,the ,parthenon at ,athens1 ,greece     
and                         at          
,nashville1 ,tennessee                  
,excerpts                               
from                        ,the        
,parthenon of ,pericles                 
and ,its                                
,reproduction in ,america               
,illustrated                            
,by                      ,benjamin      
,franklin ,wilson1 ,,iii                
,director of the ,parthenon             
,illustration3 ,parthenon ,press        
,,parthenon ,,press                     
,,nashville                      ,,the  
,,parthenon ,,at ,,athens1 ,,greece     
,and                         ,,at       
,,nashville1 ,,tennessee                
7,excerpts from ,,the ,,parthenon ,,of  
,,pericles ,,and                        
,,its ,,reproduction ,,in ,,america7    
,copyright1 ,,mcmxli                    
,by ,benjamin ,franklin ,wilson ,,iii   
,,to              ,,the ,,members ,,of  
,,the ,,board ,,of ,,park               

,,commissioners                         
#aibj-aida    ,r4 ,m4 ,dudley   ,m4 ,t4 
,bryan   ,lee ,j4 ,loventhal   ,w4 ,r4  
,cole   ,r4 ,t4 ,creighton   ,chas4 ,m4 
,mc,cabe   ,percy ,warner   ,rogers     
,caldwell   ,j4 ,p4 ,w4 ,brown   ,edwin 
,warner   ,c4 ,a4 ,craig   ,jas4 ,g4    
,stahlman   ,vernon ,tupper   ,bascom   
,f4 ,jones    ,whose intelligent and    
untiring interest made possible the     
reproduction of the ,parthenon at       
,nashville2 in memory of those who are  
gone1 and in appreciation of those who  
are living1 this booklet is   gratefully
 dedicated                              
,background   ,the ,parthenon of        
,pericles1 while not thought to be one  
of the wonders of the world1            
nevertheless has always been regarded as
 one of the most wondrously beautiful   
and inspiring of the world's buildings4 
,it embraces the best effort of the     
mind1 the heart1 and the hand of man4   
,in it are bound up the religion1 the   
history1 and the art of ,greece4  ,it   

has been well said that art is organized
 emotion1 while science is organized    
knowledge4 ,the field of emotion found  
its first great development among the   
,greeks and in the time of ,pericles    
reached its zenith4 ,assuredly the      
,greeks have never been excelled in the 
beauty of their architecture or         
sculptural art4  ,the influence of      
religion was dominant in the life and   
thought that produced such outstanding  
men in this period of world history as  
,phidias and ,sophocles1 ,ictinos and   
,pericles4 ,every function of the mind1 
every activity of the hand1 was closely 
associated with some god or goddess1 and
 to this inspirational incentive the    
world is greatly indebted for the       
,parthenon4 ,the mythological stories of
 the ,parthenon largely cover the       
mythology of ,greece4 ,twenty-eight of  
the major deities and numerous minor    
deities and personifications adorn its  
pediments4  ,at the time of its         
destruction in the seventeenth century1 

a little more than two thousand years   
after its completion1 the ,parthenon was
 almost in as good condition as it was  
at its beginning4 ,the changes made by  
the ,christians in the fifth century and
 by the ,turks in the fifteenth century 
had impaired it but little1 all of which
 is eloquent testimony to the           
thoroughness with which the task was    
accomplished4 ,the co-ordination of     
mind1 hand1 and heart of the ,greeks of 
that age has never been excelled by men 
of any time and found its culmination in
 the ,parthenon4      ,illustration3    
,the ,ruins of the ,parthenon at ,athens
 in #aibi                               
,the ,parthenon at ,athens   ,the       
,parthenon was built on the ,acropolis1 
a hill two hundred feet above the       
streets of ,athens1 in the year #dch    
,b4,c4 ,not yet had the blight of decay 
laid its hand upon an outstanding       
civilization and ,athens was at the     
zenith of her glory and power4 ,the     
nations she had conquered contributed to

 her wealth and her slaves furnished the
 labor for her every great undertaking4 
,it is no wonder that at this time she  
should turn her heart toward her beloved
 ,athena and honor her with a shrine4   
,athena ,parthenos was her name1 hence  
the word ,parthenon4 ,she was the wisest
 and most beautiful of the ,grecian     
deities and the ,parthenon was her      
temple4  ,it is thought that the        
earliest ,greeks worshiped their goddess
 with crude altars of uncut stone and   
unhewn wood4 ,gradually1 as the ,greeks 
became more intelligent1 they began     
building temples1 each lovelier than the
 one before and all on the same         
foundation1 as attested by excavations  
at ,athens4 ,it is not known just how   
many temples there were in this series1 
but it is known that the last one was   
destroyed by the ,persian ,xerxes in the
 year #dhj ,b4,c4 ,then came the        
,parthenon1 begun in #ddg and dedicated 
to the goddess ,athena in #dch ,b4,c4   
,here for a thousand years the ,greeks  

worshiped their goddess1 and it was     
during this period that ,greece produced
 the greatest of her philosophers1      
warriors1 artists1 and writers4  ,the   
,parthenon was built under the          
supervision of ,phidias1 the greatest   
artist of form the world has ever known4
 ,he was a close friend of ,pericles1   
archon of ,athens1 who1 appreciating    
,phidias' great executive ability as    
well as his genius1 commissioned him to 
build the temple4 ,he had built a number
 of other temples for ,pericles1 notably
 the temple of ,zeus at ,olympia1 but   
the ,parthenon was the most ambitious of
 all his undertakings1 as indeed it was 
the most ambitious of all the ,greek    
temples4  ,the ,greeks were somewhat    
slow in embracing ,christianity but by  
#dbf ,a4,d4 they had become a ,christian
 nation4 ,in the meantime ,greece had   
fallen under the dominion of the ,roman 
,empire and the ,emperor ,theodosius    
,,ii changed the ,parthenon into a      
,christian church4 ,for a little more   

than a thousand years the ,greeks       
worshiped ,jehovah in the ,parthenon4   
,after the conquest by the ,turks in    
#adeh the ,parthenon was changed into a 
,mohammedan mosque4  ,except for the    
minor changes to the interior in the    
fifth century by the ,christians and    
those to the exterior in the fifteenth  
century by the ,turks1 the ,parthenon   
was almost in as good condition at the  
time of its destruction in #afhg as it  
was in the beginning4 ,in that year the 
,turks were driven out of ,athens by the
 ,venetians1 representing a ,christian  
nation4 ,in this war the ,turks         
temporarily stored gunpowder in the     
,parthenon for safekeeping1 thinking the
 ,greek gods which adorned its pediments
 would give them good luck4 ,however1 a 
,venetian shot1 not so respectful of the
 gods of the ,greeks1 struck the        
,parthenon and rendered it the          
interesting ruin that1 for the most     
part1 remains today4  ,as a result of   
the explosion the entire interior was   

