Athens, Greece, 447 – 432 B.C.

The Parthenon is the great temple of Athena Parthenos, the chief
goddess and protectress of Athens. The Pathenon is the highest
achievement of ancient Greek classical art and the most significant
and representative monument of the Athenian democracy at the height
of its glory. The Parthenon was built in the 5th century BC on the
Acropolis of Athens and replaced an older temple of Athena, called
the Pre-Parthenon, that was destroyed in the Persian invasion of
480 BC. Like most Greek temples, the Parthenon was also used as a
treasury. In the 6th century AD, the Parthenon was converted into
a Christian church. After the Ottoman conquest, it was converted
into a mosque in the early 1460s. On September 28, 1687, an Ottoman
ammunition dump inside the building was ignited by Venetian
bombardment. The resulting explosion severely damaged the Parthenon
and its sculptures. In 1806, Thomas Bruce, 7th Earl of Elgin removed
some of the surviving sculptures, with Ottoman permission. These
sculptures, now known as the Elgin or Parthenon Marbles, were sold
in 1816 to the British Museum in London, where they are now displayed.

Product SKU: G-047S