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How did the Parthenon serve as a treasury for the Delian League?

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The Parthenon temple in Athens, Greece, is illuminated at night, showing its iconic Doric columns and partially ruined structure atop the Acropolis. — Parthenon Night view of the Parthenon, Athens.

The Parthenon did not serve as the original treasury of the Delian League; rather, the league's treasury was initially kept in the temple of Apollo on the island of Delos.1

In 454 BCE, fearing a potential Persian offensive following a naval defeat in Egypt, the Athenians transferred the league's funds to Athens. Once the money was moved to Athens, it came under the control of Athenian financial officers known as hellēnotamiai (Treasurers of the Greeks).123

As the Delian League evolved into an Athenian empire, the Athenian statesman Pericles controversially utilized these accumulated reserves to finance a massive building program on the Acropolis, which included the construction of the Parthenon. Pericles justified this expenditure by arguing that because Athens provided for the allies' defense, it was not required to account for how the surplus funds were spent.42