The Parthenon is a beautiful building—and much more.  Every exquisite statue, every graceful column is an expression of a civilization whose values still speak to us today.

During a time when other countries were ruled by godlike emperors, ordinary Athenian citizens voted to build the Parthenon.  During a time when monuments honored only the immortals, the Parthenon's statues depicted water carriers and farmers as well as gods and heroes.

The Parthenon tells the story of the rise of Athens—from the religion that nurtured it, through the wars that tested it, to the democracy that enobled it, all culminating in the construction of the great temple on the Acropolis.

To see the Parthenon is to see the height of Athenian culture, and the roots of our own.

From the dust jacket