destroyed4 ,the columns1 the architrave1
 the ceiling1 the roof1 nothing remained
 except the floor and fragments of the  
walls4 ,fortunately the explosive agent 
was gunpowder1 whose power acts upward  
and outward only2 consequently1 the     
floor was not materially injured and the
 markings on the floor disclose the     
order of architecture1 location1 and    
diameter of the columns4  ,the exterior 
did not suffer as much from the force of
 the explosion as did the interior4 ,of 
the fifty-eight columns on the outside1 
forty-four were left standing4 ,eight on
 the northeast corner and six on the    
south side were entirely blown away4 ,a 
few of the end columns were damaged     
slightly4 ,almost all of the pedimental 
sculptures were blown off and greatly   
injured4 ,only two fragmentary groups of
 the pedimental sculptures are left on  
the old ruin4  ,in #aibi the ,greek     
,government1 with the assistance of     
,american capital1 began a restoration  
of the ,parthenon4 ,it is to be hoped   

that the ,greeks will not allow anything
 to prevent the completion of this work4
      ,illustration3 ,the ,parthenon at 
,nashville at ,night                    
,the ,parthenon at ,nashville   ,in     
#ahif the ,state of ,tennessee attained 
its full century statehood4 ,to         
celebrate that important event in the   
life of the ,state the ,tennessee       
,centennial ,exposition was held in     
,nashville the following year4          
,nashville had long been known as the   
,athens of the ,south because of its    
many schools and colleges and           
accompanying culture1 and it is not     
surprising that the director general of 
the exposition1 a man noted for his     
culture and love of art1 conceived the  
idea of having as the gallery of fine   
arts for the exposition a reproduction  
of the ,parthenon at ,athens4  ,in the  
successful prosecution of the work there
 was no time for research and study4    
,relying on existing information1 a very
 creditable building was erected of     

laths and plaster in the few months     
available4  ,the ,gallery of ,fine ,arts
 attracted so much favorable attention  
during the exposition that at its close 
the people of ,nashville1 having become 
greatly attached to it1 insisted that it
 should not be torn down when the       
exposition buildings were destroyed4    
,the ,board of ,park ,commissioners of  
the ,city of ,nashville obtained        
approximately one hundred and fifty     
acres of land surrounding the building  
and laid out what is now beautiful      
,centennial ,park4 ,built to last a     
year1 the much loved building stood for 
nearly twenty-four years until1 in spite
 of every effort made for its           
preservation1 it became a greater ruin  
than its prototype in ,athens4  ,the    
,board of ,park ,commissioners had long 
had as a cherished objective the        
reproduction of the ,parthenon in       
permanent materials4 ,this was an       
ambitious undertaking for a city much   
larger than ,nashville1 and it was not  

until #aibj that the old building was   
torn down and on its site the present   
reproduction of the ,parthenon at       
,athens was begun4 ,competent           
architects1 artists1 and archaeologists 
were employed1 who devoted the best     
efforts of their careers to the work4   
,no effort was too great1 no money was  
spared1 to make the ,parthenon as near  
as was humanly possible a reproduction  
of the original as it existed as the    
temple of ,athena in the fifth century1 
,b4,c4  ,the chief difference between   
the original and the reproduction lies  
in the materials of which they were     
made4 ,the ,parthenon at ,athens was    
built of ,pentelic marble quarried near 
by1 while that at ,nashville is of      
reinforced concrete finished by a       
patented process which1 under the       
influence of electric lights1 very      
closely resembles marble4 ,the ,pentelic
 marble of the original had a small     
content of iron1 which became oxidized  
and the color of the ruin at ,athens is 

now a brownish yellow from the iron     
oxide stain4  ,by the use of concrete in
 the building at ,nashville three       
important advantages were obtained3     
durability1 economy1 and the privilege  
of seeing the ,parthenon in two colors4 
,concrete is the most durable of all    
building materials and the most         
economical4 ,by a careful selection of  
materials1 the color of the ,parthenon  
at ,nashville in daylight is brownish   
yellow1 the same as the ruin at ,athens4
 ,this effect was obtained by using1 as 
the aggregate of the concrete1 a        
brownish yellow gravel from the bottom  
of the ,potomac ,river in ,virginia4    
,the ,parthenon at ,nashville is        
floodlighted for an hour and a half each
 night and is indeed a beautiful sight1 
one of the most beautiful in the world2 
the lighting plan having been carefully 
designed by the ,engineering ,staff of  
the ,general ,electric ,company4 ,a     
writer in one of the leading newspapers 
in ,america said1 ,if ,i am ever so     

fortunate as to reach the ,pearly ,gates
 of the ,new ,jerusalem1 ,i shall expect
 to find nothing more radiantly         
beautiful than the ,parthenon at        
,nashville at night4  ,it is regretted  
that there was no acropolis on which to 
locate the reproduction in ,nashville4  
,however1 this defect in the setting was
 to some extent atoned for by building  
it adjacent to a small lake and         
surrounding it with a beautiful park4   
,the ,parthenon at ,athens had no       
basement1 but in the reproduction a     
basement was added to house a museum of 
fine arts4 ,thus the spirit of the      
,parthenon1 always a temple of some god1
 is not violated by the hanging of      
pictures on its walls4  ,begun in #aibj1
 because of the research necessary to   
make it a reproduction of the original  
as it was in the beginning1 the         
,parthenon at ,nashville required eleven
 years for completion4 ,the exterior was
 finished in #aibe1 and the ,parthenon  
was thrown open to the public on ,may   

