hstry

Work begins on the Parthenon

447 BCE, Athens. An event.

Where and when

447 BCEAthens

2,472 years ago

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, Athens

Under Pericles, Athens starts building a new temple of Athena on the Acropolis, with Ictinus and Callicrates as architects and Pheidias overseeing the work.

Of the Parthenon, for instance, with its cella of a hundred feet in length, Callicrates and Ictinus were the architects

Plutarch, Life of Pericles 13.4Translated by Bernadotte Perrin (1916)Read the full passage (Plutarch, Life of Pericles 13.4, opens scaife.perseus.org)

Background: Parthenon, Wikipedia (opens en.wikipedia.org)

Why it matters

The temple begun here is considered an enduring symbol of ancient Greece, Western civilisation and democracy, and its sculptures some of the high points of classical Greek art.

Based on Wikipedia: Parthenon

Its decorative sculptures are considered some of the high points of classical Greek art, and the Parthenon is considered an enduring symbol of ancient Greece, Western civilisation, and democracy.

Wikipedia, Parthenon (opens en.wikipedia.org), as of 2026-09-18. Text CC BY-SA 4.0. Our line is checked against these sentences only.

Related moments

In time order, with this one in its place. Each says why it is here.

  1. 447 BCEThis momentWork begins on the Parthenon
  2. set in c. 447 BCEAbout the same year Pericles counsels waiting for Time Also in Athens
  3. 446/445 BCE1 year later Athens and Sparta agree a Thirty Years' Peace Also in Athens
  4. c. 441 BCEabout 6 years later Antigone defies Creon Also about the gods
  5. c. 441 BCEabout 6 years later Sophocles' Chorus on the wonder of man Also in Athens
  6. 423 BCE24 years later Aristophanes' Socrates on the gods Also about the gods

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