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The Golden Age of Athens
In the 5th century BC the science, art and theatre bloomed in Athens. The city also reached the high number of 70 000 inhabitants during this period. Perikles, an important Athenian general, is the man leading the transformation of Athens. Many monuments were built and the most famous during this period is the Parthenon, located on the Acropolis. The gigantic temple was built for the city’s own goddess, Athena, so therefore also a statue of Athena was raised.
The Parthenon was built 448 – 432 BC. The main architect was Iktinos, and the master builder was Callicrates. The temple is 90.88m X 69.51m and the material was solid white Pentelic marble which was removed from a nearby quarry. The Parthenon is considered to be an optical illusion as the columns are bigger at the bottom than they are at the top.
On September 26, 1687 during the Turk – Venetian war the Parthenon was blown up during the Venetian siege of the Acropolis. A Venetian cannonball plunged into the Parthenon where the Turks has a storage facility for ammunition. Restoration work began in the early 20th century. Parthenon today remains as a symbol of the Golden Age of Athens
Money for the constructions were financed by high taxes, from conquered cities and other cities lead by Athens. In 5th century BC Athens controlled most of the trade and business in the Greek world which also played an important part of the prosperity of Athens during this century.
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