Parthenon Pediment - Ancient Greece for Kids

Parthenon Pediment

On the front of the Parthenon, in the triangular pediment, Pheidias carved the contest between Athena and Poseidon to be the main god of the city of Athens, and on the back pediment he put the birth of Athena out of the head of her father Zeus. Neither of these pediments is in good shape now. There are only pieces of the sculptures left, and they are in museums, not on the Parthenon itself, as you can see.

More on the Parthenon
Take our quiz - how much do you know about the Parthenon?

To find out more about the Parthenon, check out these books on Amazon.com or in your library:

A Greek Temple, by Fiona MacDonald, Mark Bergin (2002) (this is specifically about the Parthenon, not just any Greek temple)

Parthenon, by Lynn Curlee (2004). For kids. Lovely pictures.

The Athenian Acropolis: History, Mythology, and Archaeology from the Neolithic Era to the Present, by Jeffrey M. Hurwit (2000). This is not a children's book, but it is pretty interesting reading. Hurwit is a archaeologist and art historian who works on the Athenian Acropolis.

First page on the Parthenon
Classical architecture
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