To what extent was the Parthenon an important
building for the Greeks? (12m)
The Parthenon was constructed between 447 BC and 483 BC, mainly led by
Greek politician Pericles who saw it as a way of providing work for the citizens
and glorifying the city. In order to assess to what extent was the Parthenon an
important building for the Greeks I will be discussing the following factors of;
Construction, Purpose and Worship.
Worship and prayer was significant in Ancient Greek daily life and therefore many
used the Parthenon to carry out properly their active display of respect to the
gods. Prayers would be usually be said by priests at the altar outside the temple
in public ceremonies, this was because no one was allowed to enter the
Parthenon as it was the home of the Gods - specifically Athena in Athens the
goddess of war and battle. There was no book of prayers, but a set format was
followed. The worshipper would need to follow one specific part of the prayer
differently than some - when praying to an underworld god one would lie prone
of the ground with his hands facing downwards, when one would pray to an
Olympian god the worshipper would look up with both arms outstretched and
palms facing upwards. Starting off by addressing the gods name for example
Dionysus the god of wine and festivity and title, it’s favourite places, favours
carried out by the gods in the past and favours one has done for the gods in the
past. Perhaps even a gift would be given and ultimately making a request, this
was important in examining to what extent was the Parthenon an important
building for the Greeks as it is clear the Greeks valued respect to the gods and
therefore went to the Parthenon regularly to sacrifice, it was seen as a normal
routine for an ancient Greek and so emphasised the importance of the Parthenon
in ensuring the people had the safety they needed gifted from the gods. The
Parthenon was also an important building for the Greeks as sacrifices at the
Parthenon ensured the favour of the gods and provided the Greeks with good
fortune for their daily activities which led a way of life for them.
The construction of the Parthenon was important in showing the building was
significant to Greeks. The Parthenon was the most impressive temple in Athens,
it was constructed to honour Athena Parthenos between 447 BC and 483 BC, with
work on the some of the sculptor continuing after that. The building was made of
white marble and had two rooms surrounded by the pillared walkway. The main
rooms faced east and contained a statue of Athena by the sculpture Pheidias.
The statue of Athena was almost 12 meters high, made of wood and covered in
plates of gold and ivory which was showed the building was expensive to build.
The gold weighed about 100 kilograms which showed Athena standing, her left
hand resting on a shield signifying she was the goddess of war and her
outstretched right hand holding a statue of Nike, the winged goddess of victory.
As well as the colossal statue inside, there was a sculpture on the outside. A
frieze showing the Panathenaic procession ran around the whole of the core of
the temple protected by the columns that seemed perfectly symmetrical to the
naked eye so that when one would walk around the Parthenon they could see the
entire story of the battle between Poseidon and Athena for the city of Athens.
The triangular pediment on the west side showed the birth of Athena from the
building for the Greeks? (12m)
The Parthenon was constructed between 447 BC and 483 BC, mainly led by
Greek politician Pericles who saw it as a way of providing work for the citizens
and glorifying the city. In order to assess to what extent was the Parthenon an
important building for the Greeks I will be discussing the following factors of;
Construction, Purpose and Worship.
Worship and prayer was significant in Ancient Greek daily life and therefore many
used the Parthenon to carry out properly their active display of respect to the
gods. Prayers would be usually be said by priests at the altar outside the temple
in public ceremonies, this was because no one was allowed to enter the
Parthenon as it was the home of the Gods - specifically Athena in Athens the
goddess of war and battle. There was no book of prayers, but a set format was
followed. The worshipper would need to follow one specific part of the prayer
differently than some - when praying to an underworld god one would lie prone
of the ground with his hands facing downwards, when one would pray to an
Olympian god the worshipper would look up with both arms outstretched and
palms facing upwards. Starting off by addressing the gods name for example
Dionysus the god of wine and festivity and title, it’s favourite places, favours
carried out by the gods in the past and favours one has done for the gods in the
past. Perhaps even a gift would be given and ultimately making a request, this
was important in examining to what extent was the Parthenon an important
building for the Greeks as it is clear the Greeks valued respect to the gods and
therefore went to the Parthenon regularly to sacrifice, it was seen as a normal
routine for an ancient Greek and so emphasised the importance of the Parthenon
in ensuring the people had the safety they needed gifted from the gods. The
Parthenon was also an important building for the Greeks as sacrifices at the
Parthenon ensured the favour of the gods and provided the Greeks with good
fortune for their daily activities which led a way of life for them.
The construction of the Parthenon was important in showing the building was
significant to Greeks. The Parthenon was the most impressive temple in Athens,
it was constructed to honour Athena Parthenos between 447 BC and 483 BC, with
work on the some of the sculptor continuing after that. The building was made of
white marble and had two rooms surrounded by the pillared walkway. The main
rooms faced east and contained a statue of Athena by the sculpture Pheidias.
The statue of Athena was almost 12 meters high, made of wood and covered in
plates of gold and ivory which was showed the building was expensive to build.
The gold weighed about 100 kilograms which showed Athena standing, her left
hand resting on a shield signifying she was the goddess of war and her
outstretched right hand holding a statue of Nike, the winged goddess of victory.
As well as the colossal statue inside, there was a sculpture on the outside. A
frieze showing the Panathenaic procession ran around the whole of the core of
the temple protected by the columns that seemed perfectly symmetrical to the
naked eye so that when one would walk around the Parthenon they could see the
entire story of the battle between Poseidon and Athena for the city of Athens.
The triangular pediment on the west side showed the birth of Athena from the
