Athena and Poseidon's temple of war, peace, and democracy
The Parthenon sits atop an acropolis (fortified hill) in Athens. All city-states like Athens had an acropolis because there were a lot of warring states.
In the fifth century, Athens was the most powerful; that's when the Parthenon was built. It became the hallmark of the birth of democracy and Classical architecture. Many of the government buildings in Washington DC mimic the Parthenon.
An exact full-scale replica is built in Nashville, Tenn, which you can see in the slideshow below.
This Kahn Academy video lesson is about the history, mythology, construction, and design of the Parthenon. The second video is a quick iPhone video of my 10-year old daughter opening the seven-and-a-half-ton bronze doors.
Nice hinges on those doors, BTW.
Big, big door, little doorperson at the Parthenon in Nashville (see info in slideshow for more on the door).
