The+Parthenon

Samantha December 5, 2011 The Parthenon: A Temple of History “Earth Proudly wears the Parthenon as the best gem upon her zone,” said the famous poet Ralph Waldo Emerson, and not surprisingly, many others agree with him. (Emerson). Throughout all of the facts and information about the famous temple, there are a few topics that most believe to be of the highest importance. Those topics will be the ones addressed in this report and consist of the basic history and creation of the Parthenon, along with the disasters and battles that have damaged or affected it. Another area that will be discussed is the current state the Parthenon is in now. Despite the Parthenon's ups and downs throughout its 2,500 years surviving as a temple, it still stands strong on the Athenian Acropolis in Greece. (Wikipedia).

Hidden behind the Parthenon’s columns, statues, and marbled walls is an enormous amount of history involving the famous temple. The Parthenon is the largest temple in Greece, and one of the most important buildings in the world. Its purpose was to glorify Athens and show off the power they had at the time. (Mitts). To say it has been glorified may be a bit of an understatement, for it has continued to be one of the greatest historical monuments on this planet. Designed by Phidias, a famous sculptor, the Parthenon’s construction began in 447 BCE; however, Phidias did not complete construction alone. The architects Ictinos and Callicrates helped with the creation and supervision of the construction work. (Regula). One of the special things about the temple was that it was dedicated to the Greek Goddess @Athena. Underneath the front roof of the Parthenon stood an amazing sculpture of her, protected by the temple so not to risk damage to it. (Wikipedia). Unfortunately, the statue did not survive the ages, but it will forever be in the minds of the Athenians. In 432 BCE, when each and every bit of carving, painting, decorating, and building was finished, the temple served as part treasury and part shelter for the statue of Athena. Little did those workers know, their efforts would definitely not be the last of the construction and history surrounding the Parthenon. Creating the original Parthenon took approximately ten years, while the decorations took five. (Silverman). Some might believe the project took an inordinate amount of time to construct; however, it is the exact opposite. Considering the delicate structure and details covering every inch of the Parthenon, the construction actually should have taken much longer. The temple is a combination of Doric and Ionic orders (styles of columns). (Silverman). One of the most extravagant aspects of these columns was the way they were put together and positioned. Known as “the highest level of human creativity”, the Athenians built the Parthenon on uneven ground and tilted the columns inward, giving an uplifting allusion. (AlltheGreeks the Parthenon). Some even say it looks as if the temple had sprung from the ground. Throughout all of that astonishing creativity, the workers managed to pull off something almost as great as the risen temple, the statue of Athena. The famous statue was built out of gold and ivory, making it worth millions. Her statue was enormous, and consisted of important symbolism to the Ancient Greek culture. The shield she held portrayed battle and the pedestal that she stood on represented Pandora’s birth. (AlltheGreeks the Parthenon). Since Pandora was known for her manipulation and evil ways, Athena stood on top of her because she was the complete opposite. The statue was one of the best things about the Parthenon, but sadly it disappeared in history, and cannot be enjoyed now. The Parthenon is a type of structure that deserves to be recognized, especially after the Ancient Athenian’s hard work and effort.

The Parthenon was built to withstand strong outside forces but, like everything else, it was destined to have at least a few troubles over the years. Natural disasters are one of the main reasons that parts of the temple are now gone. The Parthenon has been through multiple fires, storms, and bad weather. But the events that really did the damage are the earthquakes. The first among many was the 426 BC earthquake, which caused the whole entire East Façade to open up. (Beard). Ever since then there have been cracks and instability throughout that part of the temple. This has affected the repair of the Parthenon tremendously, for now there are pieces of marble missing that will never be replaced. Another early earthquake was in 373 BC. That earthquake supposedly had ruined Elike, a city close to Athens. (Wikipedia). Then, in 1981 the East side of the Parthenon was struck again and helped even more sections disappear. However, one of the biggest earthquakes of all was during the year of 1999. It was deadly and horrific. Unfortunately, it killed 143 people that lived in the city of Athens while shifting important architectural elements of the Parthenon. (Medeiros). To this day, each and every one of those earthquakes make workers struggle harder and harder to complete the job of renovating the Parthenon back to its original state.

The blows, booms, sparks, and fire still remain in Athens’ mind from the 1687 Venetian ambush. September 26th was a day that tortured the Parthenon, the Athenian Acropolis, and everything around them. (Wikipedia). One simple day was all it took for the Venetians to attack Athens and tear their famous temple apart. When the Venetians came to fight, the Athenians searched for protection. They ran for cover underneath the Parthenon, hoping for shelter and safety. Sadly, they got the exact opposite. Over half of Athens huddled inside the temple, along with all of their gunpowder storage. (Inc.). As the Venetians fired their cannons and dodged the marble columns with bullets, something terrible happened. One simple gun shell set off every bit of the gun powder stored in the Parthenon, leaving over three hundred people and parts of the temple in ruins. Seven hundred bullets had been fired that particular evening, and they will forever remain marked in the marble of the Parthenon’s columns, walls, and interior rooms. (Beard).

Currently, the Parthenon is not as strong or as spectacular as it once was. Efforts to restore this historical landmark have already been going on for thirty three years. However, time and hard work are not the only components throughout this mission. Over one hundred million dollars have been put into the restoring of the Athenian temple. The 2,500 year old Parthenon is in danger of collapsing and losing its history forever. Since each broken piece has a unique curve, design, and place it is practically impossible for the Parthenon to become its original self again. A rescue mission named the Acropolis Restoration Project was designed to take apart each piece of the temple and then reassemble every single one, which is extremely difficult to do. However, such measures would not have to be taken if previous missions had not failed. During the 1900’s, some workers got together and put iron clamps on each column. They rusted and expanded, which made the marble of the columns crack. Thousands of people are trying to contribute to the renovation of the Parthenon every day, but after all of the incidents that it has been through, it will take much longer before anyone can restore the old temple. (PBS).

The Parthenon should be recognized as a temple that has withstood 2, 500 years of our rough world. Negative and positive incidents impacted it immensely, which added the interesting history behind it. Amazingly, the Parthenon has stayed strong from its beginning until now, along with every day in between, even when they involved natural disasters and deadly battles. The Parthenon is one of the most important parts of Greece and represents the Athenian Culture from thousands of years ago. It is imperative for people to realize the wonders of the temple and how much it has been through. The Parthenon is a one of a kind building that deserves to be glorified.

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