthenon in Greece which was built as a tribute to the goddess Athena, and inside was placed almost 39-foot-tall statue of Athena. The other purpose of the Parthenon was the replacement of two smaller temples. It also said the building housed a treasury room. I have very little doubt the building was first and foremost designed as tribute to not only Athena, in looking at the intricate design located on the building, it was built as a symbol to many Greek gods and displayed the power and importance of each to Greek society. The prestige of having such a building built at the highest point in the city just emits power. I can only imagine what it must have felt like see this from a far.
The winding rocky path that led up to the Acropolis was surrounded by numerous small shrines, including one to the god Pan, who had appeared to the runner Phidippides before the battle of Marathon. At its top was the Propylaia, an entryway and façade that formed the gateway to the Acropolis. Once inside the 'Sacred Precinct' you'd notice the most fabulous building in there, "The Parthenon". The Parthenon was started in 447 BC, but they couldn't finish it so they completed it some fifteen years later. It housed both a treasury and a sanctuary to Athena, in which was placed a fantastic 12-meter high ivory and gold statue of the goddess "Athena", called the "Athena Parthenos".