Edwards - Where Is the Parthenon?

For Ruby, who wants to make her own bookJH

GROSSET & DUNLAP

Penguin Young Readers Group

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Text copyright 2016 by Roberta Edwards. Illustrations copyright 2016 by Penguin Random House LLC. All rights reserved. Published by Grosset & Dunlap, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC, 345 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014. GROSSET & DUNLAP is a trademark of Penguin Random House LLC.

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eBook ISBN 978-0-399-54293-0

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Where Is the Parthenon?

Imagine going back in time 2,500 years to the city of Athens in ancient Greece. It is just about sunrise. You and your parents leave your small mud-brick house and join a large parade of people climbing up a steep hill that rises from the center of the city. Men and womenas well as you and the other young childrenare wearing capes over loose, white tunics called chitons (say: ky-tuns). Wearing light clothing helps everyone stay cool in the heat of the sun.

Where is everyone going?

They are heading to a temple that stands on top of the hill. It is made of white marble with a ring of forty columns going around all four sides. It is called the Parthenon (say: PAR-thuh-nahn). Everyone has come here to worship the goddess Athena. The Parthenon is the goddesss special temple.

Superhumans

The ancient Greeks worshipped many gods and goddesses. But Athena, the goddess of wisdom and war, was the favorite of the people of Athens. She protected their city. Athens was named for her. Her father, Zeus, was king of the gods. He controlled thunder and lightning. His wife was Hera. Zeus was not always faithful to her, which made Hera really mad. One of Zeuss brothers, Poseidon, was king of the seas, and another, named Hades, ruled over the dead. According to legend, all the gods and goddesses lived on Olympus, the highest mountain in Greece. The gods were not all that different from human beingsexcept that they were bigger, more beautiful, and way more powerful.

Your family follows the parade to the front of the Parthenon. The temple is decorated with brightly painted sculptures made by the most famous artists. The outside of the temple is grand and beautiful. Still, it does not compare with what you will see inside.

You and your family pass through the columns and enter a dark room. You gaze up. Towering above you is a statue of mighty Athena. The skin on her face is made of ivory, and her robes are covered in sheets of real goldmore than two thousand pounds of it. The goddess of war is dressed for battle. She wears a helmet, and armor over her chest. With her shield and spear, she is ready to fight against the enemies of Athens. She is a giant. She is almost forty feet tall! What harm can possibly come to your city when mighty Athena is protecting it?

Now jump ahead to modern times. You are in Athens again, on the same sunny hilltop, standing among a crowd of people snapping photos in front of the same temple.

What do you see now?

Actually, it is easier to list all the things you dont see. The paint on the temple is gone. The roof is gone. So are many of the columns and most of the sculptures on the outside of the temple. As for the giant statue of Athena, there is no trace of it or the room in which the statue stood.

For hundreds of years the Parthenon has been in ruins. Still, it remains one of the most famous places in the world. As famous as the Great Pyramids of Egypt and the Great Wall of China.

The Great Pyramids

The three huge pyramids outside Cairo are far older than the Parthenon. They were built by the rulers, called pharaohs , of ancient Egypt more than 4,500 years ago.

The Great Wall of China

The Great Wall stretches for more than four thousand miles (though it was originally much longer) and was built to protect the ancient empire of China. Construction on the first part of the Great Wall began about two hundred years before the Parthenon.

In the case of the Parthenon, it is not size that makes it so special. It is because of its beauty. Each year, throngs of tourists climb up the hill and, under the blazing Greek sun, walk around the remains of the temple. Even as a ruin, it is unforgettable.

So what happened to the Parthenon? Why was this world-famous landmark almost destroyed? And who was to blame?

Greece Today

Today, Greece is a modern nation in southern Europe that includes many islands in the Aegean Sea. The whole population is under twelve million people. (Thats about the same as the state of Ohio.) The land is very mountainous, and not much of it is good for farming. (The major product is olive oil; it comes from olive trees, which have been grown there since ancient times.) The summers in Greece are hot and dry, and it usually rains only in winter. Athens, where the Parthenon stands, is the capital and the largest city. About 665,000 people live there.