I dreamed of visiting Greece since childhood. A mysterious country from a long-read school history textbook has always attracted me and seemed like an amazing place. But what do we actually know about it?

Probably, each of us at the word "Greece" imagines the bright sun, the sound of the sea, the taste of olives and the majestic ancient ruins. And for sure, most people remember the same ruins of the ancient Parthenon, located on a rocky hill - a huge structure with high marble columns and a crowd of tourists nearby. Which, however, is not surprising, because this is the most recognizable temple in Greece and, probably, one of the most famous buildings of antiquity. In a word, this is a unique place, next to which I seem to fall into the past.

A little history of the Parthenon

As I said, the Parthenon is located on the Athenian Acropolis - ancient city on a high rocky hill. It was built in 447-438 BC. e. by order of the Athenian ruler Pericles by the architect Kallikrates and decorated in 438-431 BC. e. under the direction of Phidias - the great ancient Greek sculptor. The one who is the author of one of the wonders of the world - the statue of Zeus in Olympia.

1. Acropolis in Athens

The Acropolis in Athens, where the Parthenon is located, is also called the "sacred rock" and was used for defensive purposes.

2. Cultural layers

The cultural layers found on the slopes of the Acropolis indicate that there were settlements on the hill from 2800 BC, that is, long before the Minoan and Mycenaean cultures.

3. The Acropolis Was a Sacred Site

Long before the construction of the Parthenon, the Acropolis was a sacred place and other temples stood on it. Parthenon replaced old temple Athens, which was destroyed during the Persian invasion in 480 BC.

4. House of Parthenos

The name "Parthenon" is derived from one of the many epithets of Athena (Athena Parthenos), which means "house of Parthenos". This name was given to the temple in the 5th century BC, because a cult statue of Athena was installed inside it.

5. Construction of the Parthenon

The construction of the Parthenon began in 447 BC. and was completed in 438 BC, but final finishing temple continued until 432 BC.

6. Iktinos, Callicrates and Phidias

The Parthenon, which was built by the architects Iktinos and Kallikrates under the supervision of the sculptor Phidias, is considered by most modern architects and historians to be the highest expression of ancient Greek architectural genius. The temple is also considered the culmination of the development of the Doric order, the simplest of the three classical Greek architectural styles.

7. 192 Greek warriors

Several modern historians (including art historian John Boardman) believe that the frieze over the Doric columns of the Parthenon depicts the 192 Greek warriors who fell at the Battle of Marathon against the Persians in 490 BC.

8. Stones from Pentelikon

Some of the financial records of the construction of the Parthenon have survived, which show that the largest expense was the transportation of stones from Pentelikon, which was located sixteen kilometers from the Athenian Acropolis.

9. The Greek government and the EU have been restoring the Parthenon for 42 years

The Parthenon restoration project (which is funded by the Greek government and European Union) has been going on for 42 years. It took the ancient Athenians only 10 years to build the Parthenon.

10. 12-meter statue of the goddess Athena

The rectangular building, 31 meters wide and 70 meters high, was built of white marble. Surrounded by forty-six columns stood a 12-meter statue of the goddess Athena, made of wood, gold and ivory.

11. Tyrant Lahar

The tyrant Lahar removed the gold covering from the statue of Athena in order to pay the debt of his army.

Although most of structures remained unchanged, the Parthenon suffered significant damage over the centuries. It all started in 296 BC, when the Athenian tyrant Lachares removed the gold covering from the statue of Athena in order to pay off the debt of his army.

12. In the fifth century AD, the Parthenon was turned into christian church

In the fifth century AD, the Parthenon was converted into a Christian church, and in 1460 a Turkish mosque was located in the Parthenon. In 1687, the Ottoman Turks placed a gunpowder warehouse in the temple, which exploded when the Venetian army shelled the temple. At the same time, part of the temple turned into ruins.

13. 46 external columns and 23 internal

The Parthenon had 46 outer columns and 23 inner columns, but not all of them have survived today. In addition, the Parthenon used to have a roof (it currently does not).