#bj1 #aica1 six years having been       
necessary to complete the interior4     
,illustration3 ,showing a ,section of   
,east ,portico with ,closed ,doors      
,illustration3 ,shadows on the          
,parthenon at ,nashville showing the    
,greek ,urn in ,end of ,exterior        
,corridor                               
,description of the ,parthenon   ,the   
,parthenon of ,pericles has been shown  
in a new light as a result of the eleven
 years of study and research made in    
connection with the reproduction at     
,nashville4 ,some of the older          
conceptions were based on assumptions   
rather than facts derived from research4
 ,for the first time the modern ,greek  
who visits ,nashville sees the          
,parthenon as his ancestors saw and     
admired it at ,athens4  ,the ,parthenon 
is sixty-five feet high with its        
superstructure resting on the base or   
stylobate of the temple1 consisting of  
three steps4 ,the largest dimensions are
 furnished by the lowest of these steps1

 which is two hundred and thirty-eight  
feet long by one hundred and eleven feet
 wide4 ,the top step1 on which the      
peristyle rests1 is two hundred and     
twenty-eight feet long by one hundred   
and one feet wide4  ,one of the most    
interesting peculiarities1 or it might  
be said subtleties1 employed by the     
,greeks in building the ,parthenon is   
that no two major lines are exactly     
parallel nor are they exactly equal in  
length4  ,the most striking feature of  
the ,parthenon when viewed from any     
exterior approach is the encircling row 
of great ,doric columns forming the     
peristyle4 ,there are forty-six of these
 columns1 seventeen on each side1 six on
 each end 7not counting the corner      
columns twice71 and six each on the east
 and west porticos4 ,the columns of the 
peristyle are thirty-four feet high with
 an approximate diameter at the base of 
six feet4 ,they have an average spacing 
from face to face of eight feet4 ,the   
columns of the porticos are somewhat    

smaller1 having a base diameter of five 
and one-half feet4      ,illustration3  
,top of ,treasury or ,west ,room        
,showing ,ionic ,columns     and        
,decorations  ,the main body of the     
building is called the cella4 ,the      
exterior walls of the cella on the long 
sides with the columns form majestic    
corridors4 ,the shadows falling at      
certain times of the day on the walls   
and floors of the corridors are very    
beautiful4  ,another interesting feature
 connected with the corridors is what   
has come to be known as the ,greek ,urn4
 ,this is the figure cut in the sky by  
the columns and architrave at the ends  
of the long exterior corridors4 ,the    
,greek ,urn has been made famous in     
literature by the poet ,keats in his    
,ode to a ,grecian ,urn4  ,the only     
openings to the ,parthenon are the two  
pairs of great bronze doors leading off 
the east and west porticos4 ,these doors
 are the largest in ,america and        
probably are the largest bronze doors in

 the world4 ,they can only be challenged
 as to size by the ,congressional       
,library doors at ,washington or by     
those of one of the old cathedrals in   
,florence1 ,italy1 and they are slightly
 larger than either4 ,the doors are     
twenty-four feet high1 seven feet each  
wide1 a foot thick1 and weight seven and
 one-half tons each4  ,there is no doubt
 that the front entrance to the         
,parthenon was through the eastern      
doors4 ,if there were no documentary    
evidence to prove this1 and there is an 
abundance1 the fact that all of the     
twenty-two gods of the east pediment are
 major deities of the ,greeks while only
 four of those on the west pediment are 
major 7the remainder being              
personifications and minor deities7     
would be sufficient proof that the      
eastern end was the front of the        
building4  ,entering the ,parthenon     
through the eastern doors1 the visitor  
most likely would first note the        
division of the main body of the        

building1 or cella1 by a transverse wall
 into two rooms--the east room and the  
west room4  ,the east room is known as  
the ,naos or temple proper4 ,it is      
ninety-eight feet long1 sixty-three feet
 wide1 and has a ceiling height of      
forty-three feet4 ,the most striking    
feature of the ,naos is the double row  
of ,doric columns1 twenty-three below   
and twenty-three above1 with an         
architrave between4 ,these form a       
colonnade surrounding the main floor on 
three sides4 ,the lower units of the    
colonnade are three and three-quarter   
feet in diameter at the base and        
twenty-one feet high4 ,those of the     
upper tier are two and one-quarter feet 
in diameter and sixteen feet high4 ,the 
columns on the long side of the         
colonnade form with the interior cella  
walls beautiful and impressive          
corridors4 ,another interesting feature 
is that the floor of the corridors is   
raised an inch and a half above the main
 floor of the ,naos4  ,in the west end  

of the ,naos1 twenty feet from the end  
columns and facing the eastern doors1   
stood the ,chryselephantine ,statue of  
,athena1 the beautiful shrine of the    
temple1 if historians of that day are to
 be believed4 ,the statue was forty feet
 high and reached within three feet of  
the ceiling4 ,it was made1 as its name  
indicates1 of gold and ivory4 ,the      
fleshy parts were carved ivory and the  
remainder were plates of gold suspended 
on a framework of cedarwood4 ,it was the
 masterpiece of ,phidias and was worth a
 king's ransom4  ,when ,theodosius ,,ii 
changed the ,parthenon into a ,christian
 church in the fifth century he moved   
the statue of ,athena to ,byzantium1    
capital of the ,roman ,empire1 as it    
would have been incongruous to leave it 
in the ,parthenon after the change in   
religions4 ,after the removal of the    
,chryselephantine ,statue its fate is   
shrouded in mystery4 ,no part of it and 
no authentic sketch1 drawing1 or model  
of it has ever been found4              

,illustration3 ,interior of ,naos or    
,east ,room of ,parthenon at            
,nashville ,showing the ,ceiling and    
,plaster ,casts of ,elgin ,marbles  ,the
 ,greeks entered the eastern doors at   
the hour of temple worship1 always in   
the early morning1 bearing gifts of gold
 and silver and other valuable articles4
 ,there they were met by the priests1   
who received the gifts4 ,while the      
worshipers paid their devotions to the  
goddess at her shrine1 the priests took 
the gifts through the great doors1      
thence along the exterior corridors1    
through the western doors1 and into the 
west room where the gifts were          
deposited4 ,this room is called the     
,maiden's ,chamber or ,treasury4  ,the  
west room is forty-four feet long and   
sixty-three feet wide4 ,as in the east  
room1 its most striking feature is the  
columns4 ,there are four of these       
arranged in a rectangle sixteen by      
twenty-three feet in the center of the  
room4 ,the columns are ,ionic in design 

and1 unlike those of the east room1 are 
monoliths4 ,they are forty-one feet     
high1 six feet in diameter at the base1 
and three and one-half feet in diameter 
at the top4 ,the decorations of the room
 are ,ionic also1 in contrast with those
 of the east room4  ,the decorations of 
the ,parthenon are all authenticated4   
,fragments of them are preserved in the 
,british ,museum and in the ,louvre1 and
 some of the colors still show1 though  
dimly1 on the protected parts of the    
ruin at ,athens4 ,the decorations at the
 top of both the interior and exterior  
architrave1 above and between the       
capitals of the ,doric columns are      
technically known as guttae4 ,the color 
decorations are principally in shades of
 blue and red with some yellows4 ,in the
 interior the colors are found in the   
fret along the top of the architrave in 
the east room and in the moldings around
 the ceilings of both rooms4 ,the colors
 of the exterior occur in the frets     
around the top of the cella walls1 in   

