Hi everyone, I'm really excited to present this video to you, as I put a lot into it. I also want to announce that I have a Patreon page now. I love making these videos for you, so if you feel like supporting my work, I would be very grateful. And if you can't, no problem, but please subscribe to my channel :) You have my thanks in advance. Jordan www.patreon.com/StreetGems
At 02:46 you say ".. the last pagan emperor, Julian." his is the first time I've ever heard Rome, around the height of it's power and influence, referred to as a pagan society. - 'Pagan' - a person holding religious beliefs other than those of the main or recognized religions -. At the time, the religion of Rome was likely the most widespread recognized religion in the world. So, simply by the definition of the word ;pagan' itself, the polytheistic religion of Rome cannot be pagan.
In ancient Greek, the root of word we now pronounce 'virgin' had nothing to do with what we NOW refer to as virginity. It simply meant a young woman. Which is interesting even outside of reference to the Goddess Athena as being a virgin. It also calls into question the concept Mary (the mother of Jesus) ALSO being a virgin (in the modern sense of the word). Christian dogma CLAIMS Mary was conceived by her own mother without 'Original Sin'. That is, without the 'Original Sin' that ALL human beings are conceived in according to Christian dogma. It does not necessarily imply that Mary remained a virgin all her life, even though Christian dogma generally assumes that she did.
When I was 6 years old, sometimes the whole school on Saturdays would go to the Acropolis and sit inside the building while the teacher would tell us about the History of Athens. I remember we used to play inside the building touching the columns. Although I was young I still felt awed about the building and the people who lived back then and built it. Now I go bye everyday and still it feels like the first time when I saw it. I'm a very lucky man ..
As a Brit, i feel its time for the statues to come home, history is history, i know in my heart we will return them from 'safe keeping' to where they truly belong one day, ending any animosity over this between the Greeks and the Brits, in jubilation.
I was aware of the destruction of the Parthenon, but never the circumstances behind its destruction. I guess Einstein was correct in the assumption that human stupidity is greater than the universe itself. Great video, you’ve earned my subscription today!
A great video, I got to visit the Parthenon on the 16th November 2023 with my partner, it's just a stunning building. When you first lay eyes on it it takes your breath away, our Athens hotel was at the rear and so we could see it from our room for all of our stay in Athens. Thanks for posting.
As a 14 year old in middle school, I was so enamored of the beauty of classical Greek architecture that I built a scale model of the Parthenon out of white soap bars and cardboard, though it was somewhat crude, just the basic architectural elements. I think it was about a foot, or so, long. The history teacher was so impressed by it that he put it in the center of a display case, surrounded by the works of other classmates.
I guess the only positive (if you can call it that) is that the Venetians sometimes looted things (not so much because of artistic and historical interest but to acquire power and cultural authority through association with the artefacts), whereas their allies didn't care at all and just melted things down.
The Ottomans aren't without blame either. From the Venetian perspective, they blew up a big mosque with all the enemy's gunpowder, but why would the Ottomans store all their explosives their grand mosque? All is fair in war I guess.
Very good. One thing I would take issue with is this unreasonable if fashionable characterization of Elgin. The 'Elgin Marbles' would almost certainly not exist today if he hadn't taken them back to the UK. More, he paid the local authorities of the time for what he took. He stole nothing, and being their legal owner had the right to sell them. So who is the greater 'barbarian'? The man who preserved what he did, or the people who cared so little for what they had they allowed ongoing destruction by neglect? Speaking for myself. If the Greek government was prepared to properly (and sympathetically) restore the Parthenon to at least it's pre-destruction state rather than leaving it as a sad ruin, then I think a welcome gesture would be to give the 'Elgin Marbles' to the Greek people as part of the restoration effort... but absolutely not before. More, speaking as an Englishman who is fortunate to live part time in Greece (sadly the Greek government won't allow me to move permanently - I get it) if a genuine restoration effort was made I'd happily dedicate the rest of my life to that effort, including championing the return the Elgin Marbles - but again, not before! Others may not like or agree with the above position. (held by a great many entirely reasonable people) But they should at least have it explained to them so that can hold an informed opinion of their own rather than uninformed prejudice. For myself I fully understand why most Greek people want the Elgin Marbles in Greece, and certainly sympathize with that view. But I neither sympathize nor agree with the post-hock demonizing of a man who did these undoubted treasures a favor by acquiring them entirely legally. The Greek people have *no* right to these treasures, either legally or morally, even if we can all agree that their ideal place would be attached to the Parthenon.
thank you, that was one of the best explanations ive heard in years, ive been studying architecture for years and the parthenon is always in the top five building of all times, i usually got the beginning and the end, but never the middle, this is what ive been missing for years, thank you once again.......................
Great video, and indeed sad that it was destroyed. Another sad thing is the reconstruction (if that's what the current Greeks are doing), seems to be going very very slow. I visited the Parthenon in 1998 and I have recently compared my old photos to what it looks like today and I don't see much difference. I have also visited the fully standing copy of the Parthenon in Nashville TN. It was amazing to see how it would have looked originally.
I am 70 years old and 60 years ago in the 4th grade we learned about Greek Mythology. I did a report on the Parthenon and learned about the gun powder explosion. The details had grown dim, but I knew the Ottoman’s were involved and that the temple was mostly intact up to the explosion. It was great to revisit this history of the Parthenon.
Great Job Jordan!. I said i wrote a paper in school years ago about this, so even though i knew this info, it was FANTASTIC to see all the great visual recreations bringing the Parthenons history to life!!. This building has held a special place in my love for ancient architecture from my earliest memories. Not for the pagan practices and rituals, but for the style of these buildings. The church/school i attended from kindergarten onward had majestic white columns across the front of the building the exact size of the Parthenons. So,yea, grew up with being able to visually and physically experience the majesty of these things. Very moving. And, emphatically YES !!! the Brits NEED to give Athens back their history!. No question!. Loved your video as always!! ⚜️
@Street-Gems Hi Jordan. It was on ancient Greece. And one section was devoted to the Parthenon and the Acropolis. That's how I learned about the history. The one thing that I've always thought strange is the smaller temple on the Acropolis that has the porch of the caryatids. Half women, half column. Never truly got a decent explanation. Very strange looking. But the part that I thought was cool was the Parthenon had TWO entrances. The one that faces the approach from the front gate, housed all the wealth, basically like a national Treasury. The actual "temple" of Athena" was on the other end, and that's where the followers would go in. The other was that there was a giant reflecting pond directly in front of the statue inside. Fascinating.
@@dmd5645 Yes and that reflecting pond is depicted in the reconstruction of the statue that's in my video. The artist nails all the details in his reconstructions.
Thank you for your video. For those who are unaware, a full scale replica of the Parthenon including a huge statue of Athena @ 1:08 and copies of the Elgin Marble sculptures are located at Centennial Park in Nashville, Tennessee. The 2010 movie “Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief” featured the hero fighting the Hydra inside the Parthenon replica in Nashville, Tennessee.
Amazing video I am a Greek & had no idea about that explosion that occur during the war you described between the ottomans & Venetian army, that's the first time I'm hearing about it & seriously I felt a stab in my chest when you show the scene of the explosion that was a major crime what they did both sides, I can't believe that there was humans that acted like that only few centuries ago, no regard at all for historical monuments with thousands of years of history, they are worse than monkeys, no brain on their skulls, don't know what else to say...
It is the most beautiful building I have ever seen with my own eyes. Thank you for the detailed history on this magnificent Temple of Athena. Excellent workmanship as usual.
@@Street-Gems Buildings that were made into churches were usually the ones that survived - the great domed temple in Rome known as the Pantheon is a prime example of this -it survived largely because it was turned into a church! In the same manner the Christian monasteries preserved ancient literature during the Dark Ages - the Irish monks were particularly active in this field.Most buildings decay because of lack of function not because they were wantonly destroyed.
The destruction of the Mayan codices is much worse (and the overall intentional destruction of every civilization and culture in American continent) in my opinion, and what's more terrible is that the overall process of cultural destruction is ongoing.