14. The design of the Parthenon is earthquake resistant

The design of the Parthenon is earthquake resistant, despite the fact that the temple's columns are quite thin.

15. The Parthenon was used as a city treasury

The Parthenon was also used as a city treasury, like many other Greek temples of that era.

16. The construction of the Parthenon was not financed by the Athenians.

Despite being the most popular Athenian building of all time, the Parthenon was not financed by the Athenians. After the end of the Persian wars, Athens became in 447 BC the dominant power in the territory of modern Greece. Funds for the construction of the temple were taken from the tribute paid to Athens by other city-states of the Delian League.

17 Delian League Monetary Deposits Were Stored In The Opisthodome

The monetary contributions of the Delian League, which was ruled by Athens, were kept in the opisthodome - the rear closed part of the temple.

18. The Parthenon, the Erechtheion and the Temple of Nike were built over the ruins of the Acropolis.

During the "classical period" not only the Parthenon, but also the Erechtheion and the temple of Nike were built over the ruins of the Acropolis.

19. The first theater in history

Apart from these structures, another important monument at the foot of the Acropolis is the "Theater of Dionysus", which is considered the first theater in history.

20. The Parthenon had a colorful façade

While modern media depict Greek temples and structures with a white façade, the Parthenon most likely had a multicolored façade. The paint has worn off over the centuries.

21. Parthenon appeared thanks to Pericles

Pericles was probably the most prominent Athenian statesman in history. It was thanks to him that the Parthenon appeared near the city.

22. Temple sculptures were sold to the British Museum

From 1801 to 1803 some of the remaining temple sculptures were taken out by the Turks (who controlled Greece at the time). These sculptures were subsequently sold to the British Museum.

23. A full-scale replica of the Parthenon is located in Nashville, Tennessee.

The Parthenon is the most copied building in the world. There are many buildings around the world that were created in the same style. There is also a full-size replica of the Parthenon located in Nashville, Tennessee.

24. The opening of the Acropolis Museum took place in 2009

More than half a million people visited new museum Acropolis during the first two months after its opening in 2009.

25. Golden rectangle of the Parthenon

The length to width ratio of a rectangle of 1.618 was considered the most pleasing to the eye. This ratio was called the "golden ratio" by the Greeks. In the world of mathematics, this number is called "phi" and it was named after the Greek sculptor Phidias, who used golden ratio in his sculptures. Outside, the Parthenon is a perfect "golden rectangle".

The Acropolis is the sacred site of ancient Athens. And the center of the Acropolis became Parthenon- full of majesty temple of ancient greece, erected in honor of the goddess Athena. It was built from 447 to 437 BC. The architects of this monumental building were Iktin and Kallikrat. The Parthenon is a classic ancient Greek temple, but this does not deprive it of its originality.

The building was built in the form of a periptera - its main room is framed on all sides by a colonnade. The architects who supervised the construction of the temple adhered to the canons of Greek architecture, which states that the number of columns on the longitudinal side of the building should be one more than twice the number of columns at the end of the building. Thus, it turned out 8 columns from the end and 17 along the length of the temple.

But this is far from the only feature that emphasizes the uniqueness of this masterpiece of architecture. The ancient architects, knowing that straight lines, when viewed from a distance, are perceived by the human eye as slightly concave, so they resorted to a number of simple, but very effective techniques- the columns were erected with a barely noticeable narrowing towards the top, the columns located at the corners slightly leaned towards the center, and so on. Such manipulations made it possible to present the Parthenon as a perfectly even, harmonious building.

The main building material for the construction of the temple was marble. Its walls are made of marble blocks and lined with perfectly polished marble slabs. The columns in this building are also made of marble. Gables and cornices are also made of this expensive stone, and all the richest sculptural decoration of the Parthenon. And the roof of this building was wooden.

Daylight entered the main hall of the temple only through the door, so a lot of lamps were installed inside. And in such semi-darkness stood a twelve-meter athena statue, sparkling with expensive decoration. The famous Phidias sculpted Athena in long robes, on her head was an expensive helmet, the hands and face of the goddess were made of ivory, and clothes, weapons and jewelry were made of thin sheets of pure gold. Is it true goddess sculpture has not survived to this day.