the ceiling of the corridors and        
porticos1 and in the decorations of the 
cornice4  ,the ,greeks lighted the old  
temple almost wholly through the great  
doors in each end of the building2 at   
,nashville the lighting comes from      
above1 and this is one of the most      
prominent of the modern innovations     
incorporated in the reproduction of the 
,parthenon4 ,the ,greek ceiling was     
exactly like that at ,nashville with    
this exception3 ,in the ,greek temple1  
between the great cedar beams that span 
the ceiling and support the roof was an 
open grillwork of cedarwood1 while at   
,nashville the open spaces have been    
filled with frosted panes of glass1     
etched to resemble the rays of the sun4 
,the ,greeks might have had glass1 as   
the manufacture of plate glass by the   
,phoenicians antedated the period of    
,pericles by some five hundred years4   
,as we have seen1 however1 they had no  
incentive to use it1 for they obtained  
their light from below4 ,the incentive  

at ,nashville is to conceal the two     
hundred and seventy-two high-powered    
electric lights which give to the       
interior its beautiful simulation of    
sunlight1 accentuating its beauty and1  
to a great extent1 eliminating the      
shadows4  ,the roof at ,nashville is    
like the one at ,athens except as to the
 material used in its construction4 ,the
 antefixes along the eaves served the   
purpose of covering the joints between  
the marble slabs and are of carved      
ornamental design4 ,at each corner of   
the roof is a lion's head1 thought to be
 intended originally as a waterspout4   
,also at each corner of the roof is a   
stone block upon which is surmounted a  
,gryphon monster1 standing guard over   
the temple day and night4 ,the highest  
points on the ,parthenon are the carved 
ornaments1 known as the ,acroteria1 at  
each end of the building above the      
pediments4  ,it is difficult for anyone 
to describe the ,parthenon and do it    
justice4 ,suffice it to say that it is a

 thing of beauty and a joy forever4     
,illustration3 ,the ,naos or ,east ,room
 ,showing ,symmetry of ,columns1     the
 ,depressed ,floor and ,some of the     
,elgin ,marbles                         
,the ,architecture of the ,parthenon    
,the architecture of ,greece was        
essentially ,doric4 ,the ,ionic was an  
exotic in ,athens and the ,corinthian   
was more ,roman than ,grecian and found 
no place in the ,parthenon4 ,there is a 
total of one hundred and eight columns  
in the building1 and of these all on the
 exterior and all in the east room1 one 
hundred and four in number1 are ,doric1 
while the four in the west room are     
,ionic4  ,taste varies in the beauty of 
architecture as well as in art          
generally4 ,some admire the ,gothic     
cathedrals of ,europe1 others admire the
 ,taj ,mahal in ,india1 and still others
 prefer the temples of ,japan2 but to   
those who admire the architecture of the
 ,greeks and the ,romans1 the ,parthenon
 is the most beautiful building in the  

world4 ,regardless1 however1 of what may
 be thought of the beauty of its        
architecture1 it is the most perfect4   
,the age of ,pericles has been known    
through the centuries as the ,golden    
,age of ,greece1 but the judgment of    
time has forced us to the conclusion    
that it was also the golden age of the  
world as far as the beauty of           
architecture and sculptural art is      
concerned4  ,there is no more intriguing
 part of the whole narrative of the     
,parthenon than this story of the       
subtlety of the ,greeks in overcoming   
optical illusions and neutralizing      
differences in distance4  ,perhaps the  
most important1 certainly the most      
prominent1 of the refinements of the    
,parthenon is the curvature of the      
horizontal lines4 ,it is not true1 as   
some textbooks have it1 that there is no
 straight line in the ,parthenon4 ,there
 are a number of them1 but all of these 
straight lines are vertical4 ,what      
should be said is that there are no     

straight horizontal lines in the        
,parthenon4  ,another refinement used by
 the ,greeks in adding to the beauty of 
the ,parthenon relates to the columns4  
,the visitor is certain to be impressed 
by the softness of the ,doric columns4  
,this is especially true of those of the
 ,naos where their proximity to each    
other emphasizes their beauty as they   
are caught banked against each other4   
,when thus seen all other columns fail  
by comparison and seem as stiff as      
pokers4 ,this quality of softness is    
given them by the fact that all columns1
 both in the ,naos and on the exterior  
of the building1 are different in       
diameter from those beside them and all 
are also spaced differently4  ,still    
another refinement pertaining to the    
columns is technically known as entasis1
 which is that quality which gives to   
them their beautiful symmetry4  ,in     
discussing the columns in relation to   
their softness it was suggested that    
they be seen banked against each other4 

,in the discovery of their symmetrical  
beauty1 however1 they should be seen    
singly4 ,the column apparently rises    
from the floor at its largest diameter  
and gradually diminishes in a           
beautifully fluted shaft1 having the    
very breath of symmetry in every line to
 the top4 ,that is the way it appears2  
but1 as a matter of fact1 if the column 
had been constructed as it actually     
looks1 then1 instead of seeming         
beautifully symmetrical1 because of an  
optical illusion1 it would have appeared
 concave at a point just below the      
center of the column4 ,knowing this from
 experience1 the ,greeks filled in just 
enough to correct the results of the    
optical illusion and the column in      
reality is bulged near the center4  ,it 
has been noted that the first sight of  
the ,parthenon usually inspires the     
visitor with a sense of its strength and
 stability4 ,this effect is produced by 
another of the subtleties of the ,greeks
 in approaching perfection in the       