@@noticiasinmundicias Actually if you knew your history you would discover that the Christian church, though some things were unnecessarily destroyed like the Maya stuff, but overall they did more than anyone else to preserve native languages and cultures. This was because the Christian missionaries wanted to convert the people and wanted them to be able to read the Bible. So they gave the previously oral only languages a written form, creating a grammar and syntax for those languages and thus preserving them. So many of the indigenous languages of the world were preserved because of this like the languages of Australia, Africa and Papua New Guinea. The process started early in history with bishop Ulfilas translating the Bible into Gothic -the earliest written traces of a germanic language. St Cyril and Methodius created the Cyrillic alphabet for the Slavs -the alphabet used by the Russians, Serbians, Bulgarians and others today. With the Protestant reformation the Bible translation thing reached a fever pitch and kickstarted the literatures of many languages like German, the Baltic languages and of course the king James Bible had an inestimable influence on the English cutlure.Special schools were set up to teach literacy so that people might be able to read the Bible and that is why countries like Sweden were the first ones in history to achieve universal literacy. This is all factual!
Jordan, kudos to you yet again! A masterful telling of what happened to the parthenon! I had NO idea about the massive damage done as a result of the Morean War!! Such a beautiful masterpiece of architecture to the world, and as man seems to always do, destroyed only for the goals of war, as are so many other historic works of art being attacked today. Thank you for your beautiful artwork, which so vibrantly makes sense of the story! And your narration, too! (I could listen all day long!)
@@Street-Gems Hi Jordan! I'm Rena! And yes, I do truly appreciate your tutorials, especially because I am in nearly constant study of the old testament and antiquity. You help me put together the pieces and images so wonderfully!
War destroys everything 😪...Another great video, you can tell these are done with great passion. Great narration, Excellent story telling and awesome graphics.
Great video, it answered a question I've had since I was in Architecture school (long ago). When we studied the classical Greek structures, I was shocked to learn that the Parthenon had survived through most of the 17th century. Always wondered what led to its destruction and now I know. Thanks -
Shelling the Parthenon is really no different that the US bombing Monte Casino during WW II. Very few people will destroy an ancient building if there’s an alternative. Although there are exceptions like the Taliban and Isis.
Yes, that was a shameful and unfortunate act. But that Abbey was destroyed multiple times over the centuries by multiple factions. WWII destruction was not an arbitrary event...the Germans almost forced the allies to take it...be sure you reference the real reasons before being so high minded dude.
The Parthenon is quite a story. You told it briefly, and balanced nicely between audio and pictures. It ws flawlees, in my opinion, but evem then, clearly its hearrt is love of the Parthenon as art.
She is venerated to quite a high degree, immaculate conception, the Assumption, the Rosary, pilgrimages to Marian shrines, and feast days. Not a goddess, but God-bearer.
Hey, random Greek guy here, loved the video and learned a lot from it. My only criticism is the choice of music, very typical and whats expected when north Americans make a movie or documentary about Greece. Doesn't offend me to be clear but bouzouki solo while learning about Parthenon is like listening to rap beats while learning about MLK. Eye rolling situation if you know what I mean. My choice would be ancient greek lyre or harp music.
He wouldn't know what you mean. He used the bouzouki. An infraction that's easily let slide due to thorough research of the chosen topic by a non-Greek. The music was more for a musical flavor of Greece rather than an accurate musical detail of the time.
@@PhantomFilmAustralia That's why I gave an analogy, we get it how and why non Greeks associate it with Greece, Zorba etc. For Greeks bouzouki=nightclub,drinking,partying. Makes no sense in this setting. You could use it when showing modern day chaos in Athens or Greek beaches but this is out of place , that's all.
That’s actually a great comment! As a random North American guy, I think that any time a creator uses stereotypical but inappropriate music, it’s good if someone lets that person and the viewers know. I’ve seen another, rather extensive video talking about stereotypical Middle-Eastern music and a short video situated in Venice that uses stereotypical “Italian music,” i.e., Tarantella, to the derision of several viewers, by an organization, Deutsche Welle, that really _should_ know better, so, quite obviously, the issue is not limited to Greece or Greek music (not that you said anything that implied that it was). I would surmise that these creators aren’t even really _thinking_ about these choices-they’re just going for what, to them, “sounds about right,” what one other commenter called “a musical flavor of Greece” in this case-but, probably, with a few moments of thought, they might be able to find something that is more appropriate and not stereotypical (although whether they are actually authorized to use that music on this platform is another matter).
How Notre Dame looked like is known to everyone, so there wasn't to much discussion about how to reconstruct it. The Parthenon is now a ruin for centuries. Even if you want to reconstruct it, which time should be preferred for the reconstruction? I don't think people from Greece want to see the Parthenon turned again into the building it was before the explosion happened... At the moment there is already enough discussion about the reconstruction of the monumental staircase which leads to the entrance of the Akropolis, the Propylaia. If there will ever be some more reconstruction of the Parthenon, this will be a project for further generations.
"In the Roman Empire, wich Greece was now part of, started being invaded by barbarian tribes." Instead of a Roman Empire, we now have a European Union wich Greece is now part of. Wich is ironically also being invaded by barbarian tribes. Interesting how history repeats itself as we speak. The Ottomans are the Turks from now. I know you don't want to admid it, but the Parthenon got destroyed as a result from islamification. The carelessness and greed is what followed and kept it in ruins. The problems we have now in our failing multicultural societies, have been going around for centuries, and have been in the making for centuries.
The Acropolis was originally a defensive structure, a castle on a strategically advantageous hill, and only later, when the city around it grew so large that the Acropolis became strategically insignificant because the wars of Greece took place far away on the borders of the empire, was it converted into a religious place. No wonder the Ottomans recognized its strategic advantage of the walled hill and retreated to it, no wonder that they stored ammunition in the cella as the innermost walled part, the safest as they assumed.
Wooden roofs are pretty good, we know Notre Dame lasted over 800 years and would still be with us if.... The oldest wooden roof existing is in Japan and around 2000 years old. So we could have the Parthenon's origional roof if Europe had been more stable.
You are far too hard on Lord Elgin. Truth be told, the Ottoman Turk cared quite little for the ruin of the building. They had already cannabilised what remained in order to build their mosque. Many of the remaining Pentellic Marble sculptures were bunt in a kiln to make mortar and Lord Elgin rightfully believed that this was the fate of the Parthenon frieze: he *rescued* them from almost certain oblivion. The British museum has preserved them and they should probably remain there.
I disagree. What will happen when the next power takes London? Greeks are going to be pretty upset if their artifacts can't be protected. What a shame that when the dust settled English students were able to study those artifacts and Greeks could not
@@bouzoukiman5000 Duplicates of the Parthenon friezes - or at least what remains of them - are located several places now. It is the archaeological community in Britain and Germany in particular that has protected Hellenic sculptures and architectural elements. The Berlin Museum preserved what remained of the Pergamon Altar of the Great Temple of Zeus, if you will remember. This otherwise would have been lost or frittered away as 'fragments' to museums and private collectors worldwide. The painful reminder of what happens when a greater, more 'culturally conservative' power does *not* step in should have been when ISIS and the Islamic State grabbed hold of territory in Iraq and Afghanistan. ¿ Have we forgotten already about the deliberate destruction of the Bamian Buddhist statues, temples, inscriptions and cave dwellings which they utterly obliterated when they took charge ? ¿ Or the historic churches, mosques, temples and Assyrian and Sumerian relics that had survived to the present day ( and been 'restored' and 'preserved' ) that they destroyed in their frenzy of religious purging ? ( Or in some cases divvied up, looted and sold so they could buy armaments. ) Western cultures not only strive to preserve the past and learn from it, but also to *recover* it. We are the ones who have done the hard work, deciphered dead or forgotten languages, put the pieces together...and now suffer the indignities of being insulted, lambasted and *resented* for our good works. The 'Elgin Marbles' would likely be a few fragments lost in private collections or would have reduced to calcined dust in kilns to use as wall plaster if he had not *actually* rescued them. It's time we stopped apologising and defending ourselves for being better and having more foresight than almost everyone else in the world put together. ( Hope that clarifies a thing or two. )
Sure buddy. Let me come and take your house , cause i can preserve it better than you. You can stay in the dog house that i will make for you in the garden. If only Athens had a much more modern and better museum that the brits have , to preserve and display em. Right?
No stone doesn't burn but it doesn't have to. Depending on the type of stone, temperature of the fire and length of time it's exposed to it, a fire can severely alter it's characteristics in as little as 20 minutes. Ironically, one of the worst things you can do it try and put it out quickly. Thermal shock can cause stone to crack and shatter collapsing it. However most damage takes the form of fracturing and weakening and requires an inspection. Left unchecked it can leave the structure more susceptible to outside factors like earthquakes and nearby construction.
