The Parthenon's Many Lives

The 2,500-year-old Parthenon is among the most recognizable embodiments of Greece's golden age, hailed worldwide as a symbol of wealth, culture, and intellect. The marble building was centrally important as a religious sanctuary to all empires that came to rule Greece, first as a temple to the Athenians, then as a church to the Byzantines, and eventually to the Ottomans as "the finest mosque in the world," as one 17th-century writer put it. But the structure has served other purposes in its storied history—as a treasury, an ammunition store, even an army barracks. In this time line, follow the Parthenon over the centuries and learn what is being done today to restore it for its latest incarnation—as a must-see tourist destination.—Rima Chaddha

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© | Created January 2008