,parthenon4 ,only one with technical    
knowledge would ever suspect that its   
columns and walls are other than        
perpendicular2 yet1 with the exception  
of the transverse wall which divides the
 cella into its two rooms1 all of them  
are inclined toward the center4 ,if all 
were projected on their axes1 they would
 meet in a cluster five thousand1 eight 
hundred and fifty-six feet above the    
base of the temple4  ,one of the major  
problems that confronted the builders of
 the ,parthenon at ,nashville related to
 the arrangement of the columns of the  
,naos4 ,prior to the research work in   
connection with the ,nashville          
reproduction1 the preponderance of      
authority favored the theory that the   
,doric columns of the ,naos were        
monoliths4 ,this matter was settled     
definitely by the work done by ,mr4     
,william ,bell ,dinsmoor1 of ,new ,york1
 who represented the builders in the    
archaeological end of the work4  ,as has
 been said1 nothing remained of the     

interior of the original ,parthenon     
after the explosion of #afhg except the 
floor and fragments of the walls4 ,one  
of these fragments happened to be in the
 end of the building in the southeast   
corner of the ,naos4 ,sticking in it1   
,mr4 ,dinsmoor discovered a small piece 
of the architrave and a discoloration of
 the wall revealing where the remainder 
had been4 ,this discovery fixed the fact
 of an architrave and1 following very   
closely1 the further fact that there    
were columns superimposed on each other 
with an architrave between4  ,the       
architecture of the ,parthenon will     
always carry with it elements of the    
mystical and the mysterious to modern   
minds1 accustomed as they are to the    
solution of engineering problems by     
rule4 ,the more the ,parthenon is       
considered1 the more interesting it     
seems4      ,illustration3 ,floor of    
,treasury or ,west ,room ,showing       
,arrangement of     ,ionic ,columns and 
,figures from ,elgin ,marbles of ,iris  

and ,heracles                           
,the ,sculptures of the ,parthenon      
,the sculptures of the ,parthenon occur 
in four groups3 the ,ionic or inner     
frieze1 the ,doric or outer frieze1 the 
east pediment1 and the west pediment4   
,as the subtlety of the builders of the 
,parthenon emphasized their intellect1  
so the sculptures emphasized their      
religion4 ,the ,greeks were not         
idolaters in the sense that they bowed  
down to gold and ivory4 ,they loved to  
chisel in marble the beautiful forms    
that represented to them their gods who 
dwelt on ,mount ,olympus4 ,a            
characteristic of the ,greeks of this   
period was that1 in their art1 they     
always presented their goddesses fully  
clothed and1 almost always1 their gods  
in the nude4  ,while the origin of the  
,parthenon has the most of its roots    
firmly fixed in ,egypt1 many of the     
sculptures were derived from the        
,assyrians4 ,particularly is this true  
of the smaller figures1 winged mythical 

creatures1 as well as lions and horses1 
typical of the ,assyrian bas-reliefs4   
,the heavier figures1 notably those of  
the pediments1 are essentially ,greek4  
,in the life and times of ,phidias1 a   
love for the beautiful was so general   
that it was comparable to the air which 
they breathed4 ,it was not difficult1   
therefore1 for him to find men1 almost  
as accomplished as himself1 upon whose  
shoulders he could lay the greater part 
of the work4  ,it is a matter of keen   
regret that so few of the sculptures of 
the ,parthenon have been preserved4 ,for
 this reason1 the most difficult problem
 in the task of the reproduction of the 
,parthenon at ,nashville was the        
reproduction of the sculptures4  ,when  
the ,parthenon was destroyed in #afhg   
the sculptures were blown off the temple
 and1 to a great extent1 broken up by   
the explosion4 ,as already noted1 only  
two of the pedimental groups remain on  
the ruin1 one on each pediment4 ,plaster
 casts of these are now in the ,british 

,museum4 ,a much larger proportion of   
the figures of the friezes remain on the
 ruin but they are so badly damaged that
 identification is practically          
impossible2 this is especially true of  
the ,doric frieze4      ,illustration3  
,interior ,corridor1 ,south ,side1      
,showing ,elgin ,marbles  ,in #ahja1    
after the fragments of the sculptures   
had lain in the debris around the temple
 for approximately one hundred and      
fifteen years1 ,lord ,elgin1 ,minister  
to ,turkey from ,england1 persuaded the 
,turks1 who had again conquered the     
,greeks1 to let him go to ,athens and   
dig up all the sculptures that he could 
find around the ruins4 ,he sold these   
fragments to the ,british government1   
and they are now the most highly prized 
possessions of the ,british ,museum1    
known as the ,elgin ,marbles4  ,it is   
popular in some quarters to criticize   
,lord ,elgin for his action in taking   
the fragments from the ,parthenon to    
,england4 ,some have gone so far as to  

say that he actually robbed the temple  
of its sculptures4 ,unquestionably1 the 
correct view of the matter is that ,lord
 ,elgin did the world a great service in
 salvaging the fragments from the earth 
in which they had deteriorated for many 
years and1 but for him1 might have      
suffered greater injury4  ,in the west  
room of the ,parthenon at ,nashville and
 along the corridors of the east room   
may be seen casts which form the only   
complete set of the pedimental          
sculptures outside of the ,british      
,museum4 ,many isolated groups of these 
may be found in ,america and in ,europe1
 but all of them may be seen only at    
,nashville4 ,here they are mounted on   
wooden bases forming a most interesting 
exhibit and were obtained through the   
courtesy of the ,british ,museum4  ,in  
the east room of the ,parthenon at the  
west end of the south corridor is the   
head of one of ,selene's steeds1        
considered by many as the finest example
 of a horse's head in the world4 ,just  

beyond1 through the door at the end of  
the corridor1 is seen in the west room  
the figure of ,heracles4 ,it is         
interesting to note that in the report  
of the artists who passed on the value  
of the ,elgin marbles a statement was   
incorporated to the effect that the back
 muscles of the ,heracles represented   
the finest example of physiological art 
known to the world of that day4 ,another
 most interesting group of sculptures1  
the three ,fates1 is seen near by in the
 west end of the east room4 ,this group1
 thought to be the work of ,phidias1 is 
generally regarded as one of the most   
beautiful examples of sculptural art    
existing today4  ,the casts of the      
,elgin marbles in the ,parthenon at     
,nashville1 which were made by the      
,british ,government1 were not obtained 
primarily as an exhibit but as a study  
for the reproduction of those sculptures
 now on the building4 ,however1 it was  
not thought inappropriate to mount the  
fragments and use them as an exhibit so 

as to permit visitors to compare the    
completed figures with them4 ,the       
comparison can only cover approximately 
half the figures on the pediments as the
 remainder have been lost beyond        
recovery4 ,quite naturally1 the question
 arises in the mind of the reader as to 
how it was possible for the artists to  
reproduce all of them4  ,in #afgd1 just 
thirteen years before the explosion     
which destroyed the ,parthenon1 young   
,jacques ,carrey1 a ,french artist      
attached to the ,french embassay to     
,turkey1 on a voyage from ,paris to     
,constantinople with the ambassador     
stopped off at ,athens and sketched the 
temple sculptures4 ,these sketches are  
preserved in the ,national ,library at  
,paris and were made available for the  
artists4 ,from a study of the ,elgin    
marbles and the ,carrey drawings1       
supplemented by further study of ,greek 
contemporary art and ,greek history1 the
 artists at ,nashville succeeded in     
making a wonderful reproduction of the  

