You have reached The Parthenon, the milestone of your tour. This is the most important cultural monument left over from the Classical period of Greek antiquity, causing awe and admiration around the globe to this very day. Although described as a temple, the Parthenon wasn't used as such in the traditional sense. It was dedicated to Athena Parthenos, hence its name. Athena Parthenos was one of the forms and characterizations attributed to the patron goddess of the city, who took pride in her virginity. Not only that, but a "parthenon" was the room were unmarried women would gather. Combining these two interpretations, the Parthenon most likely means "the place of the virgin goddess". The Parthenon is a very large structure, and for good reason. For within the main room of the temple, a massive statue of Athena stood, made of ivory and gilded with gold plates of extreme value.
However, the statue's presence in the temple had no religious purpose, since the temple housed no priestesses or cults. The cult statue of the goddess was located elsewhere in the Acropolis, meaning that the ivory and gold statue was used for aesthetic purposes, as well as, mainly, a gold reserve. Pericles himself had stated that the gold on the statue was removable and reusable in times of need, a statement that reflects the political circumstances of the time.
The Parthenon was built in the mid-5th century BC, when Athens was the apex of Ancient Greece, and the Delian Alliance was blossoming. The Delian Alliance was a union between Greek cities, for protection and fortification through unity, being led by Athens. Each ally city had to pay tribute to the Athenians, tribute which was either kept in the Acropolis, in a place functioning as a treasury, or was used to draw funds to finance the building of the Parthenon. Unfortunately, Athens got too arrogant. The Delian Alliance became the Athenian Empire, and Athens became violent toward the cities who wished to remove themselves from the union, thus placing the foundations for the sparking of the Peloponnesian War.
The architects in charge of constructing and designing the Parthenon and the statue were many, the ones known being Phidias, Callicrates, Ictinus and Mnesicles. The temple is exceptional in its making, not only due to the combination of Doric and Ionian architectural style, but also because of the different architectural "tricks" used to promote symmetry and aesthetic balance, such as the slight curving of the roof, or the gradual inversion of the columns along the length of the building.
As the years passed, the Parthenon was turned, unsurprisingly, into a church during the Byzantine age, and a mosque, during the Ottoman occupation. In the early 19th century, the Earl of Elgin, having gotten permission from the Ottoman Empire, took certain parts of the temple, sculptures that are now called the Elgin Marbles. Ever since, an ongoing campaign has been launched to bring the marbles home, from the museum of London to their rightful place.
Link to Image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_Parthenon_in_Athens.jpg
