1 00:00:00,080 --> 00:00:02,599 Speaker 1: This Day in History Class is a production of iHeartRadio. 2 00:00:07,400 --> 00:00:11,280 Speaker 1: Hello and welcome to This Day in History Class, a 3 00:00:11,400 --> 00:00:14,840 Speaker 1: show for those who can never know enough about history. 4 00:00:15,520 --> 00:00:19,040 Speaker 1: I'm Gay Blusier, and in this episode we're talking about 5 00:00:19,079 --> 00:00:22,320 Speaker 1: an enduring symbol of classical Greece and one of the 6 00:00:22,360 --> 00:00:27,480 Speaker 1: most celebrated buildings in human history, the Parthenon of ancient Athens. 7 00:00:33,280 --> 00:00:37,960 Speaker 1: The day was March ninth, four thirty two BC. The 8 00:00:38,040 --> 00:00:43,080 Speaker 1: newly completed Parthenon was dedicated to the Greek goddess Athena. 9 00:00:43,280 --> 00:00:46,879 Speaker 1: The imposing marble temple was part of the Acropolis of 10 00:00:46,920 --> 00:00:51,320 Speaker 1: Athens in ancient Citadel, built on a rocky outcrop overlooking 11 00:00:51,360 --> 00:00:55,840 Speaker 1: the city. Due to its durable materials and precise construction, 12 00:00:56,160 --> 00:01:01,040 Speaker 1: the Parthenon survived centuries of earthquakes, fires, wars, and looting. 13 00:01:01,680 --> 00:01:04,640 Speaker 1: It's a little worse for wear today, but thanks to 14 00:01:04,680 --> 00:01:09,000 Speaker 1: ongoing restoration efforts, the temple is still standing. It's now 15 00:01:09,040 --> 00:01:12,399 Speaker 1: one of the most recognized structures on Earth, and millions 16 00:01:12,400 --> 00:01:15,000 Speaker 1: of visitors make the pilgrimage to see it each year, 17 00:01:15,480 --> 00:01:19,360 Speaker 1: many of whom don't even believe in Athena. The Parthenon 18 00:01:19,440 --> 00:01:22,240 Speaker 1: that stands today is the same one that was consecrated 19 00:01:22,280 --> 00:01:25,319 Speaker 1: in the year four thirty two, but it was preceded 20 00:01:25,319 --> 00:01:29,040 Speaker 1: by an earlier structure, now known as the Older Parthenon. 21 00:01:29,800 --> 00:01:32,760 Speaker 1: That original temple stood on the same site as the 22 00:01:32,800 --> 00:01:36,839 Speaker 1: current Parthenon, but it was never fully finished. That's likely 23 00:01:36,880 --> 00:01:40,520 Speaker 1: because the Persian Empire invaded Athens in four eight BC, 24 00:01:41,160 --> 00:01:45,240 Speaker 1: destroying much of the city, including the unfinished temple. The 25 00:01:45,360 --> 00:01:48,680 Speaker 1: Persians kept the Athenians pretty busy for the next thirty 26 00:01:48,720 --> 00:01:52,160 Speaker 1: years or so, leaving them little time for rebuilding. But 27 00:01:52,280 --> 00:01:57,160 Speaker 1: around four forty nine, a renowned Athenian statesman named Pericles 28 00:01:57,560 --> 00:02:00,320 Speaker 1: was able to negotiate peace with the King of Persia. 29 00:02:01,200 --> 00:02:06,040 Speaker 1: Shortly after, Pericles launched an extensive building program designed to 30 00:02:06,080 --> 00:02:09,160 Speaker 1: transform the Hill of the Acropolis, the high point of 31 00:02:09,200 --> 00:02:13,400 Speaker 1: the city, into a monument to Athenian wealth, power, and culture. 32 00:02:14,000 --> 00:02:18,040 Speaker 1: And as the centerpiece of his grand building campaign, Pericles 33 00:02:18,080 --> 00:02:22,639 Speaker 1: commissioned a replacement temple for the city's patron deity, Athena, 34 00:02:22,680 --> 00:02:27,560 Speaker 1: the Goddess of Wisdom, warfare, and fine art. Construction on 35 00:02:27,639 --> 00:02:31,320 Speaker 1: the Parthenon began in four forty seven BC and took 36 00:02:31,320 --> 00:02:36,120 Speaker 1: about fifteen years to finish in estimated one hundred thousand 37 00:02:36,120 --> 00:02:39,000 Speaker 1: tons of marble was used in the project, all of 38 00:02:39,000 --> 00:02:41,519 Speaker 1: which had to be mined from a quarry