The PARTHENON

The Parhenon stands atop the Acropolis , a hill rising above  the centre of Athens, and is regarded as one of the great wonders of the ancient world.

Built after the Greek victory over the Persians , the temple was defined by an outer colonnade that consists of 8 columns, with 17 columns running along each of its sides.

Much of the sculpture decoration has been lost, destroyed or pillaged over the centuries, but we do know that the decoration consisted of 92 metopes, 32 on each of the king sides and 14 on each of the short – a continuous ionic frieze 160 metres long with 50 figures in the round filling in the triangular pedimental areas .

Originally there was a giant 12 metre statue  of Athena Parthenos that was housed in the interior of the temple. The goddess stood , elaborately decorated in full armour, holding a Victory Nike in her right hand and resting the left on her shield. The nude parts of the  statue were rendered in ivory an the rest in sheets of gold weighing more than 1,000 kilos.

Today the magnifence of the Parthenon is a remains an enduring symbol to the western world.The Parthenon Museum at the base of the Acropolis showcases the story of this monumental  structure.