Yeah thank you. I did know that marble, or stone can damage from fire, but it is indeed the roof that's the match and what started the whole fire to get those temperatures high enough. Either way, out of the scope of the video, but thanks for your valuable comment.
There is a recreation of the building in Nasville Tennesee USA. They recently finished a gold clad statue of Goddess Athena. It is splendid, I do not know how accurate it really is but at least it sembles what the real Parthenon might have looked like. Humans are mostly Barbarians and religious ones are the worst of the worst that humanity has ever produced. That beautiful building may still be restored to its ancient beauty. Athena may even make a comeback as a Goddess, no one really know.
11:37 No, he's not a "barbarian", there's no need to devolve into slurs. You are showing very little understanding of how militaries work - the building was part of an Ottoman fortress and thus a legitimate target. Your obsession with an old building is an idea born of later 19th century Romanticism. People back at the time of this siege were much more practical. If a building no longer had a purpose, it had to be given a new one; nothing was left idle for tourism. And no, it wasn't destruction for "nothing" either. Venice proved that the Ottomans weren't invincible and so began the long decline of that empire, including the liberation of the Greeks in the 1820s, who would transform Athens from a backwater village into the fine capital city it now is. If you want to talk real "barbarianism", we can start with your nation's nuclear weapons and what they unleashed on Japan.
Yes I am Canadian LOL. Well, fact is, most war and armies in history were barbaric, in the modern sense of the word, including the nuclear bomb on Japan. One does not negate the other.
Love your videos! Thanks for making this one. It's very easy to watch. The story is probably little known so very intriguing. Happy New Year's to everyone watching and wishing you all the best in the next year and on! 🎉🎉🎉 Lets pray for peace and happiness for All and may the great works of the world be treasured always ❤
I have a picture of me in front of this taken when I was 20 years old 50 years ago. I was dropped off for 5 days when I was deployed to Sicily. I stayed in a cheap room and bought a tour book and walked all over.
Brilliant; thank you. I have, with this changed my opinion. With this, I shall now petition the Government to return the 'Elgin marbles'. - hopefully within my lifetime.
Being a bit unfair on Elgin. He not only paid for what he took, he also stopped Greeks burning the shattered ruins for lime. It could be argued he did more for Greek tourism than anyone who ever lived, bar Alexander the Great.
@@Street-Gems Paid the Ottomans since they're the ones who owned the land at the time. Who is responsible for the ruins at Ephesus today? The Turks since it's in Turkey. But they aren't the civilization that built the site. If the Ottomans still owned Greece today you wouldn't question it
Wow! Thank you! I've been there and walked around the Parthenon and at the time, I read up on the ancient part of its history but I never new this. ... A possible solution for countries to get back their ancient treasures that they were robbed of in the past, is if museums and other owners made high quality replicas and handed the originals back. But, I can't imagine there would be much enthusiasm for that, among the owners and, of course, there would be disputes about who should pay for all that.
I dont think that the Venetian’s are totally to blame for this. The Ottomans shouldn’t have place gun powder in there in the first place, regardless if they knew what it was or not.
There is a small shrine to Venetian hero Francesco Morosini in Venice's Doges Palace. The Venetians were a tough, ruthless bunch. They even dared to steal the body of St Mark from Alexandria, Egypt so they could build a church around his tomb. They felt this would make them an important city. The body of St Mark is still there in St Mark's Basilica, located in St Mark's Square, next to St Mark's Campanile.
tbh, the Greek government should reconstruct the Parthenon. even have a new Athena statue made from gold, ivory and marble. it might not be original but the ruins sitting there right now are exposed to the elements and suffer erosion. I would say the same thing with regards to the Colosseum in Rome.
@@darknessoftruth9314 Since it was the Venetians that caused the explosion, how about having the Italian government help pay the bill? Silly me, that would never happen.
Wonderful video... I have been an architect for 30 years, and took many courses in architectural history. I have always been fascinated by this building, and yet I learned SO much detail from your narration and your animations... Thank you. Just fantastic.. Best 14 minutes I've spent in a long time.
Wow! Thank you so much! Best comment I've received in a while. Since you're an architect, please check out my short video on the roofs of Greek temples. At the end of it there is a thumbnail to click to another longer video on the Greek temples in Italy. Here is the link to the roof video: th-cam.com/video/YYtYb3Vb6jk/w-d-xo.htmlsi=gdP8-aAQfFZpTZOT
@@Street-Gems Thank you.. I will do. I had of course heard of the various invasions of Greece, and knew that the Parthenon had been destroyed by an explosion involving the Turks - but I was really impressed by all the period illustrations you provided. That is amazing first-hand information. As an architect, I was always more focused on the amazing tricks that Phydias and the other ancient geniuses used to trick your eye and make the Greek temples look so perfect... (The columns being out of plumb, and the entasis...etc..) Thanks again. I will check out the other video.
@@jamiebusch9406 Yes I didn't create the reconstructions of the various periods, but I directed the creation of many of them, so they fit the video, or purchased them ready made. As an architect, you might enjoy the video on the temples in Italy more actually. It's more substantial than the roof video. Thanks again for your great comment.
Oh I think I misread your last comment. Yes the illustrations from the periods are very beautiful. They really were some of my favorite parts of the video, all those sketches of the Parthenon with the roof in the 17th century. Just lovely.
Fun fact wood can withstand a very long time if maintained look to Japan and espiacially Nara where the oldest wooden building from 630 stands in a temple area in the city.
I visited the area in 2019. I never saw the Parthenon as I was told the destruction was too saddening. I did visit the site of the Temple of Poseidon on the southern most tip of the same peninsula Athens is located in an area called Sounion. Though much smaller and equally damaged it was much more accessible and gave me a good idea what Greek temples could look like...
one of the pastime ive done playing AC Odyssey was google searching the landmarks etc. i reach Athens and climb up a top Parthenon. in that moment i was keen it was due to earthquakes that struck its destruction, just to my surprize, yep not by natural cause.
Interesting account of the Parthenon. However, according to Wikipedia: “They were brought from Greece to Malta, then a British protectorate, where they remained for a number of years until they were transported to Britain. The excavation and removal was completed in 1812 at a personal cost to Elgin of £74,240 (equivalent to £5,670,000 in 2023 pounds).” Elgin later sold them to the British government for £35,000. The marbles were not stolen. Nevertheless, there is a strong argument that the Marbles should be returned. But how to do this legally, according to British law. Apparently the Marbles are held by the British Museum under trust law for ever, so cannot easily be relinquished by the Museum. The current thinking is that the British Museum might “lend” the Marbles to the Greek government, but probably wouldn’t ask for the to be returned!
4:41 It could be your script being poetic and clever, but Catholics do not believe that Mary is a goddess. You are certainly right that Christians preserved the continuity of the theme of virginity by turning the parthenon into a church dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary! There is a kernel of truth in depicting Athena as a virgin. The pagans had the clues in their hearts that would soon be fulfilled in Jesus Christ's incarnation and virgin birth
I think where I was coming from is a mix of poetic/clever like you said, trying to make a point that it's not a coincidence that the Christians made that continuity from one virgin to another virgin, and the fact that I'm not a Christian so I don't see her as the mother of god. But in hindsight, I regret saying "goddess". I now understand that it was a mistake to call her that. I should have said, from one virgin goddess to another virgin, or something like that, more generic.
@@Street-Gems it's all good! I could tell you were making that point fundamentally. Many examples of us Christians back then making use of these perennial themes!
I have visited the original Parthenon in Athens, Greece several times. Then in my later years I visited the full sized copy of the Parthenon in Nashville, Tennessee that was built in 1898 depicting the building as it was during the Golden Age of Greece. The copy in Tennessee really helped me appreciate how much was lost and how truly magnificent the original building had to have been when it was new.
I’ve been to the Parthenon at Nashville. It’s very pretty and with the Athena statue. It did give me a sense of what the Athens Parthenon would been. Many years ago I finally did visit the original during a cruise trip we stopped at Athens and went to an excursion there. What an amazing experience… but it was also sad seen such monumental building destroyed. I wondered if a portion… maybe half of it couldn’t been completed renovated while leaving other half as the original ruins?
As if religion was bad enough to desecrate just a timeless treasure, there’s war and stupidity to destroy it entirely. Excellent video, I learned a lot.
Wtf islamic faith actualy prescribed tons of ruins and scripture stop blaming religion blame people religion as a whole is good for many. Sadly lost of zeliots saw it as a means of power.
