The Parthenon as a Sacred Place of Universal Importance Essay

Introduction

Recently I was lucky to visit one of the most sacred places in the world and one of the greatest architectural monuments of the past – The Parthenon. Constructed between 447 and 432 BCE this temple survived within the centuries, lost a lot of its wonderful monuments and initial features, but remains a symbol of present-day Greece, commemorating Athenians’ victories in Persian Wars and implementing the achievements of the ancient architecture.

The origin of the temple name is one of its mysteries

The origin of the temple name is one of its mysteries. The Greek word “Parthenos” may be translated as “virgin”, while “Parthenos was indeed one of the titles given to the virgin goddess Athena” (Beard 44). The linguists delving into every detail noted that more precisely the word “Parthenon” is to be translated as “virgins” and this fact “prompted a whole range of disparate speculations about the use of part of the temple for housing a group of prepubescent girls employed in weaving the sacred textiles used in the worship of Athena”(Beard 44). All these versions are only hypotheses, while the true answer is lost in the centuries.

An earlier temple, known as Older Parthenon, was begun in 490 BCE after the victory at Marathon, but it was incomplete when Persians ruined it in 480 BCE. Architects Iktinos and Kalikrates designed a new temple and it was erected at the same site, marble from Mount Pentelicus and the materials derived from the older temple were used.

As the Athenians constructed their new temple on the site of the Older Parthenon, using materials derived from it, they could imagine that the ruined sanctuary had been reborn, larger in scale, more elaborate in its sculptural decoration, but also physically connected to the past. (Kousser 265).

Implementing all the existing achievements of the period, the Parthenon became not an only commemoration of the unexpected victories of Athenians in Persian wars, but an important memorial of Greek culture as well

The temple was Doric in style but had numerous Ionic and Corinthian characteristics at the same time. “The Parthenon architects and Polykleytos were kindred spirits in their belief that beautiful proportions resulted from strict adherence to harmonious numerical ratios, whether in a temple more than 200 feet long or a life-size statue o a nude man” (Kleiner 113). Exquisitely combining the characteristics of the three styles, the architecture of the Parthenon appeared to be a real masterpiece. “Parthenon came as near perfection as is humanly possible, both in design and in meticulous execution” (Neils 67). The architects’ decisions appeared to be innovative and made the temple a symbol of the ancient state and its citizens, its significance can not be limited to commemorating some concrete battles.

“In no way could the Parthenon be regarded as a monument to democracy and freedom, rather than to the military prowess of her people and the political and financial acumen and ruthlessness of their leaders” (Gillman 25).

The memory of Athenians’ victories is preserved in the Parthenon more symbolically, than through the concrete reference. Its metopes contained “relief sculptures depicting struggles between Greeks and Amazons, Greeks and Trojans, gods and giants, and Lapiths and centaurs, commemorating the triumph of Greek civilization over barbarism” (Moffett 47). Implementing all the existing achievements of the period, the Parthenon became not an only commemoration of the unexpected victories of Athenians in Persian wars, but a symbol of the ancient state and an important memorial of Greek culture as well.

The reunification of the Parthenon sculptures became one of the points of the progressive international cultural policy

The Parthenon survived through the centuries, became a sacred place, but it lost numerous of its initial features. “Time and civilization have not been kind to Parthenon” (Moffett 47). The statue of Athena was destroyed in the second century CE, supposedly, for its valuable materials. The temple was used for munitions storage, and many sculptures were ruined as a result of the direct hit on the cella wall during the Venetians’ attacks in the seventeenth century. Some of the sculptures were carried as trophies by the Venetians, which won in the war. Lord Elgin shipped many of the remaining sculptures to England.

The Earl of Elgin was inadvertently to impart a new word to the French language: ‘elginisme’, which the Grand Larousse defines as a ‘form of vandalism consisting of taking works of art from their countries of origin to put them in public or private collections'(Evans 145).

Attempting to accept the history as it is, the historians managed to find the positive consequences of shipping the Elgin Marbles, such as the integrity of the works of art and new horizons for the heritage of the Greek culture. “The Elgin Marbles were always that. Their silent presence in the British Museum helped Greece win her freedom from the Ottoman Empire and expand her boundaries in the nineteenth century” (Evans 144).

At the present moment, the questions of “the common sense of housing all the artifacts, belonging to a single structure in one place” (Smith 32) are raised by the government of Greece and discussed by the world community. “Greece has made it clear that it is seeking collaboration and cultural co-operation for any solution to the reunification of the Parthenon sculptures” (Smith 31).

Thus, the Greek policy concerning the return of the unique sculptures to the temple is not aggressive at all; it is rather aimed at cultural collaboration on the world level. Deprived of numerous sculptures, the Parthenon preserves its charm and unique atmosphere, while the reunification of its sculptures became one of the points of the progressive international cultural policy.

Conclusion

The ancient Parthenon is a place of interest for tourists and archeologists, being one of the few extant memorials of the ancient culture. It is a symbol of Greece, a masterpiece of Greek culture, and a sacred place of universal importance.

Bibliography

Beard, Mary. The Parthenon. Profile Books, 2003: 209.

Evans, James Allan. The Parthenon Marbles — Past and Future. Contemporary Review: 143-48.

Gillman, Derek. The Idea of Cultural Heritage: Revised Edition. Cambridge University Press, 2010: 216.

Kleiner, Fred. Gardner’s Art through the Ages: The Western perspective. Cengage Learning, 2009: 464.

Kousser, Rachel. “Destruction and Memory on the Athenian Acropolis”. The Art Bulletin 2009: 263-270.

Moffett, Marian, Fazio, Michael, Lawrence, Wodehouse. World History of Architecture. Laurence King Publishing, 2003: 592.

Neils, Jenifer. The Parthenon: From Antiquity to the Present. Cambridge University Press, 2005: 430.

Smith, Helena. “Missing Their Marbles: As Greece Puts the Finishing Touches to a Building Fit to Hold the Parthenon Sculptures, Museums around the World Are Giving Their Fragments Back. How Much Longer Can the British Museum Cling on to Lord Elgin’s Loot?” New Statesman. 2006: 30- 36.