,parthenon's sculptures4                
,illustration3 ,figures from the ,ionic 
,frieze                           ,the  
,ionic and ,doric ,friezes   ,the inner 
or ,ionic frieze1 sometimes erroneously 
called the frieze1 was one of the most  
beautiful of the groups of sculptures on
 the original ,parthenon4 ,it was almost
 unknown to distinctly ,doric temples   
and owes its place on the ,parthenon to 
some one or more ,ionic temples from    
which the idea was without doubt copied4
  ,in the ,ionic frieze is found most of
 the atmosphere of ancient ,assyria that
 is associated with the ,parthenon4     
,this frieze was low in relief1 forty   
inches in height2 and of necessity the  
figures of the men and women and animals
 which went to make up the frieze were  
small1 typical of the ,assyrian         
bas-relief4  ,the ,ionic frieze was     
located along the outer walls of the    
,parthenon1 extending forty inches down 
from the top of the wall1 and rested on 
a blue fret running all around the      

building1 a distance of five hundred and
 twenty-four feet4 ,it was a marvelous  
piece of sculptural art4 ,although there
 were approximately six hundred figures 
in the frieze1 men1 women1 and animals1 
no two of them were alike--no two men1  
no two women1 and no two animals2 yet   
all were graceful1 dignified1 and       
beautiful4  ,the ,ionic frieze of the   
,parthenon depicted the ,panathenaic    
,procession which occurred every four   
years in ,athens4 ,it was an established
 part of the ,panathenaic ,festival and 
coincident also with the athletic       
contests held in honor of ,athena4 ,on  
this occasion the ,greeks assembled in  
the downtown streets of ,athens2 men and
 women of high and low degree with their
 slaves1 various kinds of animals1      
chariots with their horsemen1 men at    
arms1 wild horses led by ,barbarians1   
dignitaries of state1 and maidens4      
,these formed a procession which wound  
its way up through the streets of       
,athens leading to the ,acropolis1 on to

 that sacred hill1 and into the         
,parthenon1 where they invested the     
figure of ,athena with a peplos1 or     
robe1 which had been woven by the women 
of ,athens during the previous four-year
 period4 ,it was at once a gala and a   
solemn occasion for the ,greeks4        
,unfortunately1 for lack of funds the   
,ionic frieze has been left off the     
,parthenon at ,nashville1 which lacks   
that much of being completed4 ,it is    
available1 however1 as the greater part 
of it is in the ,british ,museum1 some  
in the ,louvre1 and the remainder1      
twenty-four feet in all1 is still on the
 ruin at ,athens4 ,there is no doubt    
that the ,ionic frieze will eventually  
find its place on the temple at         
,nashville4  ,the ,doric1 or outer      
frieze1 is located on the outside of the
 ,parthenon above the architrave that   
rests on the great ,doric columns of the
 peristyle4 ,it extends along both sides
 of the building and underneath the     
pedimental sculptures at each end4 ,it  

consists of a repeating conventional    
design called a triglyph which divides  
the frieze into ninety-two panels1 each 
panel containing a group of sculptures4 
,the panels with their sculptures are   
known as the metopes and are            
approximately four feet square4  ,there 
were no repetitions in the sculptures of
 the ,doric frieze4 ,they told legendary
 and mythological stories that were dear
 to the heart of the ,greeks4 ,that part
 of the frieze on the eastern end of the
 building pictured scenes from the      
struggle between the gods and the       
giants4 ,the war between the ,greeks and
 the ,amazons was shown by the figures  
of the frieze on the western end4 ,on   
the north side of the building the      
figures depicted incidents of the       
,trojan ,war1 while those along the     
south side told the story of the        
,lapiths1 a tribe of the ,greeks1 and   
the ,centaurs4 ,the story is that of a  
princess of this tribe who was to be    
married4 ,she sent invitations to the   

,centaurs1 mythological creatures part  
man and part horse1 to come to the      
wedding feast4 ,they came1 drank wine1  
became drunken1 and insulted the bride1 
which brought on a war in which the     
,centaurs were defeated4  ,the figures  
of the ,doric frieze are archaic and    
stiff by comparison with those of the   
pedimental sculptures or of the ,ionic  
frieze and are therefore thought not to 
be the work of ,phidias and his         
associates but rather a transfer from   
one of the earlier temples to the       
,parthenon4 ,they play their part well  
in the harmonious whole and reflect the 
ability and genius of ,phidias1 who     
adapted them4      ,illustration3 ,the  
,west ,pediment ,showing ,section of    
,doric ,frieze     ,underneath the      
,acroteria ,above                       
,the ,west ,pediment   ,the figures of  
the west pediment were more easily      
reproduced than those of the east       
pediment1 as they were more completely  
authenticated by the ,elgin marbles and 

the ,carrey drawings4  ,it should be    
understood that the explosion that      
destroyed the ,parthenon did its        
greatest damage to the figures          
themselves rather than to the base on   
which they rested1 and as a consequence 
less difficulty was encountered by the  
artists in placing the sculptures in    
their proper settings on the west than  
on the east pediment4 ,in considering   
the sculptures of the two pediments it  
must also be borne in mind that the     
force of the explosion was greatest in  
the eastern portion of the building1 as 
evidenced by the condition of the ruin1 
and for that reason also the greatest   
damage was to the east pediment4  ,the  
sculptures of the west pediment tell the
 story of the struggle between          
,poseidon1 the powerful god of the sea1 
and his niece ,athena1 the goddess of   
wisdom1 for the possession of ,attica1  
or ancient ,greece4  ,in the center of  
the pediment1 to the right1 is the      
heroic figure of ,poseidon with his     

three-pronged weapon or trident in his  
hand1 his friends and supporters to the 
right4 ,opposing him1 and to the left1  
is the equally heroic figure of ,athena 
with her great spear in her hand1 her   
supporters to the left4 ,both of these  
gods coveted the fair land of ,attica   
and desired the worship of its people4  
,they were unable to agree and appealed 
to the gods for a decision4 ,the gods   
held their convocation on the           
,acropolis1 the site of the ,parthenon1 
and this assembly is shown by the       
figures of the west pediment4  ,as a    
result of the convocation the gods      
decreed that the contestant who should  
most bless ,greece would be given the   
control of ,athens and have the worship 
of the ,greeks4 ,it was to be a battle  
of blessing1 rather than blood4         
,poseidon1 in granting his blessing1    
struck the solid rock of the ,acropolis 
with his trident1 and as he was the god 
of the sea it obeyed him and came up in 
a rushing1 gushing spring of salt water1