@redemptionjack4657 Islam is the biggest culprit of lost history for the past 1400 years... They also literally spent several months buring the book in Alexandria
The British government has done a better job maintaining these, most likely these statues would have been lost to time without the great British Empire. Perspective people
That's the argument you hear every time a Brit comes to defend Elgin's action, even noted scholar Mary Beard, who wrote a small book on the Parthenon couldn't quite free herself of it. But literally nobody outside the UK buys the argument so why don't you shove it, and "the great British Empire".
Great job Jordan! I never knew that story about its Destruction. Or that the roof was that old. Its crazy how we think if a home last mabey 100 years now, its a good home. So much history, so much wisdom, so many good stories. Keep up the good work!
The blessed Virgin Mary was not a goddess, but a creature like you and I. The highest of all creatures,Full of Grace and Blessed. Prepared to be the perfect mother to Jesus and all who Trust in him. Salve Maria, God is all that is Good!
That's a lie, and you just contradicted yourself as you claim Mary was not a goddess yet worship her and make up false claims about her... She was just a regular good woman who happened to have the right blood line at the time God appointed to send his son... There were thousands of other women in Isreal who could've filled the role but didn't happen to have the right bloodline... thus, nothing special about Mary as opposed to other women; just her bloodline... Mary was mostly definitely 'not' the highest of all creatures then or now... Jesus told his disciples that John was the greatest among mankind and that even the least in heaven is greater than John... The disciples, John, the profits, and all the patriarchs were greater than Mary yet cultic catholics worship Mary as is she is equal or above God...
The Ottoman were similar to Hamas. If it was a place of worship, a school, a museum, it was also an armory. Oh, and Mary isn't and never was a "goddess". She is, of course, a Saint -- a person to be emulated in daily life.
Large public buildings have always been used for storage and as barracks when needed in times of war, as that's the easiest way to find the necessary space. It's presently a common practice in Ukraine as well.
@@slickrick2420 Considering that it was essentially the only large building on the hill, yes. People generally didn't attribute that much special value to ancient buildings back then. For instance, the Roman colosseum was used as a quarry all the way to the middle of the 18th century.
@@slickrick2420 Considering that it was essentially the only large building on the hill, yes. People generally didn't attribute that much special value to ancient buildings back then. For instance, the Roman colosseum was used as a quarry all the way to the middle of the 18th century.
Very interesting facts in this presentation. There is one ancient temple in Athens that still has a roof. Its called the Theseion or Hephaisteion bordering on the Agora . However it does not have its original timber roof, but has a replacement barrel vaulted roof put in much later when it was converted to a church.
Yes please watch my video on Greek roofs. It's short. Only 5 minutes. At the end I talk about the Hephaeston. Here is the link: th-cam.com/video/YYtYb3Vb6jk/w-d-xo.htmlsi=PFfy26rNdcIHjgbo
Hello Jordan, I thought this was going to be a click bait video, for what is going on in America. So much to learn about our world history, I am happy I watched with understanding that war has never left any country to heal. If I was a rich man I would build it back to its full glory. Thanks for sharing. ❤
I read two versions, that it was a mortar shell and possibly a cannon ball. I kind of used that term a bit ambiguously, as I wasn't 100% what type of armament it was exactly.
By the time of Napoleon exploding shells were common so you are off by a century, the later 1700's or 18th. They were used by both ship and land forces along with Canister, Grape, Jack, Hot, Chain, Bar and some other specialty rounds. Most I mention can even be found on USS Constitution that served very actively in the early 1800's.
Thankyou! I really enjoyed this video. I've visited the Parthenon I think three times so far and I never knew any of the history which you have spoken about. The way you presented it is also first class and a joy to listen to including the music. This will really help me to see the Parthenon in a different light in future. Thank you once again.
Why not rebuild it to its former glory? There must be one Greek artist who wouldn't mind rebuilding his relative's greatest work for the rest of his life? I am sure Americans would help to have bragging rights! I'll bet the Venusian would help also.
Hi everyone, I'm really excited to present this video to you, as I put a lot into it.
I also want to announce that I have a Patreon page now. I love making these videos for you, so if you feel like supporting my work, I would be very grateful.
And if you can't, no problem, but please subscribe to my channel :) You have my thanks in advance. Jordan
www.patreon.com/StreetGems
Thanks for the video your vids are really good
You’ll be at 100,000 in no time
At 02:46 you say ".. the last pagan emperor, Julian."
his is the first time I've ever heard Rome, around the height of it's power and influence, referred to as a pagan society. - 'Pagan' - a person holding religious beliefs other than those of the main or recognized religions -. At the time, the religion of Rome was likely the most widespread recognized religion in the world. So, simply by the definition of the word ;pagan' itself, the polytheistic religion of Rome cannot be pagan.
In ancient Greek, the root of word we now pronounce 'virgin' had nothing to do with what we NOW refer to as virginity. It simply meant a young woman.
Which is interesting even outside of reference to the Goddess Athena as being a virgin. It also calls into question the concept Mary (the mother of Jesus) ALSO being a virgin (in the modern sense of the word).
Christian dogma CLAIMS Mary was conceived by her own mother without 'Original Sin'. That is, without the 'Original Sin' that ALL human beings are conceived in according to Christian dogma. It does not necessarily imply that Mary remained a virgin all her life, even though Christian dogma generally assumes that she did.
Masterful story telling. Please explain how the replacement mosque disappeared from the center of the building...
When I was 6 years old, sometimes the whole school on Saturdays would go to the Acropolis and sit inside the building while the teacher would tell us about the History of Athens. I remember we used to play inside the building touching the columns. Although I was young I still felt awed about the building and the people who lived back then and built it. Now I go bye everyday and still it feels like the first time when I saw it. I'm a very lucky man ..
As a Brit, i feel its time for the statues to come home, history is history, i know in my heart we will return them from 'safe keeping' to where they truly belong one day, ending any animosity over this between the Greeks and the Brits, in jubilation.
@@Alienalloy "home" is 2k years in the past.
@@Alienalloy
😂😂😂😂
@billl7939 Beautiful memory
I was aware of the destruction of the Parthenon, but never the circumstances behind its destruction. I guess Einstein was correct in the assumption that human stupidity is greater than the universe itself. Great video, you’ve earned my subscription today!
It continued to be a Pagan temple.
Well, Einsteins' fear of relatives was right !
Thank you for subscribing. Glad you liked the video.
A great video, I got to visit the Parthenon on the 16th November 2023 with my partner, it's just a stunning building. When you first lay eyes on it it takes your breath away, our Athens hotel was at the rear and so we could see it from our room for all of our stay in Athens.
Thanks for posting.
As a 14 year old in middle school, I was so enamored of the beauty of classical Greek architecture that I built a scale model of the Parthenon out of white soap bars and cardboard, though it was somewhat crude, just the basic architectural elements. I think it was about a foot, or so, long. The history teacher was so impressed by it that he put it in the center of a display case, surrounded by the works of other classmates.
So the Venetians wrecked both Constaninople and the Parthenon, anything else?
This comment literally made me crack up. Yeah their legacy is a mixed bag. Beautiful architecture and cities, but also a trail of destruction.
They were like the us of bush
The Venetians were so cool
I guess the only positive (if you can call it that) is that the Venetians sometimes looted things (not so much because of artistic and historical interest but to acquire power and cultural authority through association with the artefacts), whereas their allies didn't care at all and just melted things down.
The Venetians were not the ones using the Parthenon as a powder magazine.
The Ottomans aren't without blame either. From the Venetian perspective, they blew up a big mosque with all the enemy's gunpowder, but why would the Ottomans store all their explosives their grand mosque? All is fair in war I guess.
I personally blame both.
I blame the guys who planted gunpowder in a church. nevermind, I blame the people claiming a church has meaning to it.
Im still mad they used the pyramids casing stones to make mosques
Because the building they were originally using to store their gunpowder in blew up after a lightning strike
@zaxmaxlax Uh I think the casing stones were mostly long since looted before they came.
As an art historian, I consider this to be an excellent presentation and documentary!
Thank you very much. Are you a professor?
Very good.
One thing I would take issue with is this unreasonable if fashionable characterization of Elgin. The 'Elgin Marbles' would almost certainly not exist today if he hadn't taken them back to the UK. More, he paid the local authorities of the time for what he took. He stole nothing, and being their legal owner had the right to sell them.
