6. The Parthenon

The temple was dedicated to Athena Parthenos and was built to replace an earlier structure that the Persians had destroyed in 480 BCE. The ingenuity of the architects, Iktinos and Callicrates, produced the finest classical temple. The Parthenon catches the eye with its large size (17x8 columns) and its incredible sculptural decorations designed by the sculptor Phidias. The metopes of the east side depict the Gigantomachy. The metopes of the south side show the Centauromachy. The metopes of the west end show the Amazonomachy, while those of the north side depict the sack of Troy. The east pediment portrays the birth of the goddess Athena, while the west pediment was dedicated to the contest of Athena and Poseidon for Athens. The Parthenon is a Doric temple with various Ionic features. The inner chamber of the Parthenon housed the massive chryselephantine statue of Athena Parthenos. It reached a height of eleven meters (37 ft) and stood on a tall pedestal. The goddess held the winged Victory (Nike) as a symbol of military success. Athena leaned on a spear, while her left hand supported a shield (both signs of the city’s aggressive and defensive nature). Near the goddess lay Erichthonius, a serpent that recalled Athens’ mythical origins. A shallow pool in front of the sculpture provided the humidity required by the ivory used on the statue.

The uniqueness of the Parthenon is evident in the perfect balance of contacts that contribute to a sense of complete symmetry. The columns lean slightly inward, while the entasis (the slight swelling in the centre of the columns) makes them look straight from a distance. Most architectural refinements are not visible to the naked eye but contribute to the overall sense of balance and serve as a testament to the achievements of life in Athens during the golden age of Pericles. The Parthenon was converted into a Christian church during the Byzantine period, while the Ottomans turned it into a mosque. It remained primarily intact until 1687 when it was extensively damaged from a Venetian mortar round that blew up the gunpowder stored inside. Lord Elgin despoiled the temple in the early 19th century. The site was systematically excavated after Greece won its independence. The orientation of the building follows the traditional east-west axis, with the main entrance on the east side. Modern-day visitors, who pass through Propylaea, first encounter the opisthodomos.

The Acropolis served as the background for the tragic conclusion of a romance that shocked nineteenth-century Athens. Mary Weber, a German governess at the palace, fell in love with Michalis Mimikos, a Greek army surgeon. Unfortunately, Mary’s father refused her permission to marry her beloved. The young woman sent a letter to Mimikos asking him to meet her the next day, but she received no answer. When the time set in the letter passed (11 am), she grew desperate and went to the Acropolis. She spent some time staring at the beauty of the landscape and then fell to her death. When Mimikos learned what had happened, he rushed to the hospital, but it was too late. Unable to cope with her death, he committed suicide. The two young lovers could not be together in life, but they are joined forever in the end since they were buried next to each other in the First Cemetery of Athens.

The Zangkakis brothers from the island of Melos began their careers as photographers in Egypt. They specialised in taking pictures of monuments in Port Said, where they lived in 1865. They used the albumen printing process to produce a photographic print on a paper base from a negative. Their business thrived in the 1870s and 1880s when they travelled across the eastern Mediterranean to take photographs with a distinct artistic flair. They returned to Greece in 1888 and published a photo album with pictures from Athens and Piraeus. Despite their popularity abroad, they remained relatively unknown in Greece because they did not participate in local exhibitions. Their work mainly attracted the attention of Greeks in Egypt, with whom they maintained extensive business connections throughout their lives.