Power of the Parthenon

Mica Carson

ARS Essay 2

Power of the Parthenon

Hundreds of years after the Parthenon was constructed on top of Acropolis hill, a full size replica was built in Nashville, Tennessee. The structure was created in 1897 and provides a rather inspiring look at what the true Parthenon would look like before it was damaged.  With the original being constructed in 5th-century B.C, it is particularly damaged from centuries of erosion as well as having fragments of the Elgin marbles stolen.  This left the building in ruins and leaves very much to the imagination when trying to envision what it looked like when it was first created.  Thus, through the research of ancient drawings and drafts, the construction of a close replica allows people to see what the monument would look in its full beauty.  This brings many different benefits through the prospects of education, history and travel.

        From and education standpoint, this allows students to study a full version of the Parthenon, even if it does not hold the same historical prominence as the original.  Students are able to learn about the monument visually through more than just pictures or documents. Granting students the ability to dig deeper into Greek history through hands on studies, where students can physically interact with the Parthenon.  Also, the more modern attraction, even though it is over 100 years old, lets students visualize the structure and learn about more specific aspects of the work rather than only be able to generalize the structure as a whole. Making this modern reconstruction extremely helpful for education.

An ongoing aspect for the implications of education in regards the the rebuilt Parthenon is that it will continue the history of ancient Greece. The structure practically makes the history of the Greek Empire eternal because it is physical proof of what handbuilt massive structure lied on top of Acropolis. It also adds to the continuation of the greek myths since multiple sculptures decorating the Parthenon directly relate to the ancient stories of the gods.

        Another positive aspect of having a more modern and complete form of the Parthenon is the ability to view it without the worries of international travel.  For large groups, international travel can cause many problems through the pains of airplane tickets, customs, baggage claim, and hotel fares.  This allows for larger student groups to travel to the “monument” and study it as a class. It even helps serve for individual travel. For someone living in the U.S. they have an option to fly to Tennessee and be astonishingly immersed by an exact replica that even boasts a 42-foot-tall gold-coated sculpture of Athena, exactly like the original. According to Isaac Kaplan a writer for Artsy.net, “Over the course of six months, the Exposition drew almost 2 million people; 20 times the population of Nashville at the time.” This shows how much a difference the reconstruction makes in regards to travel.