So who is the greater 'barbarian'? The man who preserved what he did, or the people who cared so little for what they had they allowed ongoing destruction by neglect?
Speaking for myself. If the Greek government was prepared to properly (and sympathetically) restore the Parthenon to at least it's pre-destruction state rather than leaving it as a sad ruin, then I think a welcome gesture would be to give the 'Elgin Marbles' to the Greek people as part of the restoration effort... but absolutely not before.
More, speaking as an Englishman who is fortunate to live part time in Greece (sadly the Greek government won't allow me to move permanently - I get it) if a genuine restoration effort was made I'd happily dedicate the rest of my life to that effort, including championing the return the Elgin Marbles - but again, not before!
Others may not like or agree with the above position. (held by a great many entirely reasonable people) But they should at least have it explained to them so that can hold an informed opinion of their own rather than uninformed prejudice.
For myself I fully understand why most Greek people want the Elgin Marbles in Greece, and certainly sympathize with that view. But I neither sympathize nor agree with the post-hock demonizing of a man who did these undoubted treasures a favor by acquiring them entirely legally. The Greek people have *no* right to these treasures, either legally or morally, even if we can all agree that their ideal place would be attached to the Parthenon.
Very well said.
thank you, that was one of the best explanations ive heard in years, ive been studying architecture for years and the parthenon is always in the top five building of all times, i usually got the beginning and the end, but never the middle, this is what ive been missing for years, thank you once again.......................
Great! And the middle is very interesting.
Extremely SAD Impressive visuals and great storytelling.
Great video, and indeed sad that it was destroyed. Another sad thing is the reconstruction (if that's what the current Greeks are doing), seems to be going very very slow. I visited the Parthenon in 1998 and I have recently compared my old photos to what it looks like today and I don't see much difference. I have also visited the fully standing copy of the Parthenon in Nashville TN. It was amazing to see how it would have looked originally.
I am 70 years old and 60 years ago in the 4th grade we learned about Greek Mythology. I did a report on the Parthenon and learned about the gun powder explosion. The details had grown dim, but I knew the Ottoman’s were involved and that the temple was mostly intact up to the explosion. It was great to revisit this history of the Parthenon.
im 56 and wasn't till now i learnt the same.. were never to old to be amazed xx
Glad to refresh it for you.
The Parthenon would have been so magnificent today. So tragic😢
Nashville has an exact reproduction that quite impressive, and it’s to scale.
It still is.
@@Wanamaker1946I’ve been there! It was amazing.
@@Wanamaker1946 But it's from the gift shop.
Thanks!
Thank you for the tip
As a dutch historian I must say: very, very impressive. Now I understand how devastating this 1687 explosion was...
Thank you. Do you teach history in the Netherlands?
@@Street-Gems No, I write and talk about it.
Some people want to burn the world to ashes rather than let anyone else enjoy it...
Great Job Jordan!. I said i wrote a paper in school years ago about this, so even though i knew this info, it was FANTASTIC to see all the great visual recreations bringing the Parthenons history to life!!. This building has held a special place in my love for ancient architecture from my earliest memories. Not for the pagan practices and rituals, but for the style of these buildings. The church/school i attended from kindergarten onward had majestic white columns across the front of the building the exact size of the Parthenons. So,yea, grew up with being able to visually and physically experience the majesty of these things. Very moving. And, emphatically YES !!! the Brits NEED to give Athens back their history!. No question!. Loved your video as always!! ⚜️
Hey David thank you. I knew you'd like this one. So the paper that you wrote was on the explosion? Or on the Parthenon in general?
@Street-Gems Hi Jordan. It was on ancient Greece. And one section was devoted to the Parthenon and the Acropolis. That's how I learned about the history. The one thing that I've always thought strange is the smaller temple on the Acropolis that has the porch of the caryatids. Half women, half column. Never truly got a decent explanation. Very strange looking.
But the part that I thought was cool was the Parthenon had TWO entrances. The one that faces the approach from the front gate, housed all the wealth, basically like a national Treasury. The actual "temple" of Athena" was on the other end, and that's where the followers would go in. The other was that there was a giant reflecting pond directly in front of the statue inside. Fascinating.
@@dmd5645 Yes and that reflecting pond is depicted in the reconstruction of the statue that's in my video. The artist nails all the details in his reconstructions.
The Brits should give Greece its statues back. They would look so much cooler on the Parthenon.
Thank you for your video. For those who are unaware, a full scale replica of the Parthenon including a huge statue of Athena @ 1:08 and copies of the Elgin Marble sculptures are located at Centennial Park in Nashville, Tennessee. The 2010 movie “Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief” featured the hero fighting the Hydra inside the Parthenon replica in Nashville, Tennessee.
Assassin's Creed Odyssey made me appreciate Greek structures. :) It's like going back in time.
Amazing video I am a Greek & had no idea about that explosion that occur during the war you described between the ottomans & Venetian army, that's the first time I'm hearing about it & seriously I felt a stab in my chest when you show the scene of the explosion that was a major crime what they did both sides, I can't believe that there was humans that acted like that only few centuries ago, no regard at all for historical monuments with thousands of years of history, they are worse than monkeys, no brain on their skulls, don't know what else to say...
Take a look at what ISIS and Al-Qaeda do to ancient Iraq monuments
Yeah I knew the explosion would be a stab in the heart for many Greeks watching.
It is the most beautiful building I have ever seen with my own eyes. Thank you for the detailed history on this magnificent Temple of Athena. Excellent workmanship as usual.
Love that you loved my video. When was the last time you've been to the Acropolis?
Thank you very much. You speak from my heart. The destruction of the agyptian and greek culture was one of the biggest crimes in history.
Thank you man. And I agree with you. We lost so much.
@@Street-Gems Buildings that were made into churches were usually the ones that survived - the great domed temple in Rome known as the Pantheon is a prime example of this -it survived largely because it was turned into a church! In the same manner the Christian monasteries preserved ancient literature during the Dark Ages - the Irish monks were particularly active in this field.Most buildings decay because of lack of function not because they were wantonly destroyed.
The destruction of the Mayan codices is much worse (and the overall intentional destruction of every civilization and culture in American continent) in my opinion, and what's more terrible is that the overall process of cultural destruction is ongoing.
@@noticiasinmundicias Actually if you knew your history you would discover that the Christian church, though some things were unnecessarily destroyed like the Maya stuff, but overall they did more than anyone else to preserve native languages and cultures. This was because the Christian missionaries wanted to convert the people and wanted them to be able to read the Bible. So they gave the previously oral only languages a written form, creating a grammar and syntax for those languages and thus preserving them. So many of the indigenous languages of the world were preserved because of this like the languages of Australia, Africa and Papua New Guinea. The process started early in history with bishop Ulfilas translating the Bible into Gothic -the earliest written traces of a germanic language. St Cyril and Methodius created the Cyrillic alphabet for the Slavs -the alphabet used by the Russians, Serbians, Bulgarians and others today. With the Protestant reformation the Bible translation thing reached a fever pitch and kickstarted the literatures of many languages like German, the Baltic languages and of course the king James Bible had an inestimable influence on the English cutlure.Special schools were set up to teach literacy so that people might be able to read the Bible and that is why countries like Sweden were the first ones in history to achieve universal literacy. This is all factual!
@@kaloarepo288that is your best guess, nice theory!
This is why we can't have nice things.
Jordan, kudos to you yet again! A masterful telling of what happened to the parthenon! I had NO idea about the massive damage done as a result of the Morean War!! Such a beautiful masterpiece of architecture to the world, and as man seems to always do, destroyed only for the goals of war, as are so many other historic works of art being attacked today. Thank you for your beautiful artwork, which so vibrantly makes sense of the story! And your narration, too! (I could listen all day long!)
Hey thank you so much. I don't think I ever asked, what is your name? You always comment on my videos, but your username doesn't show a name.
@@Street-Gems Hi Jordan! I'm Rena! And yes, I do truly appreciate your tutorials, especially because I am in nearly constant study of the old testament and antiquity. You help me put together the pieces and images so wonderfully!
@@RJ-go3sn Amazing! Thank you Rena. I plan to do more content on ancient Israel, just not yet. Thank you for your enthusiasm on my content.
Excellent presentation, Jordan and Team. Thank you.
War destroys everything 😪...Another great video, you can tell these are done with great passion. Great narration, Excellent story telling and awesome graphics.
