The Parthenon

The Parthenon was an ancient Greek temple dedicated to the goddess Athena Parthenos. Currently the Parthenon is in ruins, but it remains a masterpiece of Greek architecture. It took 15 years to build the Parthenon, the Parthenon was built under the leadership of Pericles, and by the architects Ictinus and Callicrates. Greek artist Phidias supervised the design of the Parthenon. The Parthenon is a large, rectangular marble temple with 17 columns along each of its sides and 8 …

…set off an explosion that destroyed the central part of the Parthenon, blew off the roof, and knocked down columns. Efforts to put back fallen columns and sculpture began in 1928, but the British ambassador to the Ottoman Empire, Lord Elgin, had taken many of the sculptures to England in the early 1800s. Known as the Elgin Marbles, they are on view at the British Museum in London. Successive Greek governments have campaigned for their return.