The Parthenon has a long, interesting history. Construction on the temple was begun in 447 BC, with most of the stone coming from Mount Pentelicus, about 10 miles from Athens. The most impressive piece of the temple was a huge statue of Athena designed by the famous sculptor Phidias and her skin was made out of chryselephantine (elephant ivory) and her clothing draperies of beaten gold. The Delian League moved its treasury from the Panhellenic sanctuary at Delos to the Acropolis in 454 BC, and the Parthenon became the most important temple to the Greek Goddess Athena. It kept this purpose for over 1,000 years. In the mid-fifth century AD, the Parthenon's statue of Athena was looted by one of the Roman emperors and taken to Constantinople (now Istanbul), where it was destroyed during one of the early 13th century Crusades. The Parthenon was next a Christian church and became a mosque in 1456 when the Ottomans conquered Athens. Most of the statues and frescoes in the Parthenon disappeared during these two eras, but the building remained mostly intact.
The Venetians attacked Athens in 1687, and the Ottomans used the Parthenon to store munitions. In September 1687, a Venetian shell exploded the powder magazine at the Parthenon, causing the roof to fall in and significantly damage the building. The sculptures and the remains of the building were looted or stolen, and the building fell into disuse and disrepair.
The next photo of the Parthenon at the Acropolis continues the story of the Parthenon and answers the question, "Why are most of the remains of the Parthenon at the British Museum in London?"
