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Why Did The Athens Build The Parthenon

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The Athenians built the Parthenon in 447 BC, as a replacement of their first temple and a monument of victory after leading the Greeks to victory against the Persians. Funded by the wealthy members of the society and money appropriated by the recently moved from the Bank of Delian league, the Parthenon stood as political statement of democracy in addition to its religious function. Geographically located at the highest point of the city and within proximity of the acropolis, Athenians and visitors would be able to witness the grandeur of Athenian wealth during their height of power. Being a cultural center for art and the leaders of the other Greek City-States during the war, the Athenian claim to being the most quintessential Greeks. Through …show more content…

Culturally this idea placed women in a position of subordination under men, where they could only be seen as “proper” when they were mothers upholding familial traditions or housewives supporting the men of the family and therefor the core of what made the Athenian community, democracy, and society. The metopes depicting the Amazonomachy shows the Amazons as products of untamed, wild women that need to be tamed by men and who are easily bested by men. Showing their incompetence when compared to men, is on the ___ Pediment, where the story of the naming of Athens through the picking of patrons leads to a disastrous aftermath, due to two wrong decisions made by the women. Of course the men were forced to clean up the aftermath of the women and resulted in the loss of the women’s voting rights to appease the gods, thus saying that the subordination of women was decided by the gods. Again their inadequacy is shown with the procession when they aren’t worthy enough to directly present Athena with the sacred cloth (despite them being competent enough to make it). Their representation in the procession is also limited to only two instances, where visual effects are used to show how women are meant to bare the the burden of the community through their fertility and abilities to produce- as seen with …show more content…

Starting at the eye level of the viewer is the myth of Pandora’s creation, where as the first woman she brought about everything that calls men misery. An example of the consequences of Pandora and the burden of women is shown in the souls of Athena’s shoes, slightly higher than the base. During the Centauromachy the men had to protect women from the centaurs’ misconduct and uncontrollable sexual urges which shows the societal views as men as protectors. By being born solely as a product of a man, any positive accomplishments of Athena can be attributed to her masculinity and any flaws from her being a female. Athena as a goddess is also unable to represent proper Greek women as a virgin that has given up her right to motherhood. Additionally, in the same way that she is always by the side of Zeus, Athena will always side with men who maintain a sense of logic and the men of her

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