Acropolis 360 | Department of Art History and Archaeology

The Parthenon is the dominant temple on the Acropolis in Athens. It was rebuilt between 447 and 432 B.C.E. under the leadership of Perikles following the destruction of the previous temple during the Persian invasion. The Parthenon is dedicated to the goddess Athena Parthenos. The design of the building, built entirely of pentelic marble, is attributed to Iktinos and Kallikrates.

The extraordinary dimensions are 225 feet in length, 100 feet in width, and the columns of the outer colonnade are 34 feet high. The Parthenon is built using the post and lintel system of construction and the architectural order (link to the new pdf diagram) is called the Doric Order. This architectural order is comprised of the stylobate (base), the fluted column shaft, the capital and the entablature.

Professor Clemente Marconi discusses the role of the Parthenon in the Core Curriculum, developments in understanding and the teaching of the Parthenon, and the contribution of digital tools to this process. Download trascript as a pdf.

See System Requirements for this site's technical specifications.

	( 1.1 ) Explore the setting of the Acropolis in the city of Athens, Greece

	( 1.2 ) Explore the Acropolis and the Panathenaic Procession

	( 1.3 ) Explore the Parthenon as it exists today in Athens, Greece

	( 1.4 ) Explore a Reconstruction of the Parthenon in Nashville, Tennessee

	( 1.5 ) Explore a Plan of the Parthenon that marries views from the Athenian Parthenon and views from the Nashville Parthenon

	( 1.6 ) Explore the Sculptural Decoration of the Parthenon and Historic Photos of the Acropolis from the 19th century

	( 1.7 ) Acknowledgements & Credits

		Historic Photographs of the Acropolis

		The Parthenon Metopes: Battle of the Lapiths and Centaurs

		The Parthenon Frieze: Panathenaic Procession

		The Parthenon East Pediment: Birth of Athena

		The Parthenon West Pediment: Battle between Athena and Poseidon

Ministry of Culture, Government of Greece

The American School of Classical Studies in Athens
Stephen V. Tracy, Director
Maria Pilali, Administrator

The Parthenon, Centennial Park, Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County, Nashville, Tennessee
Wesley Paine, Director

The National Endowment for the Humanities, Division of Education Programs

The Office of the Provost, Columbia University

The Department of Art History and Archaeology, Columbia University, Hilary M. Ballon, Chair

The Greek Ministry of Culture graciously granted permission for QTVR photography on the Athenian Acropolis. We are most grateful for this opportunity to photograph the buildings of the Acropolis and to provide Internet access to this material for the educational community.

We owe a special debt of gratitude to Ms. Maria Pilali, Administrator, American School of Classical Studies in Athens, who was instrumental in obtaining the necessary permissions from the Greek Ministry of Culture for our QTVR photography on the Acropolis.

Ms. Wesley Paine, Director, The Parthenon Museum, Centennial Park, Nashville, kindly granted permission for QTVR photography at the full-scale model of the Parthenon in Nashville. This unique monument provides the finest educational opportunity for students to understand the Parthenon in its original state.

We would also like to thank Ms. Barbara Ashbrook of the National Endowment for the Humanities for her support and good will as the Senior Project Officer administering our NEH funding for The History of Architecture Digital Teaching Project.

This program was designed and developed by the Visual Media Center, Department of Art History and Archaeology, Columbia University

Professor Clemente Marconi, Department of Art History and Archaeology, Columbia University, Faculty Advisor

Robert Carlucci, Director, Visual Media Center, Project Manager

Jeremy Stynes, Educational Technologist, Visual Media Center, Web site designer and developer, QTVR photographer and developer (Athens)

James Conlon, Research Staff Associate, Visual Media Center, Project Research and Preparation, QTVR photographer and developer (Athens)

Andrew Tallon, Visual Media Center Fellow, Visual Media Center, QTVR photographer and developer (Nashville)

Copyright 2004 The Trustees of Columbia University in the City of New York