The Parthenon is one of the great buildings of ancient history. Its amazing design, artistic elements, and grand scale reveal the dedication of ancient Greek culture to its worship.
Dave Raymond covers the Golden Age of Greece and the construction of the Parthenon as well as highlights of Greek art in Lesson 18 of his Antiquity Ancient History curriculum.
Use the resources below to provide additional context for your homeschool students as they are studying this important period of ancient Greek history.
Parents, as we remind viewers of our Antiquity Ancient History curriculum, there is mature content in pagan Greek civilization. It is likely you will encounter brief artistic nudity in some of the historical artwork that is presented in the links below. Please preview any links below before using in your homeschool.
Get Started
A History of the Parthenon —An informative web page and photo gallery from History.com.
An Introduction to the Parthenon and Its Sculptures —A great place to start a deeper dive into the art and architecture, courtesy of the British Museum
Unlocking Mysteries of the Parthenon —A Smithsonian article focusing on history and recent restoration efforts which yielded a better appreciation of the structure’s engineering achievements
The Parthenon —The British Museum’s gallery page provides a useful overview
The Acropolis —Get an idea of where the Parthenon fit in the crown of Athens
Images
Online Gallery —Presented by Google Arts & Culture, this scrollable set of images is a useful place to begin.
Interesting Odds & Ends —A collection of lithographs, prints, woodcuts and small architectural studies from the New York Public Library.
The Art Institute of Chicago —An online collection of many thousands of images of pottery, coins and other works of art from ancient Greece.
Interactive Media
The Parthenon Rebuilt —See the Parthenon as it might have looked during the Golden Age
Acropolis Museum —An interactive timeline and two virtual tours
Explore the Acropolis —Google Maps provides amazing 3D street view technology
Tour The Parthenon Room at the British Museum while listening to the Museum’s audio tour
The Parthenon, Athens —An informative webpage from SmartHistory with a video [16:04]
