The Parthenon

The Parthenon

• Work began on the Parthenon in 447 BC• It symbolizes the power and influence of the Athenian

politician, Perikles, who championed its construction.• The Parthenon is a temple of the Doric order with eight

columns at the façade, and seventeen columns at the flanks.• Democracy, arguably the epitome of the Athenian way of

thinking, was at center stage while the Parthenon was built.• The fact that common people are depicted as individuals for

the first time at the Parthenon frieze was owed to the fact that for the first time in history every citizen of a city was recognized as a significant entity and a considerable moving force in the polis and the observable universe.

Parthenon Facts•Year Built: 447-432 BCE •Precise Dimensions: • Width East: 30.875 m • Width West: 30.8835 m • Length North: 69.5151 m • Length South: 69.5115 m

•Width to Ratio: 9:4 • Width to height Ratio (without

the Pediments): 9:4

•Number of stones used to built the Parthenon: Approximated at 13400 stones. •Architects: Iktinos and Kallikrates •Parthenon Cost: 469 talents •Coordinates (of Plaka area just below the Acropolis): 37° 58'N, 23° 43'E

Works Cited

• http://academic.reed.edu/humanities/110Tech/Parthenon.html

• http://ancient-greece.org/architecture/parthenon.html