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The Parthenon is the crowning glory of Athens, standing tall atop of the
Acropolis
surrounded on all sides by a sea of urbanization far below. Built by architects
Iktinos
and Kallikrates
between 447 and 431 BC, the Parthenon is a classic example of the
Doric Order
of Architecture and one of the world's greatest cultural monuments.
The Parthenon
was once described as 'the most perfect Doric temple ever built' with
architectural refinements as the subtle curvature of the
stylobate, the taper of the
naos walls and the
entasis
of the columns. Sadly the temple has suffered much misfortune over the years and in 1687 the Ottoman
Turks used the Acropolis for the storage of gunpowder, which partly destroyed the temple when it was struck
by a Venetian mortar.
Nowadays this historic site is littered with scaffolding, cranes and many
piles of stonework as restoration work has been carried out by the Greek
government since 1975. Large amounts of sculptures have been transported
down the hill to the new
Acropolis Museum
which is ironically more interesting than the ancient site itself.
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Athens : Parthenon
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