Inside the temple stood a colossal statue representing Athena, patron goddess of the city. It was part of a vast building program masterminded by the Athenian statesman Perikles. The temple known as the Parthenon was built on the Acropolis of Athens between 447 and 438 B.CE. This paid for one of the biggest public building projects ever seen in Greece, which included the Parthenon. The city’s empire stretched from the western Mediterranean to the Black Sea, creating enormous wealth. In drama and philosophy, literature, art and architecture Athens was second to none. Following the defeat of a Persian invasion in 480-479 B.C.E., mainland Greece and Athens in particular entered into a golden age. ‘rule by the people,’ or democracy, had emerged in the city of Athens. 438-432 B.C.E., marble, 135 cm high, Athens, Greece © Trustees of the British Museumīy around 500 B.C.E. Iris, from the west pediment of the Parthenon, c.
