Parthenon

The Parthenon (Greek: ??????????) is the most famous surviving building of Ancient Greece and one of the most famous buildings in the world. The building has stood atop the Acropolis of Athens for nearly 2,500 years and was built to give thanks to Athena, the city's patron goddess, for the salvation of Athens and Greece in the Persian Wars. The building was officially called the Temple of Athena the Virgin, and its popular name derives from the ancient Greek word παρθένος (parthenos), a young woman.

Sources and further reading

• Beard, Mary. The Parthenon. Harvard University: 2003. ISBN 067401085X.
• Burkert, Walter. Greek Religion. Harvard University: 1985 ISBN 0-674-36281-0 (paperback)
• Cosmopoulos, Michael (editor). The Parthenon and its Sculptures. Cambridge University: 2004. ISBN 0521836735.
• Holtzmann, Bernard, L'Acropole d'Athènes : Monuments, cultes et histoire du sanctuaire d'Athèna Polias, Paris, 2003. ISBN 2708406876.
• Tournikio, Panayotis. Parthenon. Abrams: 1996. ISBN 0810963140.
• Woodford, Susan. The Parthenon. Cambridge University: 1981. ISBN 0521226295.