Today, I am thankful for those classic symbols of perseverance.
Each individual who is born in his or her specific time and place has the benefit of the knowledge gleaned from all prior generations. We often gaze upon the ancient world prior to the recording of time (i.e., more than two millennia ago in the era designated ‘BC’) as a simpler time when life was less complicated and human existence was perhaps not as sophisticated. However, at the same time, we appreciate the remarkable achievements of those long-lost eras. As testimony to this point, our history books remind us of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, those awe-inspiring examples of classic architecture that highlight human achievement. Sadly, most of those remarkable structures have fallen into disrepair or are long gone, with the exception of the Great Pyramids of Giza. Three of those wonders resided in Greece, including the Statue of Zeus at Olympus, The Colossus of Rhodes, and the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus. Sadly, none of these 3 structures stand, but there is one structure in Greece that conjures up memories of the classical Golden Age of Greece – the Parthenon. Situated on top of the Acropolis, the most famous of the 7 hills that surround Athens, the Parthenon is an enduring symbol of perseverance.
I can still recall the first time I laid eyes on the marble temple dedicated to Athena, the ‘virgin’ Greek goddess. I was eleven, and we had just arrived in Greece after a long, exhausting trip from JFK Airport in New York City. Exhausted and jetlagged, we took a taxi into Athens. After falling asleep in the car as we meandered our way through the noisy traffic, my father woke me up and told me to peer up into the sky. As my eyes wondered upward from the bustling movement of pedestrians on sidewalks and the cacophony of the speeding cars on the convoluted streets, I caught a glimpse of a massive precipice. Perched upon the massive hill stood the ruins of Doric columns of a monument built more than 2500 years ago. I stared in awe.
Interestingly, the Parthenon is not the first edifice built by the Greeks as a tribute to the protectorate of Athens. The original Parthenon, so named after the Greek word for ‘virgin’, was built around 490 BC, after the Greeks had defeated Darius the Great in the First Greco-Persian War at the famous Battle of Marathon. However, the initial edifice was destroyed when the Persians, under the leadership of Xerxes I, invaded Athens after the notorious Battle of Thermopylae, at which point the Persian leader set fire to the city and toppled all the structures on the top of the Acropolis. After the Persians were subsequently expelled, Greece entered a Golden Age of growth, prosperity, and peace. At that time, Pericles commissioned the building of a new, larger structure in commemoration of Athena. Over a period of 15 years, the 65-column temple was built with intricate precision, under the direction of two architects (Ictinus and Callicrates) and a renowned sculptor (Phidias), using white marble gathered from Mount Pentelicus. The columns were tapered in such a way such that the building looked entirely symmetrical from afar. The beautiful metropes, friezes, and pediments that adorn the top of the Parthenon were once painted in vivid colors, giving the temple a vibrant hue.
What makes the Parthenon so amazing is not the fact it was ever built in the first place, but rather that it still stands to this day. Over the last 25 centuries, the temple has withstood all that Mother Nature and humanity could throw at her. The structure has survived its share of natural disasters, such as earthquakes and fires, and the inevitable weathering of time. Numerous battles have been fought on the Acropolis, and, yet to this day, the structure still stands. Parts of its structure have been looted, and yet it still stands. Over the years, the temple was converted to a Christian church, an Islamic mosque, and even an ammunitions repository. Sadly, on this day (Sept 26) in 1687, the Parthenon was extensively damaged during the Morean War. A cannonball fired by the Venetians upon the Turks using the Acropolis as a stronghold caused an explosion of the inner sanctuary, effectively ripping the roof off the shrine and causing the building to burn in flames for the next two days. Nearly 300 Turks perished in the explosion. The building fell into disarray over the next three centuries, exposed to the elements of climate and pollution, until a massive renovation effort commenced its restoration in 1975. Today, the Parthenon renovation continues using weather- and corrosion-resistant materials, but the effort is still not complete.
When the restoration is completed, the Parthenon will never appear like the original, nor should it. Rather, the classical temple will maintain its half-ruined appearance as a testimony to its rugged past. If folks would like to see how it might have appeared, they may opt to visit the Temple of Hephaestus, located in the Athenian Agora at the foot of the Acropolis. This well-preserved temple is a smaller version of the original Parthenon. The beautiful city of Nashville also has a modern day version to enjoy.
Recently, my family visited Greece with our three sons. As we meandered our way into the city, we were not able to garner a glimpse of the Acropolis. However, after we successfully checked into our hotel and eventually made our way to the roof-top pool, my three sons were mesmerized to lay eyes on the temple overseeing the city. As they gazed upon the structure, ‘oohing and aahing’ at its majesty, I reminisced of the time I did the same when I was only eleven years of age. I could only smile, as I thought how my sons might one day bring their own offspring to see this incredible symbol of perseverance.
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