The Parthenon: Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow

Abstract

One of the world’s most beautiful and iconic structures, the Parthenon, the temple of the Virgin goddess Athena, boldly displays the culmination of culture and civilization upon the Acropolis in Athens, Greece and in Centennial Park in Nashville, Tennessee. I have attempted to research
the history, architecture, and sculpture of the magnificent marble edifice by analyzing the key themes and elements that compose the great work: culture, civilization, and rebirth. Using a musical sonata form to display my research, I wished to convey a digestible analysis of how the Parthenon and its connotations transcend time through rebirth in Nashville, Tennessee. Known as the “Athens of the South,” Nashville continues the culture displayed in Ancient Greece and symbolizes this through the city’s scale replication of the Parthenon within Centennial Park. In the first century A.D., Plutarch wrote Greek history so that the Greeks could recall
the history that was gradually fading from their memories. As Plutarch did with his readers, I am attempting to re-educate Nashvillians, as well as the world, about the rich history and inheritance of the Athenian culture within ourselves.