Why was the Parthenon located on a hill in Athens?

The Acropolis of Athens is an ancient citadel located on a rocky outcrop above the city of Athens and contains the remains of several ancient buildings of great architectural and historical significance, the most famous being the Parthenon.

Acropolis of Athens.
UNESCO World Heritage Site
Area 3.04 ha
Buffer zone 116.71 ha

What was the relationship between the Acropolis and the Parthenon?

Acropolis is the area the Parthenon sits on.

The Acropolis is the high hill in Athens that the Parthenon, an old temple, sits on.

Why were temples built on the Acropolis?

Acropolis means ‘high city’ in Greek. Most city-states in ancient Greece had at their centre a rocky mound or hill where they built their important temples and where the people could retreat to if under attack. This temple was built for the goddess Athena. …

What was the Parthenon built on top of?

Dedicated to the Greek goddess Athena, the Parthenon sits high atop a compound of temples known as the Acropolis of Athens.

What was the purpose of the Parthenon?

The purpose of the Parthenon has changed over its 2,500-year history, beginning as a temple dedicated to the goddess Athena Parthenos (“Athena the Virgin”). Some scholars, however, question the building’s religious function, partly because no altar from the 5th century BCE has been found.

What was the purpose of the Acropolis?

Over the centuries, the Acropolis was many things: a home to kings, a citadel, a mythical home of the gods, a religious center and a tourist attraction. It has withstood bombardment, massive earthquakes and vandalism yet still stands as a reminder of the rich history of Greece.

Why is the Parthenon frieze important?

The Parthenon friezes meant to convey a Panathenaic procession, the victory of the Athenians at Marathon, the power of Athens as a city-state, and the piety of its citizens. … This building dedicated to the goddess Athena stands tall upon the ancient Athenian acropolis and serves as a reminder of times past.

What was the Parthenon built out of?

Why is the Parthenon considered perfect?

The Parthenon is a masterpiece of symmetry and proportion. … The Parthenon shows how brilliantly the Greeks had mastered geometric principles. They saw mathematics as a means to understand the Divine. They achieved global perfection through deliberate departure from local precision.

What did the frieze inside the Parthenon depict and represent?

The frieze of the Parthenon forms a continuous band with scenes in relief that encircles the upper part of the cella, the main temple, within the outer colonnade. The theme represented was the procession toward the Acropolis that took place during the Great Panathenaia, the festival in honour of the goddess Athena.

What was important about the Erechtheion location?

The Erechtheion (or Erechtheum) is an ancient Greek temple constructed on the acropolis of Athens between 421 and 406 BCE in the Golden Age of the city in order to house the ancient wooden cult statue of Athena and generally glorify the great city at the height of its power and influence.

What happened to the Parthenon when the Venetians attacked the Ottomans?

In 1687, when Venetian forces that were part of a Holy League against the Ottoman Empire raided Athens, the Ottomans converted the Parthenon into an ammunition store as well as a shelter for women and children. … Many of the Parthenon’s marble friezes depict scenes from Greek legends.

What festival is depicted on the Parthenon?

Panathenaic procession
Subject Description: The traditional interpretation of the Parthenon frieze is that it depicts, in some sense, a Panathenaic procession, part of the festival of the same name celebrated each year on the occasion of Athena’s birthday.

What did Lord Elgin Remove from Athens?

Although his original intention was only to document the sculptures, in 1801 Lord Elgin began to remove material from the Parthenon and its surrounding structures under the supervision of Lusieri. Pieces were also removed from the Erechtheion, the Propylaia, and the Temple of Athena Nike, all inside the Acropolis.

What was the subject of the Parthenon frieze quizlet?

What was the subject of the Parthenon frieze (the Elgin Marbles)? The Parthenon frieze depicts the procession that occurred every four years as part of the opening ceremonies of the Great Panathenaic Festival in which Athenians carried a robed, wooden statue of Athena to the Parthenon.

Why was the great Panathenaia important to Athenians?

The Panathenaic festival was formed in order to honor the goddess Athena who had become the patron of Athens after having a competition with the god Poseidon where they were to win the favor of the Athenian people by offering the people gifts. The festival would also bring unity among the people of Athens.

Which gods are on the Parthenon frieze?

Of the Olympians facing right, Athena and Hephaistos form a simple pair. In front of them, however, the gods are in one long row: four seated one overlapping the next, Poseidon, Apollo, Artemis, and Aphrodite, and one stand- ing, the boy god Eros.

How were Ares and Athena different in their roles as war Gods quizlet?

How were Ares and Athena different in their role as war-gods? Ares enjoys war and chaos and represent the violent aspects of war while Athena is more strategic and embodies generalship.

What are 2 of the 3 places where the sculpture work of the Parthenon can be found?

Today all surviving examples of decoration from the Parthenon are found in museums; there are fragments in Paris, the Vatican, Copenhagen, Munich, Vienna, Palermo and Würzburg. Of the 50% of the original sculptures that survive, about half are in the British Museum and half in Athens.

How were Ares and Athena different?

Athena’s moral and military superiority to Ares derives in part from the fact that she represents the intellectual and civilized side of war and the virtues of justice and skill, whereas Ares represents blood lust.

What was the war called between Sparta and Athens?

The Peloponnesian War
The Peloponnesian War was a war fought in ancient Greece between Athens and Sparta—the two most powerful city-states in ancient Greece at the time (431 to 405 B.C.E.). This war shifted power from Athens to Sparta, making Sparta the most powerful city-state in the region.