Parthenon

Lore & Background

The Parthenon, a former temple on the Athenian Acropolis in Greece, was dedicated to the goddess Athena. Its decorative sculptures are considered high points of classical Greek art, and the structure itself is an enduring symbol of ancient Greece, Western civilisation, and democracy. Built in the 5th century BC, its construction began in 447 BC and was completed in 438 BC, with artwork and decorations continuing until 432 BC. Like most Greek temples, it also functioned as the city treasury, and for a time served as the treasury of the Delian League, which later became the Athenian Empire. The building was originally simply called "the temple" in 5th-century BC accounts. The name "Parthenon" comes from the Greek word for 'maiden' or 'virgin', and may have referred to a specific room within the temple, possibly the western cella. One theory holds that this was the room where young girls wove a peplos for Athena during festivals. The colossal statue of Athena inside, created by Phidias, contained forty talents of pure gold and was not associated with any known cult or religious fervour. In the late 6th century AD, the Parthenon was converted into a Christian church dedicated to the Virgin Mary, and after the Ottoman conquest in the mid-15th century, it became a mosque. During the 1687 siege of the Acropolis, a Venetian bomb landed on the Parthenon, which the Ottomans had used as a munitions dump, causing a severe explosion that heavily damaged the structure.

Reader's Guide

The Parthenon's significance lies in its architectural and sculptural achievements, representing the high point of classical Greek art. It also served as a city treasury and later as a Christian church and mosque, reflecting changing cultural and religious contexts. Its sculptures, removed by Lord Elgin, remain a subject of controversy. The name 'Parthenon' derives from the Greek 'parthénos' meaning 'maiden' or 'virgin', and there is debate over which room of the temple originally bore that name. Some scholars argue it was not a conventional temple but a setting for a monumental votive statue of Athena. The structure's sculptural programme has been interpreted as presenting genealogical narratives of Athenian identity, though this thesis is debated among classicists.

Did You Know?

• The Parthenon was built in thanksgiving for the Greek victory over the Persian invaders during the Greco-Persian Wars.
• The name 'Parthenon' comes from the Greek 'parthénos', meaning 'maiden, girl' or 'virgin, unmarried woman'.

Construction, Purpose, and the Delian Treasury

The Parthenon rose on the Athenian Acropolis as a monument of gratitude. Following the Greek triumph over Persian invaders during the Greco-Persian Wars, the city commissioned this temple in the 5th century BC, dedicating it to the goddess Athena. Beyond its sacred role, the structure doubled as the city's treasury, a function shared by most Greek temples of the era. For a period it housed the financial reserves of the Delian League itself, an alliance that would gradually evolve into what historians call the Athenian Empire. The building thus embodied both spiritual devotion and political power, serving as a physical repository for the wealth that sustained Athens' dominance across the Aegean.

A Name in Dispute: Parthenon, Hekatompedos, and the Virgin

The very name 'Parthenon' carries layers of scholarly debate. The word derives from the Greek parthénos, meaning maiden, girl, or virgin. The Liddell–Scott–Jones lexicon suggests the term may originally have designated the unmarried women's quarters within a household, but in the temple context it seems to have pointed to a specific interior room, likely the western cella. One theory connects the name to the arrephoroi, four young girls selected annually to weave a peplos for Athena during the Panathenaic Festivals. Yet Christopher Pelling argues the name simply means 'temple of the virgin goddess,' referencing the cult of Athena Parthenos. In 5th-century BC sources the building is called only ho naos, 'the temple.' The architects Iktinos and Callicrates reportedly used the term Hekatompedos, 'the hundred footer,' in their lost treatise. Harpocration noted some called it Hekatompedos not for its dimensions but for its beauty and fine proportions.

Church, Mosque, and the 1687 Catastrophe

The Parthenon has worn many identities across two millennia. In the final decade of the 6th century AD, the structure was repurposed as a Christian church honoring the Virgin Mary, a transition that echoed the Greek word parthénos, which also applied to Mary. Following the Ottoman conquest in the mid-15th century, the building was converted into a mosque. The resulting explosion inflicted severe damage that the building still bears today.

A Temple That Was Not Quite a Temple

Despite its temple architecture, the Parthenon may not function as a conventional temple. A small shrine has been excavated inside the building, built on the site of an older sanctuary, likely intended to bring worshippers closer to Athena. Yet the Parthenon never hosted the official cult of Athena Polias, the patron goddess of Athens. That cult's image, a small olive-wood xoanon ritually bathed in seawater and recipient of the woven peplos, resided in a separate temple on the Acropolis's northern side, near the Great Altar of Athena. The High Priestess of Athena Polias oversaw the city's religious ceremonies and directed lesser officials including the plyntrides, arrephoroi, and kanephoroi. Phidias's colossal statue of Athena, which adorned the Parthenon, is not linked in surviving sources to any specific priestess, altar, or cult name, suggesting it did not inspire the kind of religious devotion one might expect. Pericles, addressing Athenians during the Peloponnesian War, noted the statue held forty talents of removable pure gold that could serve as a reserve in wartime, implying the metal could be repurposed without impiety. Aristotle also recorded golden figures of Victories within the building.