The Parthenon

Where is it?

On the Acropolis (a hill in Athens, Greece)

What is the Acropolis?

The sanctuary surrounding the Parthenon, used for religious ceremonies and containing the altar (found outside the temple)

Who was it dedicated to?

The goddess Athena

What is on the east pediment?

The birth of Athena from the head of Zeus

What is on the west pediment?

The mythical contest between Athena and Poseidon for supremacy over the land of Attica, in the figure of a reclining naked man

What does the ionic frieze show?

The procession of the Panathenaic festival (the commemoration of the birth of the goddess Athena)

What does the Doric frieze show?

The centauromachy - a battle between the Lapiths and the centaurs, representing the battle between civilisation and barbarism

How many metopes were there?

92

What is the cult statue of?

A huge statue of the goddess Athena

What is the cult statue made of?

Chryselephantine (ivory and gold)

Who sculpted the Parthenon?

Phidias

When was it built?

447-438 BC

Who was Athena?

Goddess of wisdom