Description: Reverse reads: "Parthenon, the name given generally since the 4th Century B.C. to the chief temple of Athena on the Acropolis of Athena (eg. Demosthenes). The name is applied in the official inventories of the 5th and early 4th centuries to one compartment of the temple, and this was probably its original meaning. It is certainly to be associated with the cult of Athena Parthenos "the Virgin." The most convenient position for a temple upon the natural rock plat- forms of the Acropolis was occupied by the early temple of Athena. When it was decided to supersede this by a larger and more magnificent temple, it was necessary to provide a site for this new temple by means of a great substructure, which is on its south side about 40 feet high. This substructure was built for an earlier temple probably dating from the 6th century B.C. The extent temple was the chief among the buildings with which Pericles adorned the Acropolis. The supervision of the whole work was in the hands of Pheidas and the architects of the temple were Ictinus and Callierates. The actual building was not begun until 447 B.C., though the decision to build was made ten years earlier (Keil). The temple must have been structurally complete by the year 438 B.C. in which the gold and ivory statue of Athena Pathenes was dedicated; but the work of decoration was still going to be in 433 B.C. The temple designed by Ictimus was about 15 feet shorter and about 6 feet wider than the building for which the foundations were intended. It thus obtained a proportion of length to breadth of exactly 9:4. It is the most per- fect example of Doric order. The plan was peculiar. The cella which was exactly 100 feet long kept the name and traditional measurement of the old Hectaompedon. It was surrounded on three sides by a Dorie colonnade and in the middle of it was the great base on which the statue was erected. This cella was probably lightened only by the great doorway and by the light that filtered through the marble tiles. The common notion that there was a hypaethral opening is erroneous. At the back of the cella was a square chamber, not communicating with it but entered from the west end of the temple. This was the Parthenon in its narrow sense. It seems to have been used only as a storehouse, though it may have been originally intended for a few more important purposes. The Prodomus and the Opisthodmus were inclusded by bronse grating fixed between the columns and were thus adapted to contain valuable offerings and other treasures. The Opisthodmus in particular probably served as a treasury. The metopes over the outer colonnade were all sculptured and repre- sented on the east the battle of Gods and Giants; on the west, probably the battle of Greeks and Amazons; on the sout, Greeks and Ceritams; those on the north were almost lost. The east pediment represented the birth of Athena, the west pediment her contest with Poseidon for the land of Attica. The friese which was placed above the cella wall at the sides represented the Panathennaic procession, approaching on 3 the group of gods seated in the middle of the east side. These sculptures are admirably adapted to their position on the buildings. ---ENCYCLOPAEDIA BRITANNICA--- The Parthenon is a temple of ancient Greece, one of the most famous relics of antiquity and generally considered the most perfect building ever constructed. It depicted the great Pnathemaic procession in which all classes of Athenians assembled to do honor to the goddess. Gigantic sculptures ornamented other parts of the buildings. Rich colors, gold, red and blue were used in the decoration of these designs. The building was constructed of White Marble and the tiles of the roof of Parlan Marble. Within there were two halls, one of which contained the great ivory and gold statue of Athenae by Phidias. It became a Christian church about the 6th century dedicated to the Divine Wisdom and later to the Virgin. When Athens was captured by the Turks in 1458 it was a Mohammedan Mosque and a minaret was added. The Parthenon was used as a powder house by the Turks, when the Venetians were striving to conquer Athens, 1687, and suffered much from the exploration which killed 300 people and completely destroyed the central position of the building. The building is about 228 feet in length, 101 feet in width and 60 feet high." This is a photo of a man who is painting a model of the Parthenon. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA1039AV_B11F03_19_001
Subjects: Parthenon (Athens, Greece); Models
Places: Ohio