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The Porch of the Maidens. There were originally six. One was taken by Lord Elgin to deocrate his Scottish mansion. It was later sold to the British Museum.
Now that winter appears to be making a come back I thought I would upload a sunny picture from last summers Greek climbing trip. This view was taken erarly on before most of the crowds descended upon the amazing historical ruin that is the Acroplolis.
The statues are replicas, as five of the originals are in the Acropolis Museum and the sixth in the British Museum, courtesy of Lord Elgin.
The Doric columns of the Parthenon, Athens.
"The Parthenon is a former temple on the Acropolis in Athens, Greece. It was dedicated to the goddess Athena, whom the people of Athens considered their patron. Construction began in 447 BC when the Athenian Empire was at the peak of its power. It was completed in 438 BC, although decoration of the building continued until 432 BC. It is the most important surviving building of Classical Greece, generally considered the zenith of the Doric order. Its decorative sculptures are considered some of the high points of Greek art. The Parthenon is regarded as an enduring symbol of Ancient Greece, Athenian democracy and Western civilization, and one of the world's greatest cultural monuments."
The Acropolis of Athens and its monuments are universal symbols of the classical spirit and civilization and form the greatest architectural and artistic complex bequeathed by Greek Antiquity to the world. In the second half of the fifth century bc, Athens, following the victory against the Persians and the establishment of democracy, took a leading position amongst the other city-states of the ancient world. In the age that followed, as thought and art flourished, an exceptional group of artists put into effect the ambitious plans of Athenian statesman Pericles and, under the inspired guidance of the sculptor Pheidias, transformed the rocky hill into a unique monument of thought and the arts. The most important monuments were built during that time: the Parthenon, built by Ictinus, the Erechtheon, the Propylaea, the monumental entrance to the Acropolis, designed by Mnesicles and the small temple Athena Nike.