 symbolic of his promise that if the    
,greeks would make him their god he     
would make of them a mighty maritime    
nation--their glory should be on the    
sea4 ,when it became ,athena's turn to  
grant her blessing1 she struck her great
 spear in the earth and withdrew it and 
from the place sprang an olive tree1 the
 parent of all those which have so      
greatly blessed ,greece from that day to
 this4 ,the gods1 acting wisely1 decreed
 that ,athena's gift was of far greater 
advantage to the ,greeks than any       
promise of the glory of war as made by  
,poseidon1 and made her the patron      
goddess of ,athens4      ,illustration3 
,the ,east ,pediment with ,section of   
the ,doric ,frieze     ,underneath      
,showing ,gryphon ,monsters and         
,acroteria on ,roof                     
,the ,east ,pediment   ,it would be very
 difficult for a visitor to ,nashville  
to decide which group of sculptures on  
the ,parthenon is the loveliest4 ,each  
general group fits so harmoniously into 

its own particular place that a choice  
of one could not avoid being unfair to  
the others4 ,viewing the west pediment  
first1 one essaying judgment might      
exclaim1 ,what could be more beautiful6 
,yet on leaving it and looking at the   
east pediment he might easily be found  
saying1 ,here is the answer4 ,the       
presence on the east pediment of the    
three ,fates1 the ,heracles1 and the    
steeds of ,selene probably gives the    
east pediment the advantage over the    
other groups1 especially in the eyes of 
the artists4  ,the story of the east    
pediment is very beautiful and tells of 
the birth of ,athena and of her reign4  
,in the beginning ,zeus1 the father of  
the gods1 the king of the gods1 had a   
very severe headache and could find no  
relief4 ,he had long wanted a child born
 of the intellect4 ,it is said that he  
was so disappointed at having a son1    
,hephaestus1 born maimed that he threw  
him out of ,heaven and it took a whole  
day for him to fall to the earth4       

,hephaestus was the god of fire1 the god
 of metals1 the blacksmith of the gods1 
and he forged the thunderbolts that     
,zeus used in his battles of ,heaven4   
,hephaestus sent word to his father that
 if he would restore him to his rightful
 position among the gods1 he would cure 
him of his headache4 ,thereupon ,zeus   
assembled the gods on ,mount ,olympus   
and from somewhere1 in a thundercloud1  
came ,hephaestus4 ,he struck his father 
in the back of the head with an axe and 
from the wound1 giving ,zeus his wish1  
sprang ,athena1 fully grown1 clothed1   
and armed4 ,she was announced and       
crowned goddess of wisdom by ,nike1     
goddess of victory4 ,it is said that at 
this event the earth groaned1 ,mount    
,olympus trembled1 and the gods stood in
 amazement at the miracle that had been 
performed4 ,these four figures form the 
highest pinnacle of the east pediment of
 the ,parthenon4  ,at the extreme south 
end of the pediment1 representing the   
beginning of the reign of ,athena1 in   

the morning is seen ,helios1 the god of 
the sun1 the god of the morning1 coming 
up out of the sea driving his four      
steeds representing the four seasons4   
,as the horses come bounding out of the 
sea1 ,helios can scarcely restrain them1
 so eager are they to mount the skies4  
,heracles1 the next figure on the       
pediment1 is shown with his club on his 
shoulder1 nonchalantly looking at the   
horses1 paying no attention to what is  
taking place on ,mount ,olympus4 ,he is 
looking at the sun as it rises4         
,heracles was known as the favorite of  
the gods4 ,in his early manhood they had
 permitted him to choose between virtue 
on the one hand1 and vice on the other1 
both very attractively arrayed4 ,he     
chose virtue rather than vice1 and thus 
became their favorite4 ,he did many     
heroic deeds in ,grecian history1 and   
was the national hero of ,greece4       
,heracles was himself made a god2 ,zeus 
was his father1 his mother was a mortal4
  ,next1 on the pediment1 may be seen   

the figures of ,demeter1 the sister of  
,zeus1 and her daughter ,persephone4    
,demeter was the goddess of the seasons4
 ,ceres was her ,roman name1 and her    
daughter1 ,persephone1 was the goddess  
of the underworld4 ,she became the      
goddess of the underworld in this wise3 
,one day when ,persephone was in the    
fields plucking violets with her        
maidens1 suddenly the earth opened and  
through it1 in a chariot1 came ,pluto1  
the god of ,hades4 ,he saw her1 fell in 
love with her1 seized her1 took her back
 to ,hades1 and made her his queen4 ,her
 mother grieved sorely and would not be 
comforted4 ,she had powerful influence  
with the gods4 ,she sent plagues on the 
earth and worried the gods1 until ,zeus 
was forced to compel ,pluto to bring    
,persephone back to her mother4         
,thereafter1 it is said1 under a        
compromise agreement1 ,persephone spent 
six months of each year with her mother 
among the gods1 and six months with her 
husband1 ,pluto1 in ,hades4  ,the next  

figure on the pediment is that of ,iris1
 the female messenger of the gods1 the  
rainbow goddess4 ,she is represented on 
the pediment as being poised1 ready to  
go at a moment's notice1 to tell the    
story of the birth of ,athena to the    
world4 ,this is the first figure seen   
among the fragments as the visitor      
enters the ,parthenon door1 and is often
 confused with the ,winged ,victory of  
,samothrace4 ,the confusion arises from 
the fact that in the fragment of the    
,parthenon figure of ,iris1 located in  
the west room1 she is holding her scarf 
at arm's length in her hands and the    
fragment is broken through the scarf and
 through the arms1 causing it to look as
 if it might be a wing1 when1 as a      
matter of fact1 it is the fragment of a 
scarf and not a wing2 and the figure is 
not the ,winged ,victory1 but is ,iris1 
the female messenger of the gods1 the   
rainbow goddess4  ,next is seen on the  
pediment the figure of ,poseidon1 the   
god of the sea2 ,neptune was his ,roman 

name4 ,poseidon was the brother of      
,zeus1 one of the chief deities of the  
,greeks1 and is represented on the east 
pediment as sitting calmly by1 looking  
on at what is taking place4  ,the next  
figure beyond ,poseidon is that of      
,aphrodite1 or ,venus1 the goddess of   
beauty1 the goddess of love4 ,she seems 
shocked at what she sees1 and shrinks a 
little2 but is comforting ,hebe1 the    
goddess of youth1 who is reclining at   
her feet1 by placing her hand on her    
head4  ,then comes the central group1   
,hephaestus1 ,zeus1 ,nike1 and ,athena1 
or ,minerva as the ,romans called her1  
illustrating the story of the birth of  
,athena4  ,next is seen ,ares1 or ,mars1
 the god of war4 ,he is represented on  
the pediment as looking rather sternly  
past ,athena as though he does not      
welcome this additional warlike member  
to the family of the gods4  ,the next   
figure is that of ,artemis1 the twin    
sister of ,apollo4 ,artemis is the      
goddess of the fields1 the goddess of   

