Introduction
The ancient Greek structure that is now recognized as the Parthenon has, for a long time, been regarded as an excellent example of the perfect, classical architectural design. It is possible that this might be explained by the fact that throughout the classical era of Greek art, proportion and equilibrium were considered to be of the utmost importance (Nova). This can be evidently seen in the architecture of this temple. For instance, the style of the Parthenon’s incorporation into the ideal form most certainly owes to its outlook of a more involved, multi-pronged line of thinking.
Parthenon Year and Place of Construction
As such, the Parthenon is a magnificent temple made of marble that was constructed between 447 and 432 B.C., at the pinnacle of the Medieval Greek Civilization. The building is located above the Athens Acropolis, a set of temples devoted to the goddess Athena (“History. Com Editors”). Further, it was the biggest and most extravagant shrine in Greek land. Pericles began construction on the Parthenon some 33 years following the Persian conquest of Greece to serve as a replacement for the older temple; hence, the monumental building was consecrated in the year 438 B.C (“History. Com Editors”). At the Parthenon, sculpting and ornamental work proceeded right up to the year 432 B.C. The construction of the temple is believed to have required 13,400 stones and to have incurred a total expenditure of close to 470 silver talents (Sakoulas). Presently, it is one of the world’s most recognizable structures and an emblem of classical Greek antiquity.
Parthenon Reason for Construction and the Intended Audience
The temple was meant to accommodate the new gigantic sculpture of the goddess by Pheidias and to announce to the world that Athens had beaten the attacking Persian troops under Xerxes and Darius as the head of the alliance of Greek soldiers. The structure would continue in service for more than a millennium, notwithstanding the consequences of time, bombings, robbery, and environmental degradation to its white marble (“History. Com Editors”). The Parthenon nevertheless dominates the contemporary city of Athens, serving as a stunning reminder of the city’s past splendor and fame.
Furthermore, the motifs of the sculpture mirrored the adversities Athens experienced and continues to encounter. For instance, the Parthenon symbolized the triumph of Greek civilization over ‘barbarian’ alien troops after the Greeks defeated the Persians at Marathon in 490 BCE, Salamis in 480 BCE, and Plataea in 479 BCE (Sakoulas). This tension between order and disorder was exemplified by the carvings on the metopes that wrapped the temple’s perimeter, 32 along the long sides and 14 on each of the short (Sakoulas). These pictured the Olympian gods battling the giants; thus, the East metopes, considered the most important, were the part where the main temple entry was located. Further, Greeks, together with Theseus, battling Amazons were illustrated on the West, and the Fall of Troy was displayed on the North. Similarly, Greeks combating Centaurs, potentially at the marriage ceremony of the king of the Lapiths, Perithous, were represented in the South.
Historical Context of Parthenon
Parthenon was built to commemorate prosperous historical times for the Greeks. Specifically, in 447 B.C., when the Delian League was at the height of its strength, construction on the structure began (Nova). The structure’s historical significance within its surrounding environment revolves around the Greco-Persian Wars, and the Parthenon was erected in this manner as an act of gratitude for the Hellenic people’s triumph against Persian invaders (Nova). The Parthenon, much like the majority of Greek temples, also functioned as the city’s treasury.
Parthenon Meaning
The Parthenon epitomized the much sought-after ultimate depiction of ideal and authority, particularly; its classical design and practicality; the statuettes portray different meanings. For example, the Athena posed at Parthenon was tangible evidence of Greek might and form. Thus, it seems that there is a precise rationale and logic underlying the nature of the Parthenon, from its building to its location and, most importantly, different statues that each have cultural significance. When construction on the Parthenon started, the Athenian Kingdom was at its zenith; it embodied the physical and apparent efflorescence of supremacy, unburdened by the destruction of the Peloponnesian War (Thomas 31). Similarly, it represents the authority and prominence of the Athenian statesman who advocated its construction: Pericles.
In essence, the Athenians attained dominion and victory as a result of the protracted conflicts, so they opted to erect monuments in commemoration of their victories. Power and precision in an ideal form were of the utmost importance to Greek society, especially during the Classical era (Thomas 31). Nevertheless, the fact that it was consecrated to the goddess Athena bolsters this view. In spite of the fact that the original Athena statue no longer exists due to centuries of desecration and destruction, other sculptures of the goddess in Greece provide evidence of its significance. Athena, like the Parthenon, represented the strength and flawless form that all Greeks were supposed to possess.
Parthenon Means of Communication
There is no doubt that the Greeks conceptualized their design in human terms to convey various meanings. For example, on the Acropolis, in the south doorway of the Erechtheum, six maidens, or caryatids, are fashioned into pillars. The Roman designer Vitruvius describes the Doric style as manly and the Ionic form as feminine because it is more complex and narrower (Thomas 32). In the same vein, the Greek imagination, the architectural style, and the human form were analogous. In addition, the Parthenon procession is often seen as a re-enactment of the Panathenaic festival, which was staged annually in midsummer to honor the goddess Athena’s birth. In this procession, the best, richest, and brightest of Athens paraded to offer Athena a braided garment called a Peplos, which appears on the structure’s east perimeter.
Ultimately, the Parthenon was a representation of Athenian luxury and its cultural and political supremacy in Greece. It surpassed all the tamples that were ever built in the Greek Empire. Further, it was a planned reaction to the new site of the Olympic Games, which had been completed before the Parthenon’s construction and was similarly filled with artwork depicting transcendental concepts. Pericles and Athens constructed the Parthenon to establish their cultural, political, and military superiority over the entirety of Greece and the Aegean (Thomas 35). Pericles referred to Athens as “the school of Greece,” and the Parthenon was designed to serve as the primary book for the syllabus (Thomas 38). Hence, Parthenon is an essential home for the Greek’s way of communicating the indigenous culture to the current generation.
Conclusion
The antique Greek temple, the Parthenon, is often regarded as a prime example of the ideal, Classical architectural design. During the Classical era of Greek art, symmetry and equilibrium were crucial, which is shown in the building of this temple. However, there is a more multifaceted explanation for the Parthenon’s incorporation into the ideal form that has since been critical in communicating the Greek way of life. Therefore, to comprehend why this architectural edifice is given such a name, one must comprehend the significance of power and rank in Greek society in connection with art.
Works Cited
History.com Editors. “Parthenon.” History, 2018, Web.
Nova. “Secrets of the Parthenon.” The Parthenon’s Many Lives. Pbs.org, 2020, Web.
Sakoulas, Thomas. “Parthenon.” Ancient-Greece.org, 2019, Web.
Thomas, Katerina. “The Athenian Parthenon: Reception and display.” Revista do Museu de Arqueologia e Etnologia 28 (2017): 31-41.