Parthenon

Introduction & Top Questions
The Acropolis
The architecture
The sculptures
Later history, sculpture controversy, and restoration

References & Edit History Related Topics

Images & Videos

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

The Parthenon stands atop the Acropolis hill in Athens, Greece, surrounded by ancient stone walls and ruins, with city buildings and a distant hill in the background.

Marble sculpture of three reclining, headless female figures, likely Hestia, Dione, and Aphrodite, from the Parthenon east pediment, displayed in the British Museum.

detail of a the Parthenon frieze with the Panathenaic procession

Marble relief from the Parthenon showing, from left, Poseidon, Apollo, and Artemis seated and draped in flowing garments, displayed at the Museum of the Acropolis in Athens.

At a Glance

Parthenon, on the Acropolis, Athens, by Ictinus and Callicrates, 447–432 bc

Parthenon summary

Related Questions

How did ancient builders transport marble blocks to the Acropolis?
How did light enter the interior of the Parthenon?
How did the Panathenaic procession honour Athena?
How did the Parthenon become a symbol of Athenian democracy?
How did the Parthenon demonstrate Athenian civic pride during the High Classical period?
How did the Parthenon serve as a treasury for the Delian League?
How did the Parthenon’s sculptures refer to the Greco-Persian Wars?
How long did construction of the main Parthenon building take?
How many columns stand along the east and west sides of the Parthenon?
How many columns stand along the north and south sides of the Parthenon?
How tall was the original statue of Athena Parthenos?
How was the Parthenon changed when it became a Roman Catholic cathedral?
How were the Parthenon’s marble blocks fitted together without mortar?
What Parthenon artifacts are displayed at the Acropolis Museum in Athens?
What architectural order is the Parthenon best known for?
What are the dimensions of the Parthenon?
What caused the explosion that ruined the centre of the Parthenon in 1687?
What contest was portrayed on the west pediment of the Parthenon?
What event is shown on the Parthenon’s interior frieze?
What happened to the earlier temple to Athena on the Parthenon’s site in 480 BCE?
What happened when Venetian forces attempted to remove sculptures from the Parthenon?
What is entasis in the columns of the Parthenon?
What materials were used to make Phidias’s statue of Athena Parthenos?
What objects did the statue of Athena Parthenos hold?
What role did Pericles play in building the Parthenon?
What role did Phidias play in the Parthenon’s construction and decoration?
What scenes were shown on the east pediment of the Parthenon?
What was the cella in the Parthenon used for?
When and why was the Parthenon converted into a mosque?
When did the modern restoration of the Parthenon begin?
When was the Athena Parthenos statue dedicated inside the Parthenon?
When was the Parthenon built on the Acropolis in Athens?
Where are Parthenon sculptures displayed besides the British Museum?
Which Greek goddess was honoured by the Parthenon?
Which Ionic features were included in the mostly Doric Parthenon?
Which mythical battles were represented on the Parthenon’s metopes?
Who bombarded the Acropolis during the 1687 destruction of the Parthenon?
Who were the architects of the Parthenon?
Why are the Parthenon’s corner columns thicker than its other columns?
Why did the Ottoman forces store ammunition inside the Parthenon?
Why did the Parthenon restoration project use marble from the ancient quarry?
Why has Greece requested the return of the Parthenon sculptures from Britain?
Why was the Acropolis of Athens designated a UNESCO World Heritage site?
What is the purpose of the Parthenon?
Why is the Parthenon important?
How is the Parthenon still standing?
How was the Parthenon built?
How is the Parthenon imperfect?
What is the Kuthodaw Pagoda known for?
When was the Kuthodaw Pagoda completed and by whom?
What significant relics are housed in the central stupa of the Kuthodaw Pagoda?
How were the Kuthodaw Pagoda’s marble tablets created?
What happened to the original gold inlay used in the Kuthodaw Pagoda’s marble tablet inscriptions?

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External Websites

Smarthistory - The Parthenon, Athens
Ancient Greece - The Parthenon
PBS - NOVA - Secrets of the Parthenon
Harvard University - Whose Culture? - Parthenon
Reed College - Reading Greek Temples - The Parthenon Temple
Sacred Destinations - Parthenon, Athens
Cambridge Core - Illuminating the Parthenon

Britannica Websites

Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students.

Parthenon - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up)

Parthenon

temple, Athens, Greece

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Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....

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Last updated

Oct. 18, 2026 •History

Parthenon, temple that dominates the hill of the Acropolis at Athens. It was built in the mid-5th century bce and dedicated to the Greek goddess Athena Parthenos (“Athena the Virgin”). The temple is generally considered to be the culmination of the development of the Doric order, the simplest of the three Classical Greek architectural orders. The Parthenon was part of a magnificent rebuilding program directed by the Athenian statesman Pericles, following the sack of the...

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