about ten 39 00:02:41,600 --> 00:02:46,120 Speaker 1: miles outside of Athens. Once it was extracted, the marble 40 00:02:46,200 --> 00:02:49,520 Speaker 1: was loaded into wagons and transported up the steep incline 41 00:02:49,520 --> 00:02:53,600 Speaker 1: of the acropolis. When the raw marble finally reached the buildsite, 42 00:02:53,680 --> 00:02:57,280 Speaker 1: it was then carved and trimmed by hand into approximately 43 00:02:57,400 --> 00:03:01,799 Speaker 1: thirteen thousand, four hundred blocks. The smooth blocks were then 44 00:03:01,840 --> 00:03:04,800 Speaker 1: fitted together without the use of mortar, a feat that 45 00:03:04,960 --> 00:03:07,600 Speaker 1: may have been accomplished through the use of ropes, pulleys, 46 00:03:07,639 --> 00:03:11,880 Speaker 1: and wooden cranes. It was a meticulous and time intensive 47 00:03:11,960 --> 00:03:16,120 Speaker 1: process to perfectly carve and position each block, but nearly 48 00:03:16,160 --> 00:03:19,160 Speaker 1: twenty five hundred years on, it's hard to argue with 49 00:03:19,200 --> 00:03:23,800 Speaker 1: the results. The Parthenon wasn't built solely to honor the 50 00:03:23,840 --> 00:03:26,720 Speaker 1: goddess Athena. It was also a way to assert the 51 00:03:26,760 --> 00:03:31,240 Speaker 1: cultural superiority of Athens over its fellow city states. At 52 00:03:31,280 --> 00:03:34,600 Speaker 1: the time, the Parthenon was the largest and most ornate 53 00:03:34,639 --> 00:03:39,520 Speaker 1: temple on the Greek mainland. It was brilliantly designed, expertly crafted, 54 00:03:39,640 --> 00:03:44,119 Speaker 1: and adorned with dozens of intricate marble figures and sculpted panels. 55 00:03:44,720 --> 00:03:49,040 Speaker 1: Those larger than life compositions extolled the myths, values, and 56 00:03:49,120 --> 00:03:52,560 Speaker 1: beliefs of Athens, and they also caused a fortune to make. 57 00:03:53,280 --> 00:03:58,040 Speaker 1: In that way, the Parthenon was an expression of Athenian wealth, culture, skill, 58 00:03:58,200 --> 00:04:02,320 Speaker 1: and creativity, a monument not just to Athena but to 59 00:04:02,440 --> 00:04:07,160 Speaker 1: Athens itself. That sense of grandeur was also reflected in 60 00:04:07,200 --> 00:04:11,080 Speaker 1: the temple's location at the peak of the acropolis. Towering 61 00:04:11,120 --> 00:04:14,160 Speaker 1: above the city, the Parthenon could be seen from almost 62 00:04:14,200 --> 00:04:17,000 Speaker 1: any angle by the people below. All they had to 63 00:04:17,040 --> 00:04:20,000 Speaker 1: do was glance skyward, and the greatness of their city 64 00:04:20,080 --> 00:04:24,279 Speaker 1: would be reaffirmed. That said, the Parthenon was still a 65 00:04:24,320 --> 00:04:28,400 Speaker 1: temple to Athena, and as such, its most awe inspiring 66 00:04:28,480 --> 00:04:32,400 Speaker 1: feature was devoted to her. Inside the main chamber of 67 00:04:32,400 --> 00:04:36,200 Speaker 1: the Parthenon stood an enormous wooden statue of the goddess, 68 00:04:36,480 --> 00:04:40,320 Speaker 1: said to be nearly forty feet tall. Ivory was layered 69 00:04:40,320 --> 00:04:43,760 Speaker 1: onto the statue to represent the visible parts of Athena's flesh, 70 00:04:44,080 --> 00:04:47,600 Speaker 1: and thousands of pounds of gold were carefully sculpted to 71 00:04:47,640 --> 00:04:52,400 Speaker 1: represent her dress, armor, and jewelry. The imposing statue was 72 00:04:52,480 --> 00:04:57,159 Speaker 1: known as the Athena Parthenos aka Athena the Maiden or 73 00:04:57,279 --> 00:05:00,240 Speaker 1: Athena of the Virgin, and it's from that title that 74 00:05:00,279 --> 00:05:04,800 Speaker 1: the Parthenon gets its name. A renowned sculptor named Phidias 75 00:05:05,160 --> 00:05:07,839 Speaker 1: is believed to have created the statue, and he was 76 00:05:07,880 --> 00:05:11,920 Speaker 1: also the general overseer of the entire Acropolis building campaign. 