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Posted on November 7, 2008 by Roger Smith | Posted under Arts and Entertainment
Greeks Great Parthenon
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The Infamous Greek Parthenon The Greek Parthenon is truly a one of kind structure and obviously considered to be an architectural masterpiece. After thousands of years, this magnificent edifice still stands and while some of the structure has decayed almost to the point of disrepair, a little over 30 years ago the nation of Greece put forth a comprehensive plan to completely restore this monument to its original grandeur and beauty. The goal of this restoration is to bring back the Parthenon to its original form as close as possible. Obviously, this type of restoration has taken decades and still continues. In addition, it also relies on a wide variety of skilled labor and artisans; however the payoff will be incredible. In the Beginning The Parthenon is one of the oldest monuments from ancient Greece and the ancient world. While it still stands at well over 2,000 years old, you can just imagine how impressive it was when it was first built. The Parthenon was actually constructed as a temple to worship the goddess of wisdom- Athena. It was built during the years 447 B.C. to 432 B.C. by two of the day's foremost architects- Calicrates and Ictinus. While it took less than 2 decades to build, it amazingly still stands today. The Incredible History of the Parthenon The Parthenon has stood the test of time, however throughout its history it came close to being destroyed. At about 400 AD with the collapse of the Roman Empire, the Parthenon became a Christian Church. For about 1,000 years it stood as one of the most famous churches in Europe. As the Ottoman Empire grabbed hold of the region, the Parthenon became a mosque in 1400. Incredibly years later, during the war between Turkey and Venice, the Parthenon became a weapons depo and still has bullet holes on her façade. Today, the Parthenon is being fully restored into its past glory. For those interested in this masterpiece, you can read about the intricate restoration process in our magazine. About The Author: http://www.smithsonianmag.com Smithsonian magazine is a monthly magazine created for modern, well-rounded individuals with diverse interests. It chronicles the arts, history, sciences and popular culture of the times. Each month, expect articles from the Smithsonian Institution's award-winning, monthly general interest magazine, plus exclusive Web articles, videos, blogs, photographs and more. |
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