Parthenon: Ancient Greece Restored

The Parthenon is one of Ancient Greece’s most prized architectural accomplishments.  The beauty of this classic white temple located at the Athenian Acropolis is the stuff of many legends.  Originally built to serve as a shrine for Athena, the goddess of wisdom, this magnificent temple was built in 8 short years during the 5th century BC.

After thousands of years, the Parthenon still stands.  While still gorgeous and awe inspiring, after such a long period of time, this architectural marvel needs a full restoration.  With all antiquities, restoring this classic shrine is easier said than done.  While it took only 8 short years to build this edifice, it has taken about 33 years and counting to fully restore this incredible work of art.  The issue is not only renovating the temple, but fully restoring it so that it is historically accurate. 

For those visiting the Parthenon today, you will see many tarps and scaffolds, however, the restoration process is in full swing and hopefully in a full short years, the Parthenon will be once again unveiled in all her glory.

For those interested in Ancient Greece, the Parthenon is a symbol of architectural excellence that should not be missed.  To learn more about the Parthenon, its history and restoration process, please visit the Smithsonian Magazine website at the following link:  http://www.smithsonianmag.com

Evel Knievel, Parthenon, Cleopatra, Phantom of the Opera

The Parthenon

The Greek Parthenon is one of the classic pieces of architecture, an elegant white temple located at the Athenian Acropolis. Built as a shrine to the goddess Athena in the 5th century BC. This masterpiece took only 8 short years to build. Today, millions visit Greece and many visit this sacred site to view the beauty of the Parthenon. Unfortunately, those looking to view the Parthenon in all her glory will be somewhat disappointed as to this structure is undergoing renovation.

Renovation of the Parthenon is not that simple, in fact, it is more of a restoration, a complete makeover using the tools, materials and techniques of the ancient builders to once again create this structure displaying all of her magnificent glory.

It’s incredible that the Parthenon was built in such short a period of time when the restoration has been going on for 33 years. The main problem with restoring this gem is getting it perfect. It would be much easier to create a modern building than restoring this antiquity. And since the Parthenon was built to incredible standards, today’s archaeologists, architects, craftsmen and civil engineers want to recreate this structure as best as possible.

The Parthenon is a symbol of beauty and architectural excellence. To learn more about the Parthenon’s history and the process of restoring it, visit the Smithsonian Magazine website at the following link: http://www.smithsonianmag.com

Partheon, The Phantom of the Opera, National Archives, Diane Arbus

Parthenon: The Beauty of Old Made New

When you imagine the Parthenon, Greece’s breathtaking temple dedicated to the goddess Athena, you probably think of an elegant, glowing white building on a hill. History and beauty and achievement in one perfect place: a shrine of man’s ability to create. Unfortunately, the visitor to Athens expecting to see the elegance and beauty of the Parthenon will be sorely disappointed. The once-iconic site is not covered in thick nets of wooden scaffolding and steel rods. The ground around it is littered with power equipment. And a giant crane has taken the sacred place of Athena-- her gold and ivory statue is nowhere to be seen.

Restoring the Parthenon
It’s amazing to think that the ancient people of Athens were able to build the Parthenon in about eight years-- especially when you consider that the modern restoration project has gone on for thirty-three. But how, with modern tools and technologies, is it taking far longer to restore the old temple than it took to build it in the first place?

The main problem with restoring the Parthenon is getting it perfect. This isn’t’ a modern building, and the restoration craftsmen aren’t creating something new-- they’re recreating something very old that was done incredibly well. Modern archaeologists, civil engineers, architects, and craftsmen don’t want only to imitate the methods of the ancient Athenians-- they want to recreate it.

The Mystery of Eight Short Years
Even when you compare the exacting standards of modern restorationists with the creative freedom of the ancient builders of the Parthenon, it’s still hard to fathom its construction. The Parthenon is considered the ultimate in architectural achievement and beauty. With its elegant curving lines and incredible attention to detail, the Parthenon is the result of true creative genius-- and took a “terrifying” amount of work to pull off. So how were the ancient Greeks able to build it in just eight or nine years?

One element of Athenian culture that probably played a key part in the quick construction of the Parthenon was naval technology. With the most navel power in the Aegean, the Athenians were likely to have a perfect mastery of the rope-and-pulley systems they’d need to move the giant marble blocks with which the Parthenon was constructed. Another even more startling reason why the Athenians were able to construct so quickly was the quality of their tools. In studying chisel marks on the Parthenon, architects are convinced that their ancient tools were actually better than our modern ones.

The Parthenon is a symbol of beauty and creative genius. To learn more about the Parthenon’s history and the restoration of this amazing landmark, visit The Smithsonian Magazine website at the following link: http://www.smithsonianmag.com/