Ancient Greek Parthenon/Parthenon In Ancient Greece

Initially, Athenians began building the ancient Greek Parthenon at about the same time in 480 BC when it was destroyed by Persians. Early records about the initial construction are not available, but it is known that the Parthenon was dedicated to Athena which is now in ruins.

Nobody knows if the temple was razed while it was constructed or after, but the materials used were marble for columns and limestone for its strong foundations.

Pentelic marble for columns was never used before the construction of the ancient Greek Parthenon constructed for focusing on the building complex called Acropolis.

The architects were Karpion, Iktinos and Kallikrates and the pantheon was dedicated to the Greek goddess Athena Pallas. The primary reason for building the Parthenon was to house the huge statue of Athena. The statue was built in about 438 BC and work on the building lasted till 432 BC.

Doric columns housing Athena

Compared to constructions of buildings in Greece at that time, the Parthenon was way ahead in architectural beauty and engineering. The Parthenon was created according to the Doric order and had a faade with eight columns and seventeen column flanks. It followed the ratio of 9:4.

Spacing of the columns as well as the height depended on the ratio. The huge statue was housed in a cella while six Doric columns were enough to support both the front and back porch. There were 23 small Doric columns right behind the Athena surrounding it.

It was the first in Doric temples as this one was larger than the previous ones. In earlier constructions, the columns were placed on the flanks, but the sheer size of the Parthenon required a different system altogether.

The architecture was the first of its kind and had loads of aesthetics embedded in every feature. Visually, it was appealing and the structure was imposing while losing none if its delicate appeal. Visitors always experienced the magnificence as well as the imposing faade of the ancient Greece Parthenon.

Information on: Greece Parthenon History, Greece Parthenon Architecture

Ancient Greek Life History / Ancient Greece Facts for Kids

We owe a lot to Ancient Greek Civilization. History of ancient Greece is a fascinating. On this site, we have given information on various ancient Greek life aspects - Arts, Boys and Girls, Architecture, Dancing, Gods, Myths, Medicine, Inventions, Houses, Government, Religions, Wars, Politics, Weapons and ancient Greece Cities.