One of the most revered goddesses of the ancient Greeks, Pallas Athena, was born in a rather unusual way: Zeus, her father, swallowed her mother, Metis (Wisdom), when she was expecting a child. He did this for one simple reason: after the birth of his daughter, he was predicted the birth of a son who would overthrow the Thunderer from the throne.

But Athena did not want to sink into oblivion - therefore, after a while, an unbearable headache began to torment the Supreme God: her daughter asked to go outside. His head hurt so badly that the Thunderer, unable to endure, ordered Hephaestus to take an ax and hit him on the head with it. He obeyed and cut his head, releasing Athena. Her eyes were full of wisdom, and she was dressed in the clothes of a warrior, held a spear in her hand, and had an iron helmet on her head.

The goddess of wisdom turned out to be a non-idle inhabitant of Olympus: she went down to the people and taught them a lot, giving them knowledge and crafts. She also paid attention to women: she taught them to needlework and weave, took an active part in public affairs - she was the patroness of a just struggle (she taught to solve problems peacefully), she taught to write laws, thus becoming the patroness of many Greek cities. For such a majestic goddess, it was necessary to build a temple, which, according to the descriptions, would have no equal in the whole world.

The Parthenon is located in the capital of Greece, in Athens, in the southern part of the Acropolis, an ancient architectural complex located on a rocky hill at an altitude exceeding 150 meters above sea level. m. You can find the Parthenon Acropolis of Athens at: Dionysiou Areopagitou 15, Athens 117 42, and on the geographical map you can find out its exact location at the following coordinates: 37 ° 58′ 17 ″ s. sh., 23° 43′ 36″ in. d.

The Parthenon Temple, dedicated to Athena, began to be built on the territory of the Acropolis around 447 BC. e. instead of the unfinished sanctuary destroyed by the Persians. The construction of this unique architectural monument was entrusted to the architect Kallikrat, who erected the building according to the design of Iktin.

It took the Hellenes about fifteen years to build the temple, which at that time was a rather short term, given that building and finishing materials were brought from all over Greece. Fortunately, there was enough money: Athens, whose ruler was Pericles, was just experiencing the period of its highest prosperity and was not only the cultural capital, but also the political center of Attica.

Kallikrates and Iktin, having considerable funds and opportunities at their disposal, during the construction of the temple were able to implement more than one innovative design solution, as a result of which the architecture of the Parthenon turned out to be unlike any other building of this type.

The main feature of the sanctuary was that the facade of the building from one point was perfectly visible from three sides at once.

This was achieved by setting the columns in relation to each other not parallel, but at an angle. The fact that all the pillars had a different shape also played a role: so that from afar the central columns seemed more slender and not so thin, all the pillars were given a convex shape (the outermost columns turned out to be the thickest), slightly tilting the corner columns towards the center, the central ones away from it .

As the main building material Penelian marble, mined near the Acropolis, was used, according to the description, a rather interesting material, since it is initially white, but after a while, under the influence of sunlight, it begins to turn yellow. Therefore, the Parthenon in Athens at the end construction works turned out to be unevenly painted, which gave it an original and interesting look: on the north side, the temple had a gray-ash hue, on the south it turned out to be golden yellow in color.

Another feature ancient temple was that when laying the marble blocks, the Greek masters did not use either cement or any other mortar: the builders carefully turned them around the edges and adjusted them to size to each other (at the same time, the inside was not hewn - this saved time and labor) . Larger blocks were located at the base of the building, smaller stones were laid out on them, fastened horizontally with iron staples, which were inserted into special holes and filled with lead. Blocks were connected vertically with iron pins.

Description

Three steps lead to the temple, which was dedicated to Athena and is a rectangular building. Athens Acropolis The Parthenon, about seventy meters long and a little over thirty wide, was surrounded by ten-meter Doric columns about ten meters high along the perimeter. Along the side facades there were seventeen pillars, at the ends, where the entrances are located, eight each.