77 00:05:12,520 --> 00:05:15,880 Speaker 1: He worked on the design for the Parthenon with two architects, 78 00:05:16,279 --> 00:05:20,520 Speaker 1: Ictinus and Callicritis, but it was Phidias himself who led 79 00:05:20,560 --> 00:05:24,719 Speaker 1: the project. As a result, the sculptor's influence is evident 80 00:05:24,760 --> 00:05:28,120 Speaker 1: throughout the temple, not just in the lifelike reliefs that 81 00:05:28,200 --> 00:05:31,600 Speaker 1: adorn it, but in the very walls, columns, and steps 82 00:05:31,680 --> 00:05:35,920 Speaker 1: that make it up. Famously, the Parthenon contains no straight 83 00:05:35,960 --> 00:05:39,680 Speaker 1: lines or right angles. It may look perfectly straight and 84 00:05:39,760 --> 00:05:42,960 Speaker 1: symmetrical from a distance, an illusion that may have been 85 00:05:43,000 --> 00:05:46,000 Speaker 1: by design, but if you look up close, you'll see 86 00:05:46,040 --> 00:05:49,880 Speaker 1: that all its walls and columns are slightly tapered, giving 87 00:05:49,880 --> 00:05:54,160 Speaker 1: them a subtle curvature, almost as if they're bulging. According 88 00:05:54,200 --> 00:05:57,880 Speaker 1: to classical scholar Jeffrey Hurwitz, the result is a building 89 00:05:57,880 --> 00:06:01,320 Speaker 1: that evokes the form of a statue. In an interview 90 00:06:01,320 --> 00:06:06,279 Speaker 1: with PBS, he explained the effect, saying, quote, these deviations 91 00:06:06,320 --> 00:06:09,960 Speaker 1: from the strait, from the perpendicular, from the perfectly vertical, 92 00:06:10,240 --> 00:06:14,120 Speaker 1: from the perfectly horizontal are analogous to the curvatures and 93 00:06:14,200 --> 00:06:18,280 Speaker 1: the swellings and the irregularities of the human body. And 94 00:06:18,360 --> 00:06:21,200 Speaker 1: in that sense, the Parthenon strikes me as being a 95 00:06:21,279 --> 00:06:27,640 Speaker 1: sculptural as well as an architectural achievement. Unfortunately, most Athenians 96 00:06:27,680 --> 00:06:31,200 Speaker 1: didn't get the chance to fully appreciate that achievement up close. 97 00:06:31,880 --> 00:06:35,160 Speaker 1: Although the Parthenon was considered the center of religious life 98 00:06:35,160 --> 00:06:38,400 Speaker 1: in Athens, only a handful of priests and other religious 99 00:06:38,440 --> 00:06:42,839 Speaker 1: figures were allowed inside of it. Everyone else, including Pericles, 100 00:06:43,120 --> 00:06:45,520 Speaker 1: had to settle for a view from the second step, 101 00:06:45,880 --> 00:06:48,000 Speaker 1: which was as close as they were allowed to get. 102 00:06:48,760 --> 00:06:52,080 Speaker 1: That said, even the clergy didn't get to enjoy the 103 00:06:52,120 --> 00:06:55,160 Speaker 1: temple in peace for very long. Just a year or 104 00:06:55,200 --> 00:06:58,760 Speaker 1: so after its completion, the Peloponnesian War broke out and 105 00:06:58,880 --> 00:07:01,599 Speaker 1: Athens was once again and plunged into a long and 106 00:07:01,720 --> 00:07:06,520 Speaker 1: draining conflict. The war between Athens, Sparta and their respective 107 00:07:06,560 --> 00:07:10,680 Speaker 1: allies lasted until four oh three BC, when Athens was 108 00:07:10,760 --> 00:07:15,280 Speaker 1: finally defeated. After the Persian Empire lent its support to Sparta. 