The Parthenon

Leaving the Propylaea, people find themselves in front of the greatest Temple of the Acropolis, the Parthenon which is said to be the perfect harmonization of the spirit with the material. It is a Doric order temple but several ionic details are obvious on it. The front and the back parts consist of 8 columns each one and the long sides consist of 17 columns each. Its pediments were decorated with scenes depicting Athena's birth and the fight between Athena and Poseidon. The decoration of the metopes of the temple was inspired by mythological themes such as the battle between the Olympian gods and the Giants, the Fall of Troy, the battle between the Greeks and the Amazons and the battle with the Centaurs.

The sculptor of the Parthenon was the famous artist Phidias and the architects of it were named Ictinus and Kallicrates. Parthenon was painted during ancestry but its colors fade away as time went by. It is considered to enclose several architectural secrets such as the curving of its columns which make that imposing building look light, achieving a perfect combination of power, balance and elegance. Parthenon housed the statue of the goddess it was devoted to, Athena. The statue was made of gold and ivory and it was sculptured by Phidias too, but it has not survived.

According to its roman copies, it was 13.5 m tall and the goddess held a statue of Nike in her right hand while the left hand leaned on her shield.