Unfortunately, due to the fact that most of the pediments were destroyed (only thirty statues in very poor condition survived), very few descriptions of exactly what the exterior of the Parthenon looked like have survived.

It is known that all the sculptural compositions were created with the direct participation of Phidias, who not only was the chief architect of the entire Acropolis and developed the plan for this architectural complex, but is also known as the author of one of the wonders of the world - the statue of Zeus at Olympia. There is an assumption that the eastern pediment of the Parthenon contained a bas-relief depicting the birth of Pallas Athena, and the western one depicted her dispute with the god of the seas, Poseidon, about who would be the patron of Athens and the whole of Attica.

But the friezes of the temple are well preserved: it is absolutely known that on the eastern side of the Parthenon the struggle of the Lapiths with the centaurs was depicted, on the western side - episodes from the time of the Trojan War, on the southern side - the battle of the Amazons with the Greeks. A total of 92 metopes with various high reliefs were installed, most of which have survived. Forty-two plates are kept in the Museum of the Acropolis of Athens, fifteen - in the British.

Parthenon from the inside

In order to get inside the temple, in addition to the outer steps, it was necessary to overcome two more inner ones. The platform in the middle of the temple had a length of 59 meters and a width of 21.7 meters and consisted of three rooms. The largest, central, was surrounded on three sides by 21 columns, which separated it from the two small rooms located on the sides of it. On the inner frieze of the sanctuary, a festive procession from Athens to the Acropolis was depicted, when the virgins carried a gift to Athena.

In the center of the main platform was a statue of Athena Parthenos, made by Phidias. The sculpture dedicated to the goddess was a real masterpiece. The statue of Athena was thirteen meters high and was a proudly standing goddess, with a spear in one hand and a two-meter sculpture of Nike in the other. Pallas was wearing a three-ridged helmet on his head, near his feet was a shield, on which, in addition to scenes from various battles, the initiator of the construction, Pericles, was depicted.

It took Phidias more than a ton of gold to make the sculpture (weapons and clothes were poured out of it); ebony, from which the frame of the statue is made; the face and hands of Athena were carved from ivory of the highest quality; gems shining in the eyes of the goddess; the most expensive marble was also used. Unfortunately, the statue has not been preserved: when Christianity became the ruling religion in the country, it was taken to Constantinople, where it was in the 5th century. burned down in a huge fire.

Near the western entrance to the shrine there was an opisthodom - closed room in the back, where the city archives and the treasury of the maritime union were kept. The room was 19 meters long and 14 meters wide.

The room was called the Parthenon (it was thanks to this room that the temple got its name), which means “house for girls”. In this room, the chosen virgins, priestesses, made peplos (women's sleeveless outerwear sewn from light material, which the Athenians wore over a tunic), which was presented to Athena during a solemn procession that takes place every four years.

Dark days of the Parthenon

The last ruler who favored and cared for this architectural monument was Alexander the Great (he even installed fourteen shields on the eastern pediment and presented the goddess with the armor of three hundred defeated enemies). After his death, dark days came for the temple.

One of the Macedonian rulers, Demetrius I Poliorket, settled here with his mistresses, and the next ruler of Athens, Lacharus, tore off all the gold from the sculpture of the goddess, and the shields of Alexander from the pediments in order to pay off the soldiers. In III Art. BC e in the temple there was a major fire, during which the roof collapsed, fittings, marble cracked, the colonnade was partially destroyed, the doors of the temple, one of the friezes and ceilings were burned.

When the Greeks adopted Christianity, they made a church out of the Parthenon (it happened in the 6th century AD), making appropriate changes to its architecture, and completing the premises necessary for holding Christian rites. The most valuable thing that was in the pagan temple was taken to Constantinople, and the rest was either destroyed or badly damaged (first of all, this applies to the sculptures and bas-reliefs of the building).

In the XV century. Athens was ruled Ottoman Empire, as a result of which the temple was transformed into a mosque. The Turks did not make any special alterations and calmly held services among Christian murals. It was the Turkish period that turned out to be one of the most tragic events in the history of the Parthenon: in 1686, the Venetians fired on the Acropolis and the Parthenon, where the Turks stored gunpowder.

