Nashville's Parthenon

Assignment questions for Parthenon visit:

1. What was the function of the Parthenon?

Architecturally, the Parthenon is a Greek Temple. A Greek Temple didn’t serve the same kind of purpose as our understanding of a temple (i.e. a place of worship.) Greek Temples served to house statues or votive offerings; worship took place outdoors, and worshippers didn’t enter the temple – they only looked in from the outside. The Parthenon in Athens famously housed an enormous statue of the Goddess Athena. The Parthenon was also used as a treasury.

2. What stories do the Parthenon metopes and pediments tell?

The ninety-two metopes depicted mythical battles, as well as other myths and early Athenian history. Panels that were poorly preserved are thought to depict the destruction of Troy during the Trojan War.

There are two pediments: one depicts the mythical birth of Athena (springing forth from Zeuss’ head, covered in battle armor), the other depicts the competition between Athena and Poseidon to be the city’s patron. (I guess that had Poseidon won, the city would be called Poseides?)

Sidenote: To right was my attempt to take a picture of me in front of the Parthenon on my own. Total win.

3. What style columns are on the Parthenon exterior?

There were three types of columns used in the architecture of Ancient Greece: Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian. The columns at the Parthenon are Doric, which have no base and are of a 7:1 base diameter to height ratio.

4. Why is there a Parthenon in Nashville?

The Parthenon was built in 1895 to celebrate the 100 year anniversary of Tennessee becoming a state. It originally wasn’t built to be permanent, but rather was one of 36 buildings built for the Grand Centennial Exposition. Apparently the people of Nashville loved the Parthenon so much, they rallied for it to become a permanent fixture rather than be torn down like the other buildings. The original Parthenon lasted 23 years, and in 1920 building efforts began to replace it with a structure that would last.

5. What is your experience being outdoors at the Parthenon? Think about the height of the building, the play of light, etc.

Standing next to the Parthenon is awe-inspiring. It’s one of those structures that you know is big in theory, but when you actually stand in front of it, you’re a bit shocked. After the shock wore off the first time I saw the Parthenon, I was complete amazed that a group of people over 2,000 years ago had the resources and the capability of building such an enormous and intricate structure.

6. Does this monument feel relevant to you as a Nashville resident?

I think the Parthenon is awesome; it was one of the first things I visited when I moved to Nashville, and I’ve been there several times. I prefer to think of Nashville as its older nickname, “The Athens of the South,” rather than the newer and more common nickname of “Music City.” “Athens of the South” puts more focus on Nashville’s many educational institutions, publishing houses, architecture, and culture rather than just the country music scene, and the Parthenon is a great representation of that. The Parthenon is something truly unique to Nashville, and to me speaks to aspirations that rise above the blandness of everyday life.