Thank you Marty
Great video, it answered a question I've had since I was in Architecture school (long ago). When we studied the classical Greek structures, I was shocked to learn that the Parthenon had survived through most of the 17th century. Always wondered what led to its destruction and now I know. Thanks -
Amazing. I love it when I teach people things they didn't know. Thanks for watching.
Ottomans and remorse in the same sentence... impossible.
The Ottomans were barbarians... and they still are today.
Barbarian Greeks
👍
Shelling the Parthenon is really no different that the US bombing Monte Casino during WW II. Very few people will destroy an ancient building if there’s an alternative. Although there are exceptions like the Taliban and Isis.
Yes, that was a shameful and unfortunate act. But that Abbey was destroyed multiple times over the centuries by multiple factions. WWII destruction was not an arbitrary event...the Germans almost forced the allies to take it...be sure you reference the real reasons before being so high minded dude.
WOW had no idea about all of this thanks
The Parthenon is quite a story. You told it briefly, and balanced nicely between audio and pictures. It ws flawlees, in my opinion, but evem then, clearly its hearrt is love of the Parthenon as art.
Lovely comment. Thank you.
Wow so the cowards ottomans destroyed the Parthenon
Lmao, the venetians bombed it
With my background in art history, I must say this is a phenomenal and insightful piece of work
Thank you 😁
Mary is not and never was a "goddess".
She is venerated to quite a high degree, immaculate conception, the Assumption, the Rosary, pilgrimages to Marian shrines, and feast days. Not a goddess, but God-bearer.
Hey, random Greek guy here, loved the video and learned a lot from it. My only criticism is the choice of music, very typical and whats expected when north Americans make a movie or documentary about Greece. Doesn't offend me to be clear but bouzouki solo while learning about Parthenon is like listening to rap beats while learning about MLK. Eye rolling situation if you know what I mean. My choice would be ancient greek lyre or harp music.
Thank you for your support.
Love and respect from Turkey 🇹🇷
Ημουν στο πρωτο λεπτο του βιντεο και εκανα την ιδια σκεψη. +1
He wouldn't know what you mean. He used the bouzouki. An infraction that's easily let slide due to thorough research of the chosen topic by a non-Greek. The music was more for a musical flavor of Greece rather than an accurate musical detail of the time.
@@PhantomFilmAustralia That's why I gave an analogy, we get it how and why non Greeks associate it with Greece, Zorba etc. For Greeks bouzouki=nightclub,drinking,partying. Makes no sense in this setting. You could use it when showing modern day chaos in Athens or Greek beaches but this is out of place , that's all.
That’s actually a great comment! As a random North American guy, I think that any time a creator uses stereotypical but inappropriate music, it’s good if someone lets that person and the viewers know.
I’ve seen another, rather extensive video talking about stereotypical Middle-Eastern music and a short video situated in Venice that uses stereotypical “Italian music,” i.e., Tarantella, to the derision of several viewers, by an organization, Deutsche Welle, that really _should_ know better, so, quite obviously, the issue is not limited to Greece or Greek music (not that you said anything that implied that it was).
I would surmise that these creators aren’t even really _thinking_ about these choices-they’re just going for what, to them, “sounds about right,” what one other commenter called “a musical flavor of Greece” in this case-but, probably, with a few moments of thought, they might be able to find something that is more appropriate and not stereotypical (although whether they are actually authorized to use that music on this platform is another matter).
Rebuild it just like Notre Dame.
How Notre Dame looked like is known to everyone, so there wasn't to much discussion about how to reconstruct it.
The Parthenon is now a ruin for centuries. Even if you want to reconstruct it, which time should be preferred for the reconstruction? I don't think people from Greece want to see the Parthenon turned again into the building it was before the explosion happened...
At the moment there is already enough discussion about the reconstruction of the monumental staircase which leads to the entrance of the Akropolis, the Propylaia.
If there will ever be some more reconstruction of the Parthenon, this will be a project for further generations.
War has destroyed so much history.
"In the Roman Empire, wich Greece was now part of, started being invaded by barbarian tribes." Instead of a Roman Empire, we now have a European Union wich Greece is now part of. Wich is ironically also being invaded by barbarian tribes. Interesting how history repeats itself as we speak. The Ottomans are the Turks from now. I know you don't want to admid it, but the Parthenon got destroyed as a result from islamification. The carelessness and greed is what followed and kept it in ruins. The problems we have now in our failing multicultural societies, have been going around for centuries, and have been in the making for centuries.
The Acropolis was originally a defensive structure, a castle on a strategically advantageous hill, and only later, when the city around it grew so large that the Acropolis became strategically insignificant because the wars of Greece took place far away on the borders of the empire, was it converted into a religious place. No wonder the Ottomans recognized its strategic advantage of the walled hill and retreated to it, no wonder that they stored ammunition in the cella as the innermost walled part, the safest as they assumed.
The Ottomans are completely to blame.
Mostly...
Quality and well researched presentation. Thank you. I found it very interesting. Keep up the good work.
Thank you!
Wooden roofs are pretty good, we know Notre Dame lasted over 800 years and would still be with us if.... The oldest wooden roof existing is in Japan and around 2000 years old. So we could have the Parthenon's origional roof if Europe had been more stable.
If you want to see intact parthenon you have to go to nashville tenneesee they have exact replica.
Elgin wasn’t a barbarian, just for a bit of reality.
A Pirate for his Lordship ?
I just discovered this channel. Im glad i did...
Great! Check out some of my other videos.
Passionate video. Very engaging.
Thank you. I feel this has been my most passionate project on my channel so far. It's been in the works for 9 months.
You are far too hard on Lord Elgin. Truth be told, the Ottoman Turk cared quite little for the ruin of the building. They had already cannabilised what remained in order to build their mosque. Many of the remaining Pentellic Marble sculptures were bunt in a kiln to make mortar and Lord Elgin rightfully believed that this was the fate of the Parthenon frieze: he *rescued* them from almost certain oblivion. The British museum has preserved them and they should probably remain there.
A Scot here. Agreed, the video is a bit hard on Lord Elgin but I think that the time has come to send the marbles back.
I disagree. What will happen when the next power takes London? Greeks are going to be pretty upset if their artifacts can't be protected. What a shame that when the dust settled English students were able to study those artifacts and Greeks could not
@@bouzoukiman5000
Duplicates of the Parthenon friezes - or at least what remains of them - are located several places now. It is the archaeological community in Britain and Germany in particular that has protected Hellenic sculptures and architectural elements. The Berlin Museum preserved what remained of the Pergamon Altar of the Great Temple of Zeus, if you will remember. This otherwise would have been lost or frittered away as 'fragments' to museums and private collectors worldwide. The painful reminder of what happens when a greater, more 'culturally conservative' power does *not* step in should have been when ISIS and the Islamic State grabbed hold of territory in Iraq and Afghanistan. ¿ Have we forgotten already about the deliberate destruction of the Bamian Buddhist statues, temples, inscriptions and cave dwellings which they utterly obliterated when they took charge ? ¿ Or the historic churches, mosques, temples and Assyrian and Sumerian relics that had survived to the present day ( and been 'restored' and 'preserved' ) that they destroyed in their frenzy of religious purging ? ( Or in some cases divvied up, looted and sold so they could buy armaments. ) Western cultures not only strive to preserve the past and learn from it, but also to *recover* it. We are the ones who have done the hard work, deciphered dead or forgotten languages, put the pieces together...and now suffer the indignities of being insulted, lambasted and *resented* for our good works. The 'Elgin Marbles' would likely be a few fragments lost in private collections or would have reduced to calcined dust in kilns to use as wall plaster if he had not *actually* rescued them. It's time we stopped apologising and defending ourselves for being better and having more foresight than almost everyone else in the world put together. ( Hope that clarifies a thing or two. )
Sure buddy. Let me come and take your house , cause i can preserve it better than you. You can stay in the dog house that i will make for you in the garden. If only Athens had a much more modern and better museum that the brits have , to preserve and display em. Right?
Thank you for this. I had no idea of its recent history. Very sad indeed. Man creates such masterpieces only to destory them.
No stone doesn't burn but it doesn't have to. Depending on the type of stone, temperature of the fire and length of time it's exposed to it, a fire can severely alter it's characteristics in as little as 20 minutes. Ironically, one of the worst things you can do it try and put it out quickly. Thermal shock can cause stone to crack and shatter collapsing it. However most damage takes the form of fracturing and weakening and requires an inspection. Left unchecked it can leave the structure more susceptible to outside factors like earthquakes and nearby construction.
