Pericles: The Parthenon

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As many people know, the Parthenon is one of the most inspiring works of architecture known to mankind. The project of the extraordinary Acropolis was taken on by one of the most influential leaders of history, Pericles. Pericles influenced not only the building of one of the grandest works but the example of democracy displayed by the Greeks. The architecture was unique for its time, it featured excellent structure. The breathtaking Metopes featuring the epic battles of the gods, the Frieze a detailed sculpture displaying a procession of Greeks, and was built to house the magnificent statue of Athena adorned in gold. The Parthenon was built was that the leader at the time, Pericles. Pericles wanted to show the power and wealth of Athens. In …show more content…
The Golden Age of Athens is some times referred to as the Age of Pericles. For example, the East pediment of the Parthenon depicts the birth of Athena from the head of Zeus. All of the figures in the pediment are in a human form, including the gods and goddesses and Athena herself. This is a way of bringing the gods down to a level that can be recognized and understood by humans who worship them.
This is true of all the Greek statues of gods and goddesses such as the gold and ivory statue of the goddess Athena that stood in the Parthenon itself. Another idea of the 5th century Greek people that can be recognized in the Parthenon is that of rationalism. Rationalism is the idea of eternal principles or basic truths that are inherent in the universe and in the human mind. An example is that of Pythagoras’ right triangle theory that a2+b2=c2, which cannot be total proven but yet has never been disproved …show more content…
They were the statue of Athena, the Ionic frieze, the Doric metopes, and the pediments. Except for the gold and ivory statue of Athena, all of the other sculptures were painted with bright colors. When the Greek temple builders placed a sloped roof over the entablature it left a triangular space at each end of the building. This empty space needed decoration so the pediment was created. The Parthenon had sculptured panels along its exterior above the columns known as metopes and sculptures in the triangular spaces underneath the roof line at both ends of the building, also knows as pediments and a unique sculptural feature the Ionic frieze which was around the top of the
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