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Temple

Older Parthenon

Greece · Europe

Older Parthenon
Older Parthenon. Photo via Wikimedia Commons.

About

The Older Parthenon or Pre‐Parthenon, as it is frequently referred to, constitutes the first endeavour to build a sanctuary for Athena Parthenos on the site of the present Parthenon on the Acropolis of Athens. It was begun shortly after the battle of Marathon (c. 490–88 BC) upon a massive limestone foundation that extended and leveled the southern part of the Acropolis summit. This building replaced a hekatompedon (meaning "hundred‐footer") and would have stood beside the archaic temple dedicated to Athena Polias.

Adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA). Photography via Wikimedia Commons.