The Parthenon – Nashville, Tennessee
Incredible size
Visit Ancient Greece while in the United States? It’s possible! A full-scale replica of the Parthenon (original built between 447 BC and 432 BC) stands majestically in Centennial Park in Nashville, Tennessee. Originally built in 1897 for the Centennial Exposition, the Parthenon now houses the city’s art museum, and hosts public and private events.
Tour inside to g
asp at the full-scale replica of the Athena Parthenos, a statue of the namesake goddess of Athens, standing at a majestic height of 42 feet. Artist Alan LeQuire researched the historical Athena Parthenos in detail, then crafted this life-size replica between 1982 and 1990. He returned to the statue in 2002 with master gilder Lou Reed to add the gold detailing that made her an even more accurate recreation of the ancient Athena.
Greek Architecture can be found around the world and has influenced almost all large historical buildings, for example the White House, United States Supreme Court Building and Old Senate Chamber in Washington D.C.
Ancient Greece gave us Aristotle, Plato, Socrates, Homer, Herodotus Archimedes, Hippocrates, Alexander the Great and many more. Why should we salute this time in history? It produced the father of Geometry, father of History, father of Western Medicine, founder of Western Philosophy, the Pythagorean theory, all of which your child will study in school more than once. One must appreciate that we benefited greatly from the Greeks that laid the foundation upon which our current lives are based.
Plan enough time to make a couple of drawings of the building, columns and carvings. Taking pictures is faster and easier but having a child draw gets the child to focus attention on the details.
D’Aulaires’ Book of Greek Myths