hunting2 ,diana is her ,roman name4 ,she
 is represented on the pediment as      
shading her eyes with her hand from the 
resplendent glory of the newborn        
goddess4  ,just beyond ,artemis is seen 
,hera1 queen of ,heaven1 also known as  
,juno1 the jealous wife of ,zeus4 ,in   
addition to her jealousy1 it is said    
that she was vain and the peacock1 seen 
near by1 was sacred to her4 ,hera was   
also the goddess of maternity1 and very 
fittingly was present at the birth of   
,athena4  ,the next figure is that of   
,hermes1 the male messenger of the gods1
 corresponding to ,iris1 the female     
messenger4 ,iris usually executed the   
commands and carried the messages for   
,hera1 while ,hermes performed a like   
office for ,zeus4 ,he is always         
represented with a magic wand1 or       
caduceus1 in his hand1 which was given  
to him by ,apollo4 ,one day1 when       
,hermes was a mere child1 almost a baby1
 he was playing in the fields and       
captured a tortoise4 ,he placed strings 

across the shell of the tortoise and    
made a musical instrument 7we call it   
the lyre71 and presented it to his      
brother ,apollo4 ,apollo1 who was the   
god of music1 was so delighted with the 
precociousness of his baby brother that 
he gave him the magic wand1 which had   
the power of putting gods and mortals to
 sleep at his will4 ,hermes is also     
shown with wings on his ankles and wings
 on his cap4 ,he was god of business1   
and also the god of transportation4 ,his
 figure adorns many of the railway      
stations of the world4 ,his ,roman name 
is ,mercury4  ,beyond ,hermes1 on the   
pediment1 is seen ,apollo1 the god of   
music1 with his harp4 ,he was also the  
god of manly youth and the god of       
healing4 ,esculapius1 his son1 was the  
first doctor of ,greece1 the father of  
all the physicians4 ,apollo was regarded
 as the most beautiful of the gods4     
,reclining on him is seen ,ganymede1 the
 cupbearer of the gods4  ,these were the
 chief deities of the ,greeks4 ,there   

were others which they worshiped also4  
,they were as sacred to the ancient     
,greek as ,jehovah is to us1 and it is  
pertinent to say that they worshiped the
 beautiful--and the beautiful is the    
spiritual4  ,we are not so much         
interested in the gods of the ,greeks in
 this twentieth century1 however1 as we 
are in human life2 and the next group of
 figures to ,apollo and ,ganymede1 the  
three ,fates1 brings the ,whole matter  
closer to us1 because it represents the 
,greek idea of life4 ,the first figure  
in the group is ,clotho1 who is         
represented as spinning the thread of   
life2 and as she spins1 the second      
figure1 ,lachesis1 winds it on a spool1 
and the third figure1 ,atropos1 clips it
 at will1 typifying the beginning1 the  
span1 and the end of life--the destiny  
of us all4  ,last1 in the extreme north 
angle of the pediment1 in the evening1  
is seen the gentle ,selene1 the goddess 
of the moon1 the goddess of the evening1
 guiding her tired steeds1 so different 

from those seen coming out of the sea in
 the morning1 down into the cool1 quiet 
waters of the deep1 typifying not alone 
the close of the day but the close of   
the reign of ,athena and the end of     
time4  ,the gods of the ,greeks are no  
more4 ,they have no single worshiper    
left on all the face of the earth today 
to pay them homage1 yet their deeds are 
told in song and story1 and their memory
 is green in the hearts of those who    
love the beautiful4                     
,conclusion   ,and now1 we come to the  
close of the story of the ,parthenon4   
,the period of ,pericles marked one of  
the high points in the history of the   
world4 ,a comparison of its             
characteristics serves to emphasize its 
superiority over other epochs in many   
ways4 ,the ,parthenon at ,athens was not
 merely a wonderful building1 but was an
 expression of ,greek mind and heart4   
,it did not spring up in a day as did   
,athena from the head of ,zeus but found
 its roots in the prehistoric altars of 

their goddess4 ,it was not built to     
please individuals but to honor their   
gods4 ,it is no wonder1 then1 that when 
the ,parthenon came into full flower in 
the ,age of ,pericles it should have    
reached that state which the judgment of
 succeeding generations has pronounced  
perfection4  ,the ,parthenon at         
,nashville stands alone as a portrayal  
of the ,parthenon of ,pericles4 ,it     
would be too much of a challenge to the 
antiquity of the ,parthenon to say that 
every statement made about it in these  
pages bears the stamp of absolute       
authenticity4 ,it can be said1 however1 
that because of the many facts obtained 
from the research and the records of    
earlier days and because of the eleven  
years of research and study in our own  
times1 the ,parthenon at ,nashville will
 stand as the last word4  ,it is        
difficult to estimate the influence of  
the ,parthenon at ,nashville on the     
world of today4 ,to those who love the  
beautiful1 either by instinct or        

cultivation1 the ,parthenon is a thing  
to be revered2 to others it is just     
another building4 ,to understand and    
appreciate the ,parthenon it must be    
studied4 ,we may glance at some         
buildings and pass on1 but not so with  
the ,parthenon4 ,it is compelling4 ,a   
revelation of its balanced lines and its
 harmony of proportions1 its simplicity 
both delicate and strong1 its           
subtleties1 some bordering on the       
mystical1 marks the ,parthenon as a     
thing by itself4      ,illustration3    
,the ,naos or ,east ,room as ,seen      
,through the ,eastern     ,doors  ,the  
,parthenon is used only for educational 
and cultural purposes4 ,over four       
hundred college1 high school1 and       
primary school groups visit the         
,parthenon each year4  ,this1 then1 may 
be said of the ,parthenon3 ,as in the   
earlier days1 even so now1 young and    
old1 rich and poor1 alike are made happy
 by its sheer beauty and inspired by its
 history to reach for a higher and      

better life4                            
,transcriber's ,notes   --,retained     
publication information from the printed
 edition3 this e,book   is public-domain
 in the country of publication4         
--,corrected a few palpable typos4      
--,in the text versions only1 text in   
italics is delimited by   underscores4