Ancient Greece: Facts About the Parthenon
- The construction of the Parthenon was started in approximately 447 BC and took approximately ten years to complete. It was designed by the architects Itkinos and Callicrates with the help of leading sculptor Phidias.
- The building was constructed out of Pentelic marble, using approximately 13,400 stones.
- There are no absolute straight lines in the design of the Parthenon, giving it a very organic feeling.
- The Parthenon rises to 64 feet high and was 230 feet long. It contains 46 Doric columns.
- Parthenon literally means “virgin’s place” and was a temple for the Goddess Athena.
- The vividly painted statue of Athena was 42 feet tall and took the sculptor Phidias about 9 years of work. More than 2,000 pounds of gold was used to create the gold and ivory statue.
- The statue of Athena was first looted by the Greek tyrant Lachares who stripped off the gold plates and used the metal to pay his army. Later, in the 5th Century AD, the statue was carted away to Constantinople by the Byzantines and is believed to have been destroyed during the Crusades.
- The frieze of the Parthenon is one of the first to depict common people along with the Gods, reflecting the Greek love and belief in democratic principles.