109 00:07:15,400 --> 00:07:19,640 Speaker 1: The fighting had wiped out entire cities and upended centuries 110 00:07:19,680 --> 00:07:24,520 Speaker 1: of religious and cultural traditions, effectively reshaping the ancient Greek world, 111 00:07:25,200 --> 00:07:28,840 Speaker 1: and so the brief Golden Age of Athens was over, 112 00:07:29,200 --> 00:07:32,560 Speaker 1: and the Parthenon became an ever present reminder of all 113 00:07:32,640 --> 00:07:36,360 Speaker 1: that had been lost. In the centuries that followed, the 114 00:07:36,400 --> 00:07:40,120 Speaker 1: Temple of Athena was co opted by multiple different religions 115 00:07:40,320 --> 00:07:43,240 Speaker 1: and was used in turn as a Byzantine church, a 116 00:07:43,400 --> 00:07:47,720 Speaker 1: Roman Catholic cathedral, and a mosque. The latter happened when 117 00:07:47,720 --> 00:07:50,680 Speaker 1: the Ottoman Empire seized control of Athens in the mid 118 00:07:50,720 --> 00:07:55,160 Speaker 1: fourteen hundreds. Two centuries later, the Ottoman Turks converted the 119 00:07:55,200 --> 00:07:59,320 Speaker 1: Parthenon into an ammunition depot during their war with the Venetians. 120 00:08:00,120 --> 00:08:03,160 Speaker 1: That decision is the major reason why the Parthenon is 121 00:08:03,200 --> 00:08:07,119 Speaker 1: in the ruined state it is today. In sixteen eighty seven, 122 00:08:07,360 --> 00:08:11,120 Speaker 1: the attackers bombarded the acropolis with cannon fire, and one 123 00:08:11,160 --> 00:08:14,840 Speaker 1: of the blasts ignited the gunpowder stored inside the temple. 124 00:08:15,400 --> 00:08:18,760 Speaker 1: The resulting explosion destroyed the main chamber of the building 125 00:08:18,960 --> 00:08:23,640 Speaker 1: and caused extensive structural damage throughout In the eighteen twenties, 126 00:08:23,800 --> 00:08:27,080 Speaker 1: the battle scarred Parthenon was used as an army barracks 127 00:08:27,160 --> 00:08:31,280 Speaker 1: during Greece's War for Independence. A decade later, the Greeks 128 00:08:31,280 --> 00:08:34,600 Speaker 1: defeated the Ottoman Empire and the Parthenon was left empty 129 00:08:34,679 --> 00:08:38,920 Speaker 1: once again. Many of its surviving features were further damaged, 130 00:08:39,000 --> 00:08:42,440 Speaker 1: both by looters and by the elements, but thankfully, the 131 00:08:42,480 --> 00:08:46,680 Speaker 1: temple's marble, friezes and other sculptures were removed and shipped 132 00:08:46,720 --> 00:08:50,760 Speaker 1: to London for safe keeping. Restoration efforts then began in 133 00:08:50,800 --> 00:08:54,040 Speaker 1: the late nineteenth century, when the Parthenon assumed its current 134 00:08:54,120 --> 00:08:58,199 Speaker 1: role as a world famous tourist destination. However, the Greek 135 00:08:58,240 --> 00:09:01,839 Speaker 1: government didn't fully back the object until the nineteen seventies, 136 00:09:02,000 --> 00:09:06,920 Speaker 1: when it appointed an archeological committee called the Acropolis Restoration Project. 137 00:09:07,559 --> 00:09:12,320 Speaker 1: Under the direction of Greek architect Monoleese Correz. The committee 138 00:09:12,360 --> 00:09:15,080 Speaker 1: made a record of every relic in the ruins, and 139 00:09:15,160 --> 00:09:19,280 Speaker 1: then used computer mapping to identify each piece's original location. 140 00:09:19,960 --> 00:09:23,240 Speaker 1: This allowed them to rebuild damage portions of the temple 141 00:09:23,520 --> 00:09:26,560 Speaker 1: using much of the original marble, and in cases where 142 00:09:26,559 --> 00:09:29,520 Speaker 1: that wasn't possible, the team filled the gaps with new 143 00:09:29,600 --> 00:09:33,080 Speaker 1: marble mined from the same quarry that the ancient Athenians 144 00:09:33,080 --> 00:09:38,240 Speaker 1: had used. That painstaking restoration lasted more than forty years, 145 00:09:38,520 --> 00:09:42,800 Speaker 1: and some renovations remain ongoing today. The goal isn't to 146 00:09:42,960 --> 00:09:46,320 Speaker 1: restore the Parthenon to its full former glory. It will 147 00:09:46,360 --> 00:09:50,320 Speaker 1: always remain a partial ruin, reflecting the complete story of 148 00:09:50,360 --> 00:09:54,319 Speaker 1: its long, tumultuous history, rather than just its glory days. 149 00:09:55,280 --> 00:09:58,480 Speaker 1: The decision to leave it incomplete seems like the right one, 150 00:09:58,760 --> 