After about seven hundred cores hit the building, the shrine exploded, as a result of which the central part of the Parthenon, all internal columns and rooms were completely destroyed, the roof on the north side collapsed.

After that, the ancient shrine began to be robbed and destroyed by everyone who could: the Athenians used its fragments for domestic needs, and the Europeans were able to take the surviving fragments and statues to their homeland (currently, most of the remains found are either in the Louvre or in the British Museum ).

Restoration

The revival of the Parthenon did not begin until Greece gained independence, in 1832, and two years later the government proclaimed the Parthenon a monument of ancient heritage. As a result of the work carried out fifty years later, there was practically nothing left of the “barbarian presence” on the territory of the Acropolis: absolutely all the buildings that had nothing to do with the ancient complex were demolished, and the Acropolis itself began to be restored according to the surviving descriptions of how the Parthenon looked in ancient greece(Currently, the temple, like the entire Acropolis, is under the protection of UNESCO).

In addition to the fact that the Parthenon was restored to the extent possible, and the original statues were replaced with copies and sent to the museum for storage, the Greek government is actively working to return the exported fragments of the temple to the country. And here there is an interesting point: the British Museum agreed to do this, but on the condition that the Greek government recognizes the museum as their rightful owner. But the Greeks do not agree with such a formulation of the issue, since this would mean that they forgave the theft of the statues two hundred years ago and are actively fighting for the statues to be returned to them without any conditions.

Little known facts about the Parthenon

The Parthenon is one of the most famous monuments of ancient architecture. This 2,500-year-old magnificent temple on the Acropolis of Athens has survived earthquakes, fires, explosions and repeated looting attempts. And although the Parthenon was not at all somehow engineering breakthrough in construction, his style became the paradigm of classical architecture.

sacred rock

The Acropolis in Athens, where the Parthenon is located, is also called the "sacred rock" and was used for defensive purposes.

2. Cultural layers

Ancient history of the Parthenon

The cultural layers found on the slopes of the Acropolis indicate that there were settlements on the hill from 2800 BC, that is, long before the Minoan and Mycenaean cultures.

3. The Acropolis Was a Sacred Site

Acropolis - sacred place

Long before the construction of the Parthenon, the Acropolis was a sacred place and other temples stood on it. The Parthenon replaced the old Temple of Athena, which was destroyed during the Persian invasion in 480 BC.

4. House of Parthenos

House of Parthenos

The name "Parthenon" is derived from one of the many epithets of Athena (Athena Parthenos), which means "house of Parthenos". This name was given to the temple in the 5th century BC, because a cult statue of Athena was installed inside it.

5. Construction of the Parthenon

Construction of the Parthenon

The construction of the Parthenon began in 447 BC. and was completed in 438 BC, but the final decoration of the temple continued until 432 BC.

6. Iktinos, Callicrates and Phidias

Iktinos, Callicrates and Phidias - the architects of the Parthenon

The Parthenon, which was built by the architects Iktinos and Kallikrates under the supervision of the sculptor Phidias, is considered by most modern architects and historians to be the highest expression of ancient Greek architectural genius. The temple is also considered the culmination of the development of the Doric order, the simplest of the three classical Greek architectural styles.

7. 192 Greek warriors

192 Greek warrior heroes

Several modern historians (including art historian John Boardman) believe that the frieze over the Doric columns of the Parthenon depicts the 192 Greek warriors who fell at the Battle of Marathon against the Persians in 490 BC.

8. Stones from Pentelikon

Stones from Pentelikon

Some of the financial records of the construction of the Parthenon have survived, which show that the largest expense was the transportation of stones from Pentelikon, which was located sixteen kilometers from the Athenian Acropolis.

9. The Greek government and the EU have been restoring the Parthenon for 42 years

Restoration of the Parthenon

The Parthenon restoration project (funded by the Greek government and the European Union) has been going on for 42 years. It took the ancient Athenians only 10 years to build the Parthenon.

