Posted on 09/02/2014 11:54:52 AM PDT by mojito
The Parthenon represents, for many, a golden age in human achievement: the 5th-century b.c. Greek flowering of democracy, sciences, and the arts. But what if its chief ornament, the Parthenon frieze, turned out to be not an embodiment of reason and proportion—of stillness at the heart of motion, quiet piety, and enlightened civic responsibility—but (or, rather, also) something darker, more primitive: a representation of the critical moment in an ancient story of a king at war, a human sacrifice, and a goddess’s demand for virgin blood?
That’s the argument at the heart of The Parthenon Engima. The plot involves not only ritual murder and burial, but fragments of a lost play of Euripides found on mummy wrappings. Even the title suggests a Dan Brown thriller.
(Excerpt) Read more at weeklystandard.com ...
Recommended for Greek or Classical history buffs.
Ping.
Interesting. And I think rather persuasive.
We just need a couple of hundred more years for classical scholars to talk it over and weigh in on it—assuming that any classical scholars are left after these dismal times of repeated attacks on the Western tradition.
Thanks, most interesting article!
For those who don’t know, there’s a full-scale replica of the Parthenon in Nashville. Amazing sight. Somehow I didn’t realize it was so big.
Once the Muslims are firmly entrenched in Athens — they will bust those pesky friezes into tiny little rocks.
No sale. Phidias the great architect designed the exterior of the Parthenon to be welcoming before awing the worshipping people with the powerful statue of Athens in side His statue of Zeus later was the same; a consummate presenter of the power of the old gods
I think this fits with Connolly's theory. A statue of Athena, patron goddess of the city, was located inside the Parthenon. On the exterior, a pictorial about people giving their lives in defense of Athena's city - a familiar story. The combination is not only awe-inspiring, but also humbling and a reminder to all of their duty as Athenians.
Yes, it lacks the implied grandiose worship of the more common interpretation, but I don't see any real incongruity posed by Connolly's opinion.
...assuming that any classical scholars are left after these dismal times of repeated attacks on the Western tradition.
***
Indeed.
The Turks stored gunpowder in the Parthenon once. It blew up.
They turned it into a mosque, then they stored gunpowder in it. Seems like an idea that keeps getting repeated in the islamic world.
I just finished Holland’s “Persian Fire”, a study of that era where the older temples on the Acropolis were destroyed by the Persian burning of Athens and leading up to just before the building of the Acropolis with the significance highly covered in the last chapter.
For those that are interested, I rate Holland’s book right at the top of those I have read in the last few years. It puts into context the 300, the Xerxes invasion in general and the Spartan / Athenian interplay that later caused them both to loose power after the Peloponnesian War, a period I have read a number of books about in the past.
If you want to understand how the Persian Empire and the Greeks were at odds, came to war and all the whole era was significant, that is a great source.
Thanks for the tip.
Bump for later
“The Parthenon Code” is another take on it by Robert Bowie Johnson, Jr. Interesting interpretation in light of Scripture.
The Venetians were trying to capture Athens. They knew the Turks had stored gunpowder in the Parthenon so they deliberately targeted it until they blew the building up.
Not to worry--there are some nice replicas in Nashville.
Great stuff, and thanks for posting. BTT
Thanks mojito.
Kewl, eh?
But is such a thing even possible?
(Yes, it is!)
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