The Parthenon: Structure or Symbol

While touring the British Museum viewing the Parthenon marbles, I had this thought that I could not get out of my head. What does the difference in location make for the Parthenon, aside from emotion? If you look closely, I think that you can see influence from the Parthenon in many places of the world. And although they may not be in the same place, you might experience a common feeling throughout the experience.

As we all have come to learn, the Parthenon was built as a structure of unification, to bring the city states together and to give the Athenian people a pinnacle point to be proud of (it also gave them all something to pay for…unification at its finest). The Parthenon is inherently unique from other structures of its size because it was made without the use of slave labor: making it truly for the people, by the people. The Parthenon was a gift to the Goddess Athena, and housed a shrine meant to honor her wisdom and war-strategy. The art that decorated the outside of the structure told the story of Athena winning the hearts of the people of Athens, beating the God of the sea, Poseidon, with her gift of the Olive Tree. But now the Parthenon is a more than just a structure; it has become an icon. This icon is no longer confined to the mountainous Greek landscape; but now it transcends time, geography, and economic disadvantages with various replicas and artistic recreations.

In Nashville, Tennessee, there is an “as close to actual” replica of the Parthenon. This replica was built in the late 1800s and made to celebrate the centennial celebration of Tennessee’s history, commemorating 100 years of Tennessee and the state coming together. Nashville was also known as the “Athens of the South,” so they thought it was only appropriate to build a structure after the original. To this day, there are various events that the Parthenon (in Tennessee) gets used for, including theatre productions, concerts, and tours. Here we begin to see the Parthenon being used beyond the original space it was intended. Now in the middle of the southern United States, a place the original Athenians, who built the Parthenon in Greece, didn’t even know existed is a replica to serve the same purpose. It celebrates the unification of a region and gives people a reason to remember their pride in where they are from.

There is another example of the Parthenon expanding its impact on the global scale, this time becoming a symbol of freedom of tyranny and an outcry for Democracy. In 1983, Marta Minujin, an artist from Argentina made a more artistic version of the Parthenon using mostly books that were banned by the Argentinian military. This was an important moment in Argentinian history and served as a conduit for the growth of free expression for the people of Argentina. This structure was merely a symbol unifying the people of Argentina for the betterment of society, against their former militant oppressors. To make this all the more relevant, you don’t even have to go to Argentina to run into this structure. I learned about it during our tour of the Tate Modern in London. Here, they had a video playing to describe the project.

When I think back to that day and seeing the Parthenon banned-book public art piece in London, I began to ask questions--questions like is this really the Parthenon? It’s made of metal rods and books. How does that count? That’s when it hit me that the Parthenon is so much more than just a structure. It had become a symbol of unification. A symbol of perseverance, a symbol of pride. The Parthenon may have originally have been built as a place of homage to their Goddess Athena. But now this impact of the Parthenon can be felt across the world. I am a firm believer that no matter what history has in store for the Parthenon, or the marbles, their legacy will live on for many years to come.