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How Did The Parthenon Influence Athena

Decent Essays

The Parthenon and The Influence of Athena on Athens and The Greek Era
Laith al Omari
1607029472
ARTS200D
Dr. Schell
16/4/17

The Parthenon, one of the most famous ancient Greek structures, located in Athens, was built to honor their deity Athena. citizens built ornate temples to honor and worship their pantheon, or collective group, of gods, such as Ares the god of war and Hermes the god of travel. The gods had legendary tales of glory, romance, and adventure. The Parthenon was considered a work of art as well as a sacred space for the worshipers of Athena the ancient Greek goddess. The Parthenon was built on the approximate location of another temple that was destroyed by the Persians while it was still in construction. “When work began …show more content…

She is Zeus’s favorite daughter for many reasons, due to her high intellect, wisdom, strength, courage, and generosity. She was known to be the goddess of the city, the goddess that stood with the people and protected them. She was also known to be the female counter part of Ares, as he is the god of war, but he was more fierce corrupted and filled with battle lust. Many myths about Ares are about him trying to overtake Zeus’s throne but he was usually stopped my Athena due to her better strategies and less rage that blinds him. Athena has been known to all her good deeds and help towards Greeks and Athenians. The Parthenon was a dedication to Athena the virgin. Athena had a great influence on the Greek people. The temple symbolized the dawn of a golden age for Athens, “an age in which philosophers, politicians, and citizens alike believed that human progress and social institutions could create a perfect society.” This view was often summarized with “man is the measure of all things”. Athena was believed to be the goddess that led the Athenians to a great victory against the Persians. A myth that represents some rivalry and her wisdom is the fight between Athena and Poseidon god of the seas that was based on naming what is now Athens. Cecrops the first king of Athens was searching for a patron deity for the city of Athens. Athena and Poseidon were the most interested in the patronage, and they almost fought for it. The king …show more content…

The proof of this peak is the vast schemes for new buildings that Pericles had initiated in and around Athens. The Parthenon represented power in many different ways including the architectural technology and the representation of Athena, but one that stands out is that they topped of the roof with wood. “They used the wood from the defeated Persian boats from their naval victory at Salamis as the building material.” Another proof of the architectural technology in Athens is that the columns at the corners of the temple were slightly larger or more precisely 1/40th larger in diameter than the rest of the columns, and they decreased the space of the columns around them approximately 25 cm smaller. The reason behind this change is that these specific columns are facing the sky, and columns that have light directed towards them tend to seem smaller in size and further apart than darker columns. Pericles believed in democracy and perfection. He started the whole idea of equality, and although he limited it to male adult citizens, but he gave them the ability to participate in every decision regarding the state not caring about wealth or class. When democracy was invented it was extremely fragile, and not a thing that was taken for granted, but Pericles had a very important role in making it last longer and adding it to the Greek

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