00:10:01,160 Speaker 1: as there would be plenty of work involved in a 151 00:10:01,160 --> 00:10:05,600 Speaker 1: total restoration. For instance, we know that the Parthenon sculptures 152 00:10:05,600 --> 00:10:08,480 Speaker 1: and other parts of the structure weren't always the gleaming 153 00:10:08,480 --> 00:10:12,080 Speaker 1: white color they are today. Traces of pigment found during 154 00:10:12,160 --> 00:10:15,079 Speaker 1: laser cleaning of the Parthenon revealed that it was once 155 00:10:15,120 --> 00:10:20,240 Speaker 1: painted with vivid colors, including shades of blue, red, and green. However, 156 00:10:20,520 --> 00:10:23,680 Speaker 1: two and a half thousand years of sunlight and weathering 157 00:10:23,800 --> 00:10:26,600 Speaker 1: bleached away all that color, and now it would be 158 00:10:26,720 --> 00:10:31,720 Speaker 1: virtually impossible to recreate the exact shades and placement. Another 159 00:10:31,760 --> 00:10:34,080 Speaker 1: missing piece that would have to be made from scratch 160 00:10:34,440 --> 00:10:38,320 Speaker 1: is the Athena Parthenos statue. It disappeared at some point 161 00:10:38,400 --> 00:10:41,720 Speaker 1: in late antiquity, and most historians believe it was likely 162 00:10:41,760 --> 00:10:45,400 Speaker 1: destroyed completely. We do have a good idea of how 163 00:10:45,400 --> 00:10:50,080 Speaker 1: the statue looked, though, thanks to surviving Roman replicas. Still 164 00:10:50,400 --> 00:10:53,160 Speaker 1: recreating it would be a tall order and could never 165 00:10:53,200 --> 00:10:57,719 Speaker 1: match the original exactly. Some sculptures from the Parthenon are 166 00:10:57,760 --> 00:11:01,320 Speaker 1: still housed at the British Museum by Greece's requests to 167 00:11:01,400 --> 00:11:04,760 Speaker 1: have them returned, and many other artifacts are on display 168 00:11:04,800 --> 00:11:08,240 Speaker 1: at the nearby Acropolis Museum in Athens. But if your 169 00:11:08,280 --> 00:11:12,200 Speaker 1: heart is really said on seeing a full sized Athena statue, 170 00:11:12,320 --> 00:11:15,319 Speaker 1: you're gonna want to skip grease and Rome and instead 171 00:11:15,360 --> 00:11:19,400 Speaker 1: take a trip to Nashville, Tennessee. For reasons we'll say 172 00:11:19,440 --> 00:11:22,240 Speaker 1: for another day. The city is home to full scale 173 00:11:22,280 --> 00:11:27,000 Speaker 1: replicas of both the original Parthenon and the Athena Parthenos statue. 174 00:11:27,200 --> 00:11:29,560 Speaker 1: So while the Athens of the South doesn't have the 175 00:11:29,679 --> 00:11:34,040 Speaker 1: history of its Mediterranean cousin, it does offer an arguably 176 00:11:34,160 --> 00:11:37,800 Speaker 1: more complete picture of its most famous landmark, and all 177 00:11:37,840 --> 00:11:41,960 Speaker 1: within walking distance of the world's finest hot chicken. Athens, 178 00:11:42,400 --> 00:11:47,800 Speaker 1: eat your heart out. I'm gay, Bluesier, and hopefully you 179 00:11:47,880 --> 00:11:50,840 Speaker 1: now know a little more about history today than you 180 00:11:50,920 --> 00:11:54,520 Speaker 1: did yesterday. If you have a second and you're so inclined, 181 00:11:54,720 --> 00:11:58,800 Speaker 1: consider following us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at TEDI 182 00:11:59,320 --> 00:12:02,600 Speaker 1: HC Show. You can also rate and review the show 183 00:12:02,640 --> 00:12:05,120 Speaker 1: on Apple Podcasts, or you can drop me a line 184 00:12:05,160 --> 00:12:09,559 Speaker 1: directly by writing to This Day at iHeartMedia dot com. 185 00:12:09,559 --> 00:12:11,880 Speaker 1: Thanks to channel Or Mays for producing the show, and 186 00:12:12,120 --> 00:12:14,480 Speaker 1: thanks to you for listening. I'll see you back here 187 00:12:14,520 --> 00:12:17,959 Speaker 1: again tomorrow for another day in history class.