Exposed on the Acropolis, the Parthenon was a highly vulnerable target, and in September that year, a deadly blow fell: A Venetian mortar struck it, causing a colossal explosion that destroyed its ...

For 25 centuries the Parthenon has been shot at, set on fire, rocked by earthquakes, looted for its sculptures, almost destroyed by explosion, and disfigured by well-meaning renovations.

Dedicated to Athena Parthenos, or "Athena the Virgin," the magnificent Parthenon stands atop the Acropolis, on the site of another lost temple to Athens' patron goddess. Little is known about this ...

Researchers have suspected the likely existence of ancient temples older than the Parthenon on the Acropolis. It is known that an invading Persian army in 480 BC destroyed buildings erected in the ...