The purpose of the Parthenon has changed over its 2,500-year history, beginning as a temple dedicated to the goddess Athena Parthenos (“Athena the Virgin”). Some scholars, however, question the building’s religious function, partly because no altar from the 5th century BCE has been found. All experts agree that early on the Parthenon was used as a treasury. In subsequent centuries the building was transformed into a Byzantine church, a Roman Catholic cathedral, and later a mosque. The temple was then used to store the Ottomans’ ammunition during a war with the Venetians, which is how an explosion led to the building’s ruin in 1687. After serving as an army barracks at the end of Greece’s war for independence (1821–32), the Parthenon assumed its role as tourist destination during the late 19th century, just as restoration efforts began.
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