By Joy Crutchfield
I have a problem you probably share. Every time I cross something off the top of my Bucket List I seem to add two more things to the bottom.
Example: the Parthenon. Recognized around the world as the architectural symbol of both Democracy and of Ancient Greece, it is the Temple of the Virgin Athena, Goddess of Wisdom. Completed in 438 B.C., this magnificent structure managed to survive intact for thousands of years.
During the Crusades, around 1200 A.D., the Parthenon was converted to a Christian Church, and very few modifications were made other than the removal of the central statue of Athena, which sadly has never been recovered.
The mighty goddess was depicted standing, over 40 feet high, wearing a heavily ornamented helmet and clad in a robe hanging to her feet.
Her breastplate was adorned with snakes and the head of Medusa. In her right hand she held a 6 foot high statue of Nike (Victory) which she extended toward the Athenian people. Her spear rested against her left shoulder, and in her left hand she held an enormous shield. Her naked parts were of ivory; the adornments of her gown were of gold. At her feet was a pool of oil, reflecting her power and glory.
You can see why the Christians wanted her out of there.
In 1456 The Ottoman Empire gained control of Greece and converted the temple/church into a Mosque. While the Ottomans did not destroy any part of the temple, they also did nothing to protect it. In fact, they stored their gunpowder within its walls during the Venetian attach of 1687.
The Venetians bombed the Parthenon, and the ensuing explosions obliterated the interior and caused significant damage to the roof and columns. The Ottomans were not defeated; however they subsequently abandoned the heavily damaged Parthenon to decay and looting.
1801: Enter Thomas Bruce, 7th Earl of Elgin, and British Ambassador to the Ottoman Empire. From 1801-1812 Elgin removed about half of the remaining sculptures of the Parthenon as well as a caryatid from the Erechtheum and architectural pieces from the Propylaea.
The Elgin Marbles include statuary from the east and west pediments (17 figures); 15 of the metope panels which depict battles between the Lapiths and the Centaurs, and 247 feet of the Parthenon Frieze. The Elgin Marbles are currently on display in the Duveen Gallery of the British Museum
There is an ongoing heated debate pertaining to the rightful ownership of the Elgin Marbles. According to our guide, the English government promised to return the Elgin Marbles if a suitable museum dedicated to the Acropolis was built. The Greek Government opened the fabulous new Acropolis Museum June 22, 2009. Entrance fee is 1 Euro. The English have thus far refused to return the Elgin Marbles.
The Parthenon is simply breathtaking. It is 228 feet long and 101 feet wide. The height at the top of the pediment is 66 feet. There are 46 outer Doric pillars (which retain scars from the Venetian bombing) reaching heights of 34 feet with bases 6 feet wide.
The Parthenon stood virtually unchanged up until the last two hundred years.
It is currently the recipient of extensive renovation efforts, and your views will include lots of scaffolding when you tour it.
You can see my predicament. Even though I was able to cross the Parthenon off my Bucket List, I now feel compelled to add the British Museum as well as the Louvre in Paris to the bottom of the list (which I found also houses a substantial Parthenon exhibit). Isn’t this a wonderful predicament to have?
Next week more on Athens, the Greek Isles, and Turkey.
Joy Gawf Crutchfield owns The Joy of Travel. Contact her at www.thejoyoftravel.us or 918-339-4805.