Thank you. I've always found it puzzling that fire can do such damage to stone buildings.
Yeah thank you. I did know that marble, or stone can damage from fire, but it is indeed the roof that's the match and what started the whole fire to get those temperatures high enough. Either way, out of the scope of the video, but thanks for your valuable comment.
Fabulous video. Thank you Jordan.
Thanks Leslie. Glad you enjoyed it.
There is a recreation of the building in Nasville Tennesee USA. They recently finished a gold clad statue of Goddess Athena. It is splendid, I do not know how accurate it really is but at least it sembles what the real Parthenon might have looked like. Humans are mostly Barbarians and religious ones are the worst of the worst that humanity has ever produced. That beautiful building may still be restored to its ancient beauty. Athena may even make a comeback as a Goddess, no one really know.
would love to see the temple rebuild to its full glory
See replica in Nashville TN
11:37 No, he's not a "barbarian", there's no need to devolve into slurs. You are showing very little understanding of how militaries work - the building was part of an Ottoman fortress and thus a legitimate target. Your obsession with an old building is an idea born of later 19th century Romanticism. People back at the time of this siege were much more practical. If a building no longer had a purpose, it had to be given a new one; nothing was left idle for tourism. And no, it wasn't destruction for "nothing" either. Venice proved that the Ottomans weren't invincible and so began the long decline of that empire, including the liberation of the Greeks in the 1820s, who would transform Athens from a backwater village into the fine capital city it now is.
If you want to talk real "barbarianism", we can start with your nation's nuclear weapons and what they unleashed on Japan.
I think he’s Canadian. That said, you make an excellent point.
Yes I am Canadian LOL. Well, fact is, most war and armies in history were barbaric, in the modern sense of the word, including the nuclear bomb on Japan. One does not negate the other.
The building is one thing but the story behind it is another, both as equally beautiful.
Love your videos! Thanks for making this one. It's very easy to watch. The story is probably little known so very intriguing.
Happy New Year's to everyone watching and wishing you all the best in the next year and on! 🎉🎉🎉
Lets pray for peace and happiness for All and may the great works of the world be treasured always ❤
Hello there old friend. Nice to see a comment from you. So happy you watched it. Happy New Year to you too.
Perfect. Keep up the good work.
Thank you
A concrete copy of the Parthenon can be found in Kentucky. The original could be restored completely at great cost.
The parthenon replica is in Centennial park in Nashville.
I have a picture of me in front of this taken when I was 20 years old 50 years ago. I was dropped off for 5 days when I was deployed to Sicily. I stayed in a cheap room and bought a tour book and walked all over.
Deployed in the navy base in Catania? Just guessing.
@ Sigonella, Sicily
@@Chris_at_Home I looked it up on google maps, so an airbase. Very interesting.
Thank You Jordan Amit. Your narration was excellent. I'm a new fan.
Great! Check out some of my other videos.
Well done!
oh no, did someone park a cyber truck in there
Brilliant; thank you.
I have, with this changed my opinion. With this, I shall now petition the Government to return the 'Elgin marbles'. - hopefully within my lifetime.
Being a bit unfair on Elgin. He not only paid for what he took, he also stopped Greeks burning the shattered ruins for lime. It could be argued he did more for Greek tourism than anyone who ever lived, bar Alexander the Great.
You are blatantly ignorant if you think he "paid for it", or that by any means it was ethical what he did
@@giorgosvarvi697 Do you think he snuck them out under the cover of darkness?
I don't think paying for them makes it ok or ethical. And paid who? The ottomans? The local workers who extracted the statues?
@@Street-Gems Paid the Ottomans since they're the ones who owned the land at the time. Who is responsible for the ruins at Ephesus today? The Turks since it's in Turkey. But they aren't the civilization that built the site. If the Ottomans still owned Greece today you wouldn't question it
Wow! Thank you! I've been there and walked around the Parthenon and at the time, I read up on the ancient part of its history but I never new this.
...
A possible solution for countries to get back their ancient treasures that they were robbed of in the past, is if museums and other owners made high quality replicas and handed the originals back. But, I can't imagine there would be much enthusiasm for that, among the owners and, of course, there would be disputes about who should pay for all that.
It's a good idea actually. Original goes home, and stealer keeps the copy.
I dont think that the Venetian’s are totally to blame for this. The Ottomans shouldn’t have place gun powder in there in the first place, regardless if they knew what it was or not.
There were no other space more suitable
@@kingofbithynia Ottomans had no right to be there to begin with
I don't think we should play the blame game so soon after the explosion. We should let both sides deal with their feelings first.
Israel targets mosques (etc) apparently for no reason. Depending on who you listen to of course.
amazing, a thread full of idiots.
Extraordinary! Thank you!
Very informative. Keep doing what you are.
wow, i love this documentary.
What a shame. That was a crime against humanity, and history!
Thank you for making this video. Lest we forget.
There is a small shrine to Venetian hero Francesco Morosini in Venice's Doges Palace. The Venetians were a tough, ruthless bunch. They even dared to steal the body of St Mark from Alexandria, Egypt so they could build a church around his tomb. They felt this would make them an important city. The body of St Mark is still there in St Mark's Basilica, located in St Mark's Square, next to St Mark's Campanile.
Morosini later became the Doge. There is a modern warship of the Italian navy named after him.
tbh, the Greek government should reconstruct the Parthenon. even have a new Athena statue made from gold, ivory and marble.
it might not be original but the ruins sitting there right now are exposed to the elements and suffer erosion.
I would say the same thing with regards to the Colosseum in Rome.
@@darknessoftruth9314 Since it was the Venetians that caused the explosion, how about having the Italian government help pay the bill? Silly me, that would never happen.
Needs to be a go fund me like the cathedral of notradame is already rebuilt 100% just 5 years after being in ruins
Obwohl wenn man die Schulden beider Länder betrachtet, glaubt man das sie das schon mehrfach getan hätten?
Wonderful video... I have been an architect for 30 years, and took many courses in architectural history. I have always been fascinated by this building, and yet I learned SO much detail from your narration and your animations... Thank you. Just fantastic.. Best 14 minutes I've spent in a long time.
Wow! Thank you so much! Best comment I've received in a while. Since you're an architect, please check out my short video on the roofs of Greek temples. At the end of it there is a thumbnail to click to another longer video on the Greek temples in Italy. Here is the link to the roof video:
th-cam.com/video/YYtYb3Vb6jk/w-d-xo.htmlsi=gdP8-aAQfFZpTZOT
@@Street-Gems Thank you.. I will do. I had of course heard of the various invasions of Greece, and knew that the Parthenon had been destroyed by an explosion involving the Turks - but I was really impressed by all the period illustrations you provided. That is amazing first-hand information. As an architect, I was always more focused on the amazing tricks that Phydias and the other ancient geniuses used to trick your eye and make the Greek temples look so perfect... (The columns being out of plumb, and the entasis...etc..)
Thanks again. I will check out the other video.
@@jamiebusch9406 Yes I didn't create the reconstructions of the various periods, but I directed the creation of many of them, so they fit the video, or purchased them ready made. As an architect, you might enjoy the video on the temples in Italy more actually. It's more substantial than the roof video. Thanks again for your great comment.
Oh I think I misread your last comment. Yes the illustrations from the periods are very beautiful. They really were some of my favorite parts of the video, all those sketches of the Parthenon with the roof in the 17th century. Just lovely.
Fun fact wood can withstand a very long time if maintained look to Japan and espiacially Nara where the oldest wooden building from 630 stands in a temple area in the city.
See also wooden churches built by Goths in eastern Europe and Scandinavia, still standing as from 1300s or so.
You should watch my short video on Greek temple roofs: th-cam.com/video/YYtYb3Vb6jk/w-d-xo.htmlsi=2Eh315JF-vgM7iVW
I visited the area in 2019. I never saw the Parthenon as I was told the destruction was too saddening. I did visit the site of the Temple of Poseidon on the southern most tip of the same peninsula Athens is located in an area called Sounion.
Though much smaller and equally damaged it was much more accessible and gave me a good idea what Greek temples could look like...
one of the pastime ive done playing AC Odyssey was google searching the landmarks etc. i reach Athens and climb up a top Parthenon. in that moment i was keen it was due to earthquakes that struck its destruction, just to my surprize, yep not by natural cause.
