Parthenon

Built between 447-437BC, during the ‘Golden Age’ of Athens under Pericles, the Parthenon is a world famous sight. Its design harmoniously combines the Doric and Ionic orders, and its architectural and structural details and the precision in the carving of the marble are a testament to the expertise in the artisans that created it. Further, the décor of the Parthenon and its surrounding monuments had a profound and lasting influence on Western art (especially sculpture and portraiture), as it depicted the human form in an individualized manner for the first time. These artistic innovations fuelled developments that influenced the art of Hellenistic and Roman times, as well as the Renaissance, Baroque, Romanticism and Neoclassicism.