THE ACROPOLIS & PARTHENON

By Jennifer Christensen & Jordan Coash

What is the Parthenon in Athens?

The Parthenon is the remains of a temple to the Greek goddess Athena, the patron goddess of the ancient City of Athens.

Where is the Parthenon?

The Parthenon is a temple located on the Acropolis, a hill overlooking the city of Athens, Greece.

The Parthenon in Athens is considered to be the finest example of Doric-style construction.

The Parthenon was designed by Phidias, a Greek politician, credited with the founding of the city of Athens and with stimulating the so-called "Golden Age of Greece".

What is in the Parthenon?

Many treasures would have been displayed in the building.

The glory of the Parthenon was the gigantic statue of Athena designed by Phidias and made out of elephant ivory and gold.

When was the Parthenon built?

Work on the building began in 447 BCE and continued until 438 BCE; some of the decorations were completed later.

It was built over the site of an earlier temple which is sometimes called the Pre-Parthenon.

What is the Acropolis?

The Acropolis is the hill in Athens on which the Parthenon stands.

"Acro" means "high" and "polis" means "city" - so it is literally the "high city". Many other places in Greece have an acropolis but "The Acropolis" usually refers to the site of the Parthenon in Athens.

Basic Design of the Parthenon

The Parthenon is a clear example of Doric design with Ionic architectural features.

The architects used a intelligent visual effect with the design of the building.

Ionic columns were used.

This style would be copied later by the Romans.