It is surprising to many people. Earthquakes may have helped, but the majority of the damage was from the explosion.
Interesting account of the Parthenon. However, according to Wikipedia: “They were brought from Greece to Malta, then a British protectorate, where they remained for a number of years until they were transported to Britain. The excavation and removal was completed in 1812 at a personal cost to Elgin of £74,240 (equivalent to £5,670,000 in 2023 pounds).”
Elgin later sold them to the British government for £35,000.
The marbles were not stolen. Nevertheless, there is a strong argument that the Marbles should be returned. But how to do this legally, according to British law. Apparently the Marbles are held by the British Museum under trust law for ever, so cannot easily be relinquished by the Museum.
The current thinking is that the British Museum might “lend” the Marbles to the Greek government, but probably wouldn’t ask for the to be returned!
The British museum doesn't relinquish them the British parliament does.
I might make a video going more in depth into this.
4:41 It could be your script being poetic and clever, but Catholics do not believe that Mary is a goddess. You are certainly right that Christians preserved the continuity of the theme of virginity by turning the parthenon into a church dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary! There is a kernel of truth in depicting Athena as a virgin. The pagans had the clues in their hearts that would soon be fulfilled in Jesus Christ's incarnation and virgin birth
Well said, better than my explanation!
I think where I was coming from is a mix of poetic/clever like you said, trying to make a point that it's not a coincidence that the Christians made that continuity from one virgin to another virgin, and the fact that I'm not a Christian so I don't see her as the mother of god. But in hindsight, I regret saying "goddess". I now understand that it was a mistake to call her that. I should have said, from one virgin goddess to another virgin, or something like that, more generic.
@@Street-Gems it's all good! I could tell you were making that point fundamentally. Many examples of us Christians back then making use of these perennial themes!
Such a great video…awesome work!
Thank you!
There is a full sized replica in Nashville, Tennessee that is worth visiting because it shows what it looked like when first built.
It is strange that there were statues in a mosque.
I have visited the original Parthenon in Athens, Greece several times. Then in my later years I visited the full sized copy of the Parthenon in Nashville, Tennessee that was built in 1898 depicting the building as it was during the Golden Age of Greece. The copy in Tennessee really helped me appreciate how much was lost and how truly magnificent the original building had to have been when it was new.
I’ve been to the Parthenon at Nashville. It’s very pretty and with the Athena statue. It did give me a sense of what the Athens Parthenon would been. Many years ago I finally did visit the original during a cruise trip we stopped at Athens and went to an excursion there. What an amazing experience… but it was also sad seen such monumental building destroyed. I wondered if a portion… maybe half of it couldn’t been completed renovated while leaving other half as the original ruins?
As if religion was bad enough to desecrate just a timeless treasure, there’s war and stupidity to destroy it entirely. Excellent video, I learned a lot.
Wtf islamic faith actualy prescribed tons of ruins and scripture stop blaming religion blame people religion as a whole is good for many.
Sadly lost of zeliots saw it as a means of power.
@@redemptionjack4657 did you not watch the video? Perhaps the miranet on top the structure was to your liking. The toilet is where you belong
*tips fedora*
@redemptionjack4657 Islam is the biggest culprit of lost history for the past 1400 years... They also literally spent several months buring the book in Alexandria
Thanks Jay
So heart-breaking.
8:55 Ah yes, the Morean war, the disaster for the Parthenon
Thank you for this informative and educational video!
Thanks for sharing!
Please have an excellent and awesome day!
Thank you, you too.
The British government has done a better job maintaining these, most likely these statues would have been lost to time without the great British Empire. Perspective people
That is true, now give them back.
That's the argument you hear every time a Brit comes to defend Elgin's action, even noted scholar Mary Beard, who wrote a small book on the Parthenon couldn't quite free herself of it.
But literally nobody outside the UK buys the argument so why don't you shove it, and "the great British Empire".
I'm outside the UK and I buy it
Yes
@@guyfaux5010 They are rebuilding it, so they should be put back at some point. when they are ready
Great job Jordan! I never knew that story about its Destruction. Or that the roof was that old. Its crazy how we think if a home last mabey 100 years now, its a good home. So much history, so much wisdom, so many good stories. Keep up the good work!
Thanks Steve. It was a pleasant surprise that you were watching all my videos.
The blessed Virgin Mary was not a goddess, but a creature like you and I. The highest of all creatures,Full of Grace and Blessed. Prepared to be the perfect mother to Jesus and all who Trust in him. Salve Maria, God is all that is Good!
That's a lie, and you just contradicted yourself as you claim Mary was not a goddess yet worship her and make up false claims about her...
She was just a regular good woman who happened to have the right blood line at the time God appointed to send his son... There were thousands of other women in Isreal who could've filled the role but didn't happen to have the right bloodline... thus, nothing special about Mary as opposed to other women; just her bloodline...
Mary was mostly definitely 'not' the highest of all creatures then or now... Jesus told his disciples that John was the greatest among mankind and that even the least in heaven is greater than John...
The disciples, John, the profits, and all the patriarchs were greater than Mary yet cultic catholics worship Mary as is she is equal or above God...
The Ottoman were similar to Hamas. If it was a place of worship, a school, a museum, it was also an armory. Oh, and Mary isn't and never was a "goddess". She is, of course, a Saint -- a person to be emulated in daily life.
Large public buildings have always been used for storage and as barracks when needed in times of war, as that's the easiest way to find the necessary space. It's presently a common practice in Ukraine as well.
@@WimboldNot one of the most important ancient buildings
@@slickrick2420 Considering that it was essentially the only large building on the hill, yes. People generally didn't attribute that much special value to ancient buildings back then. For instance, the Roman colosseum was used as a quarry all the way to the middle of the 18th century.
@@slickrick2420 Considering that it was essentially the only large building on the hill, yes. People generally didn't attribute that much special value to ancient buildings back then. For instance, the Roman colosseum was used as a quarry all the way to the middle of the 18th century.
@@Wimbold By the Russians.
Very interesting facts in this presentation. There is one ancient temple in Athens that still has a roof. Its called the Theseion or Hephaisteion bordering on the Agora . However it does not have its original timber roof, but has a replacement barrel vaulted roof put in much later when it was converted to a church.
Yes please watch my video on Greek roofs. It's short. Only 5 minutes. At the end I talk about the Hephaeston. Here is the link: th-cam.com/video/YYtYb3Vb6jk/w-d-xo.htmlsi=PFfy26rNdcIHjgbo
Very good historical documentary. Until watching this, I thought it to only be a Greek temple in ruins, from Greek antiquity.
Pity with all the warmongers and their destruction
Hello Jordan, I thought this was going to be a click bait video, for what is going on in America. So much to learn about our world history, I am happy I watched with understanding that war has never left any country to heal. If I was a rich man I would build it back to its full glory.
Thanks for sharing. ❤
Hey thanks for your comment. Yeah the timing of my video wasn't good with the recent explosion. I'm happy you enjoyed the video.
They didn't use a shell they used a solid shot cannonball shells where in development in the early 19th century..
I read two versions, that it was a mortar shell and possibly a cannon ball. I kind of used that term a bit ambiguously, as I wasn't 100% what type of armament it was exactly.
By the time of Napoleon exploding shells were common so you are off by a century, the later 1700's or 18th. They were used by both ship and land forces along with Canister, Grape, Jack, Hot, Chain, Bar and some other specialty rounds. Most I mention can even be found on USS Constitution that served very actively in the early 1800's.
I was there in 1971, it was so incredibly beautiful.
Pagan engineers were some of the best ever
A proper Christian slogan "I found Rome a city of marble and stripped it bare leaving only rubble and ruins"
Christian ones were even better
@@Gaheku Nonsense
@@Gahekuthe same could be said of Mexico City. There are today exactly as many churches as there were once Aztec Pyramids
Do you think they were pagan? With such technology? Modern architects can’t duplicate.. 4:27 4:29
Thankyou! I really enjoyed this video. I've visited the Parthenon I think three times so far and I never knew any of the history which you have spoken about. The way you presented it is also first class and a joy to listen to including the music. This will really help me to see the Parthenon in a different light in future. Thank you once again.
This is a great comment and compliment. Thank you very much.
Why not rebuild it to its former glory? There must be one Greek artist who wouldn't mind rebuilding his relative's greatest work for the rest of his life? I am sure Americans would help to have bragging rights! I'll bet the Venusian would help also.
Thank you very much for making and sharing.