Where Is the Parthenon Located?

Where is the Parthenon located?  The Parthenon is an ancient Greek temple located in the Acropolis in the city of Athens. 

The Parthenon is located in an acropolis in the City of Athens, but what does this location mean?

An acropolis is, in ancient Greek terminology, a city or cluster that is located on an extreme edge; the Athenian Acropolis is by far the best known of these, to the point where if a person referred to “The Acropolis” without further specification, they are talking about the Athenian. The Acropolis itself is essentially a flat-topped geographical area about 500 feet above sea level and about 7.5 acres in size.

Structure of the Parthenon

The Parthenon was built and dedicated for the Greek goddess Athena; it is believed to have been completed in 438 BC after nine years of work.

Its survival from the days of ancient Greece has been a huge factor in historical studies of both the Greek culture and architecture. The Parthenon is built in the architectural style known as the Doric order, which is considered the most significant and recognizable style to emerge from Greek buildings.

The structure is partially in ruins, but has survived remarkably well, and is under constant monitoring and construction to ensure that no more of it is lost and that it remains stable.

Temples Before the Parthenon

Before the existing Parthenon was built on the Acropolis, another temple existed in its place, which was also dedicated to Athena. This temple was destroyed in the Persian invasion that took place in Athens in 480 BC. The “new” version of the temple was constructed in the same location with a grander style and greater scale, as a form of triumph over the invaders. 

Uses of the Parthenon

If you visit the Parthenon today, you'll notice that there has been some damage. To understand what that damage has occurred, looking at the uses of the Parthenon over time becomes important.

The Parthenon, while built technically as a temple, has been used in a variety of ways over the years, not limited to temple worship or to veneration of Athena.

• Originally, the building was used as a treasury, but this was not uncommon for temples.

• After the fifth century, the Parthenon spent some time as a Christian church, and still later it was turned into a mosque by the invading Ottoman Turks.

• In the 1600s, the Ottoman Turks were storing ammunition in the building, which led to a major explosion. This was likely more damaging to the building than age and time have been, and is responsible for much of the structural damage it still bears today.

In an effort to save the sculptures from the Parthenon some were removed and are now located in the British Museum in London.

Building of the Parthenon

The building of the Parthenon was overseen by the famous Greek sculptor Phidias, who personally sculpted the decorations that still adorn the building. He spent several years beyond the date when the structure itself was completed, creating the elaborate designs and decorations that made it easily one of the finest examples of Doric style, and Greek temple construction, in history.