The Parthenon is an ancient Greek temple built on the Acropolis hill of Athens, Greece. It is a temple made of white Pentelic marble and was dedicated to goddess Athena, the patroness of the city of Athens. The construction began in 447 BC after the orders of the Athenian statesman Pericles. The architects were Iktinos and Callicrates, while the supervisor of the sculpture decoration was Phidias. The construction was completed in 438 BC and the last sculptures were placed in 432 BC. It is a building of doric architecture, combining features of the Ionic order too. The sculptures can be divided in three types: the metopes, the pediments and the frieze. Most of the Parthenon sculptures were taken in 1801-1812 by Lord Elgin and are now in the British Museum while most of the rest are in the Acropolis Museum. The entrance to the main temple was from the east main door. Inside stood the gigantic statue of goddess Athena Parthenos (Virgin). The statue made by Phidias was created in gold and ivory and stood around 12 metres high. The Parthenon is considered to be a symbol of ancient Greece, democracy and western civilization.
