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Gallery of the Greek Parthenon, the jewel of the Greeks
by James Mayfield (Chairman, European Heritage Library)

Print this Article    •    About the Author    •    Bibliography/Sources

Resting atop the Acropolis mountain and built in the 5th century BCE, the Greek Parthenon of Athens is considered one of the greatest structures ever built as well as one of the best preserved. It reminds the Greek culture and its observers that the Greeks are responsible for some of the ancient world's greatest architectural works. Included are my photos from my 2007 vacation.

For a brief historical background, around the time of the construction of the Parthenon, what is today the nation of Greece was divided into regional, warring Greek tribes and city-states. The small Acropolis mountain, on which the Parthenon rests alongside many other fora and amphitheatres, was built by the city-state of Athens (Athena). It stands as the most salient relic to the glory of Pericles' Athens, a period of great (yet very ephemeral) peace, architectural achievement, and political reform. Although given credit for creating democracy, the average citizen of a liberal democracy like the United States would not approve of the Athenian rendition of a government of the people, with its liberal death penalty, its staunch military caste system, and its widespread and slavery and aristocratic kleptocracy. Its only "democratic" (i.e. liberal) qualities were that it operated as an elected panel of all freemen (only a minority of the city, and women were given second-class status and no right to vote) in place of a king. During the 5th century, Athens ascensed in wealth and prestige over all other Greek city-states, adorning Athena's Acropolis with the glorious Parthenon we see today in an unspoiled condition. This ephemeral peace quickly degenerated into infighting and collapse, and Athens quickly tumbled into obsolescence, instability borne of a weak government (illiberal democracy), and rampant collapse as Sparta and other Greeks tired of Athen's tyrannical dominance of most of the Greek city-states. Sparta, followed by Thebes and Alexander's Macedonia, then became the subsequent masters of Greece, and Athens became a cultural and political backwater that never was of any historical importance again until it became the capital of the first unified Greek nation in the 19th century. Thankfully, the treasures of Athens' short-lived golden age survived beautifully.

Compared to the other ancient sites of the ancient Greek period, I found the Parthenon actually quite marginal, disappointing, and by no means fitting for its near-mythic stereotype. Having seen Olympia, Ephesus, and other Greek wonders only days prior, the Parthenon's undeniable beauty and uniqueness only paled in comparison. Having also been to Rome, the Parthenon seems not to deserve the glory it has acquired. However, when one considers that this massive monument preceded the Roman Republic, one cannot sufficiently appreciate the ingenuity of the Athenian Greeks during the reign of Pericles. It remains a masterpiece of Greek ethnic and cultural heritage, although later civilizations (including previous Greek kingdoms and city-states) built arguably far greater achievements.

The walk to the Parthenon and the greatest structures on the mountain is miles and miles up a steep path made of original and restored stone paving. From nearly every angle and corner, amphitheatres, temples, and other structures can be seen all the way up the mountain. Most are in quite good condition. In the distance, other mountains within vision reveal more temples and pillars. In the far distance at the base of the mountain, an ancient graveyard claims to offer the actual graves of Socrates, Aristotle, and other fantastic historical figures. Christianity has adopted a role here in order to link these very pagan and pre-Christian scholars to Christ with the placement of crosses and churches nearby. Closer to the top of the mountain, nearly every few paces reveal some ancient temple, archway, set of pillars, and intricate statues. The walk to the main Parthenon is reached through a huge temple with pillars and arches whose floors are quite slippery and prone to injury. From the top of the mountain, the entire city of Athens can be seen from all angles. The selection of the Acropolis mountain by the Athenians for this religious construction is quite meticulous and politically prescient. The main area on the summit offers several huge temples to female gods opposite the Parthenon itself. The buildings nearby are easily as fantastic as the Parthenon itself, though not as intricate. Massive open-air temples are decorated with pillars and arches covered in huge and realistic female and male statues. Many pillars used to support the structure are actually humanoid goddesses (Athena of course), with very large heads to support the weight; very intricate and impressive.

the Parthenon in the background of lovely Greek red wine and mussels. (click to enlarge)

Athens visible in the distance from a courtyard, in all its smoggy and polluted glory. (click to enlarge)

a fantastic-condition amphitheatre on the Acropolis. (click to enlarge)

a major and impressive temple next to the Parthenon, with Athena carved into the pillars. (click to enlarge)

The structures are indeed collapsing and decaying due to entropy, weather, and erosion. Etchings on the temples of stretched nude men are either half-collapsed or disappearing. Many pillars have completely collapsed or broken apart, with many being blatantly and hugely cracked. Many pillars in the temples are interestingly bright white and dark beige. This is due to restorative effort to support the collapsing surfaces. Scaffolding all around the Parthenon reveal this imminent fear of total ruin, with international aid and donation from the UN (as it is of course a UNESCO 'world-funded' site). Multi-tonne pillars can be seen all around the temples that are being restored, recreated, and added to the structures; every piece of marble on the ground that collapsed is treated as a treasure at one time glorious and upright. The temples cannot be entered.

The Parthenon itself is imposing, large, intricate, and in remarkably good condition. Massive etched pillars seem to have no end. Intricate arches with etched designs cover every part of the structure. In part, it appears to have been built by creating a strong foundation in the ground, as the perimeter of the Parthenon has a number of holes deep into the earth. The surface has by majority collapsed. The temple can only be entered by the local employees and archaeologists, and there seem to be hundreds carefully and hastily working away to restore it. The interior and ceiling are impressive indeed, and Greeks pride themselves in the fact that such could be built some 25 centuries ago with no glasses, no [modern] sunscreen, and no aspirin to alleviate burning headaches from the blinding sun atop the mountain, though far more impressive monuments by Greek and non-European alike exist much earlier elsewhere. From the edge of the Parthenon, the whole city again can be seen. The distant amphitheatres, classrooms, and temples at the very distant base are dwarfed by the once-standing Temple of Zeus. It appears to have been equally as impressive as the Parthenon, though it was obliterated as an infidel temple by the Muslim Turks when the Jihad of Islam had conquered the Byzantine lands in Greece proper throughout the 15th century. Laughably, other Greek Christian and pre-Christian treasures were also destroyed by the Christian Venetians by accident in their pan-Christian war against the superior Muslim conquerers.

the Parthenon in its glory. (click to enlarge)

the Parthenon close-up.

the treasures at the base of the Acropolis, and the Temple of Zeus (left) destroyed by the Jihad. (click to enlarge)

a local stone covered in Arabic graffiti. Immigration is causing a major backlash in Greece.

________________________________________

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

James Mayfield is a historian and the Chairman of the European Heritage Library. I have a Cum Laude BA in History with a Minor in Germanic Studies (language and history), am presently working for my Masters in History, and plan to immediately progress to my PhD Doctorate. I have a special academic interest in Europe's diverse ethnic identities, languages, and cultures, and the political struggles of native European and immigrant minority identities. See my staff entry for more information.

BIBLIOGRAPHY/SOURCES USED:

No additional citations or sources necessary.