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The Parthenon : A Classical Piece Of Architecture Essay

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The Parthenon is a classical piece of architecture that served as a temple on the Athenian Acropolis in Greece. The main function of the temple was to house a monumental statue created by Phidias out of goal and ivory. The colossal statue was of Athena, a goddess the people of the city considered their patron deity. Today the ruins of the Parthenon attract millions of tourists each year. But Athens isn’t the only place to catch a glimpse of this spectacular piece of ancient history. A full-scale replica of the Parthenon proudly stands in the center of Centennial park in Nashville, Tennessee, also known as, “The Athens of the South.” I feel that this replica has done wonders to bring attention to Greek art and architecture right here in America to those who might not be able to travel, or might not have even had any interest. Let’s do a quick background check on the history and materials of the original Parthenon. On the rare and unbelievable chance you’ve never heard of or seen this amazing structure, allow me to try to paint a picture of it in your head.
What does it Look Like? “The Parthenon is basically a Doric temple with Ionic architectural features,” (Charles River) now, what exactly does this mean? Well there are three different types of orders in regards to architecture in ancient Greece, Doric and Ionic being two of them, Corinthian being the other. A characteristic of Doric order is that it contains metopes, or triangular panels that are decorated near the top

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