10. 12-meter statue of the goddess Athena

Statue of goddess Athena

The rectangular building, 31 meters wide and 70 meters high, was built of white marble. Surrounded by forty-six columns stood a 12-meter statue of the goddess Athena, made of wood, gold and ivory.

11. Tyrant Lahar

Tyrant Lahar

While most of the structure remained intact, the Parthenon suffered significant damage over the centuries. It all started in 296 BC, when the Athenian tyrant Lachares removed the gold covering from the statue of Athena in order to pay the debt of his army.

12. In the fifth century AD, the Parthenon was turned into a Christian church.

Was the Parthenon became a church

In the fifth century AD, the Parthenon was converted into a Christian church, and in 1460 a Turkish mosque was located in the Parthenon. In 1687, the Ottoman Turks placed a gunpowder warehouse in the temple, which exploded when the Venetian army shelled the temple. At the same time, part of the temple turned into ruins.

13. 46 external columns and 23 internal

Columns of the Parthenon

The Parthenon had 46 outer columns and 23 inner columns, but not all of them have survived today. In addition, the Parthenon used to have a roof (it currently does not).

14. The design of the Parthenon is earthquake resistant

Earthquake resistant design

The design of the Parthenon is earthquake resistant, despite the fact that the temple's columns are quite thin.

15. The Parthenon was used as a city treasury

The Parthenon as a city treasury

The Parthenon was also used as a city treasury, like many other Greek temples of that era.

16. The construction of the Parthenon was not financed by the Athenians

Parthenon as a national project

Despite being the most popular Athenian building of all time, the Parthenon was not financed by the Athenians. After the end of the Persian wars, Athens became in 447 BC the dominant power in the territory of modern Greece. Funds for the construction of the temple were taken from the tribute paid to Athens by other city-states of the Delian League.

17 Delian League Monetary Deposits Were Stored In The Opisthodome

Opisthodom - a place for storing cash deposits

The monetary contributions of the Delian League, which was ruled by Athens, were kept in the opisthodome - the rear closed part of the temple.

18. The Parthenon, the Erechtheion and the Temple of Nike were built over the ruins of the Acropolis.

Ancient new buildings

During the "classic period", not only the Parthenon, but also the Erechtheion and the Temple of Nike were built over the ruins of the Acropolis.

19. The first theater in history

Theater of Dionysus - the first theater in history

Apart from these structures, another important monument at the foot of the Acropolis is the "Theater of Dionysus", which is considered the first theater in history.

20. The Parthenon had a colorful façade

Facade of the Parthenon

While modern media depict Greek temples and structures with a white façade, the Parthenon most likely had a multicolored façade. The paint has worn off over the centuries.

21. Parthenon appeared thanks to Pericles

Pericles - the initiator of the construction of the Parthenon

Pericles was probably the most prominent Athenian statesman in history. It was thanks to him that the Parthenon appeared near the city.

22. Temple sculptures were sold to the British Museum

The sculptures of the Parthenon are in the British Museum.

From 1801 to 1803 some of the remaining temple sculptures were taken out by the Turks (who controlled Greece at the time). These sculptures were subsequently sold to the British Museum.

23. A full-scale replica of the Parthenon is located in Nashville, Tennessee.

Copy of the Parthenon

The Parthenon is the most copied building in the world. There are many buildings around the world that were created in the same style. There is also a full-size replica of the Parthenon located in Nashville, Tennessee.

24. The opening of the Acropolis Museum took place in 2009

Acropolis Museum

Over half a million people visited the new Acropolis Museum in the first two months after it opened in 2009.

25. Golden rectangle of the Parthenon

Golden rectangle of the Parthenon

The length to width ratio of a rectangle of 1.618 was considered the most pleasing to the eye. This ratio was called the "golden ratio" by the Greeks. In the world of mathematics, this number is called "phi" and it was named after the Greek sculptor Phidias, who used the golden ratio in his sculptures. From the outside, the Parthenon is a perfect "golden rectangle".