The Parthenon is the most recognized part of the Acropolis. The Athenians constructed this temple between 447 and 432 B.C. and dedicated it to Athena, the city's patron goddess. The architects Ictinus and Callicrates designed it in the Doric style, and it measures 17 columns long and eight columns wide. A statue of Athena stood inside the Parthenon. Phidias created the sculptures on the exterior of the building.
These were 56 marble slabs that once made up the Parthenon's frieze. They take their present name from Lord Elgin, British ambassador to Constantinople, who shipped the marbles to England between 1803 and 1812. At that time, Greece was part of the Ottoman Empire, so Lord Elgin received permission from the Ottoman government and not from the Greeks themselves, a bone of contention between the United Kingdom and Greece to this day. Today, the Elgin Marbles are on display in the British Museum.
Named after Erechtheus, a legendary, perhaps mythical king of Athens, the Erechtheum was another temple on the Acropolis. The Athenians dedicated the Erechtheum to a number of deities, including Poseidon and Athena. Mnesicles designed the temple and work on it was completed in 405 B.C. It is famous for its caryatids, columns formed in the shape of women.
The gateway to the Acropolis was known as the Propylaea. Designed by Mnesicles, the Athenians started construction on it in 437 B.C., but never completed it owing to the outbreak of the Peloponnesian War. Other buildings that once stood on the Acropolis include the Athena Nike temple, Theater of Dionysus, Odeum of Pericles and Odeum of Herodes Atticus.
As centuries passed and Christianity took root in Greece and the rest of Europe, the Parthenon was turned into a church in the 5th century and dedicated to the Virgin Mary. In the mid-15th century, the Muslim Ottomans conquered Athens and the Parthenon became a mosque. It suffered severe damage when the Venetians attacked in the 17th century and neglect while under Ottoman control. Unfortunately, the Acropolis stands in ruins today.
