The Parthenon and the Acropolis
From Pericles’ ambitious building program to Phidias’ sculptural masterpiece, and the monument’s later lives as church, mosque and powder magazine, the documentary follows the archaeological and textual record of the Acropolis.
Chapters
- 0:07 Pericles' Vision and Funding
- 0:33 Phidias and the Artistic Program
- 2:18 From Temple to Church, Mosque, and Powder Magazine
- 3:45 Archaeology, Restoration, and Legacy
On-screen text
- 0:07 Pericles' Vision and Funding
- 0:24 Pericles vows a new temple Historical record · Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War 1.4
- 0:33 Phidias and the Artistic Program
- 0:40 Phidias and the Artistic Program
- 1:06 12‑m gold‑and‑ivory Athena Historical record · Pausanias, Description of Greece 1.25.5
- 1:24 Gold over wood construction Historical record · Pausanias, Description of Greece 1.25.5
- 1:42 Frieze shows Panathenaic procession Historical record · Pausanias, Description of Greece 1.25.6
- 1:51 Frieze carved 443‑438 BC Historical record · IG I³ 89 (quarry marks on marble blocks)
- 2:09 Phidias led a large workshop The Institute's interpretation · J. Boardman, The Parthenon Frieze (1995)
- 2:18 From Temple to Church, Mosque, and Powder Magazine
- 2:25 From Temple to Church, Mosque, and Powder Magazine
- 2:42 Parthenon becomes a church Historical record · Procopius, De Aedificiis 2.15
- 3:00 Parthenon turned into a mosque Historical record · Ottoman tax register (defter) 1460
- 3:18 Parthenon as powder magazine Historical record · British diplomatic correspondence, 1822
- 3:36 1687 explosion devastates Parthenon Historical record · Eyewitness account of Jacques Carrey, 1687
- 4:00 1975‑1990: Original marble floor uncovered Historical record · Greek Archaeological Service, Acropolis Excavations 1975‑1990
- 4:40 Original metopes beside digital reconstructions The Institute's interpretation · Acropolis Museum catalog, 2009
Sources
Historical record: IG I³ 89 (Athenian decree, 438 BC) · Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War 1.4 · Plutarch, Life of Pericles 13.1 · Plutarch, Life of Pericles 13.5 · Pausanias, Description of Greece 1.25.5 · Pausanias, Description of Greece 1.25.6 · IG I³ 89 (quarry marks on marble blocks) · Procopius, De Aedificiis 2.15 · Ottoman tax register (defter) 1460 · British diplomatic correspondence, 1822 · Eyewitness account of Jacques Carrey, 1687 · Greek Archaeological Service, Acropolis Excavations 1975‑1990
The Institute's interpretation: J. Boardman, The Parthenon Frieze (1995) · Acropolis Museum catalog, 2009
Sound: synthesized ambient (wind, drone, water) (CC0 — made by SoapBox). Made in 150 s of CPU.
Scenes Hathor has no parts for yet (15) — the next things to make
- A bustling Athenian Agora where magistrates read a stone inscription to a crowd of citizens.
- A bustling Athenian Agora where magistrates read a stone inscription to a crowd of citizens.
- A bustling Athenian Agora where magistrates read a stone inscription to a crowd of citizens.
- A treasury clerk counting large talent bags while Pericles oversees the ledgers.
- A treasury clerk counting large talent bags while Pericles oversees the ledgers.
- Phidias receiving a marble stylus from Pericles in a marble workshop on the Acropolis.
- Stone masons chiseling marble on the Acropolis, with quarry marks visible on the blocks.
- Byzantine icons and a wooden altar inside the Parthenon, with worshippers in robes.
- Byzantine icons and a wooden altar inside the Parthenon, with worshippers in robes.
- A modest minaret added to the Acropolis and worshippers praying on a carpeted floor.
- A modest minaret added to the Acropolis and worshippers praying on a carpeted floor.
- A massive fireball and falling marble debris after a mortar strike on the Acropolis.
- Archaeologists in 1970s attire brushing dust from a pristine marble slab on the Acropolis.
- The camera pulls back to expose deep foundation sockets cut into the bedrock, their edges crisp against the earth.
- A close-up shows a weathered hand inserting a calibrated measuring rod into a socket, marking exact dimensions.