Definition: The Parthenon was built at the command of Pericles by the architects Ictinus and Callicrates on the highest point in the city of Athens (acropolis) to house a large gold and ivory (chryselephantine) statue of Athens' patron goddess Athena. This statue is said to have been covered with 44 talents of gold (perhaps $12 million) making it "an Athenian Fort Knox in the shape of a goddess" according to Pheidias, Sculptor to the Gods.
Parthenon
By N.S. Gill, About.com
Parthenon from the West
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