Few if any would dispute the Parthenon's position as the most important monument in Western civilization. In its art and architecture, it is the ultimate expression of the golden age of Pericles, when democracy was born.

But few also realize that the Parthenon achieved that "ideal" status only in relatively modern times; until the late eighteenth century, when the first detailed pictures of the structure were published and the Elgin Marbles removed to London, the Parthenon was perceived only as a superb work of the Classical Greek period.

As work now proceeds atop the Acropolis on the restoration of the monument, what better time for a multifaceted examination of the Parthenon. This fascinating volume brings together eleven original essays by noted scholars and writers, each of whom offers a different perspective on this greatest of all cultural monuments.

In addition to providing detailed descriptions of the sculpture and architecture of the Parthenon, the essays treat such diverse topics as the place of the Parthenon in the history and theory of modern architecture, depictions of the Parthenon in art through the ages, the Parthenon as appreciated by contemporary Greek society, and the Parthenon in the consciousness of modern Greek poets and thinkers.