The Day They Blew Up The Parthenon

[@Street-Gems]

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

[@bigcuz4689]

Thanks for the video your vids are really good

[@bigcuz4689]

You’ll be at 100,000 in no time

[@rumi9005]

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.

[@rumi9005]

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.

[@avicomay6051]

Masterful story telling. Please explain how the replacement mosque disappeared from the center of the building...

[@billl7939]

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 ..

[@Alienalloy]

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.

[@books4739]

@@Alienalloy "home" is 2k years in the past.

[@westaussie965]

@@Alienalloy 😂😂😂😂

[@Street-Gems]

@billl7939 Beautiful memory

[@mikeatcora]

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.

[@SomeDude-oq6oq]

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!

[@WilliamNordeste]

It continued to be a Pagan temple.

[@frankmariani1259]

Well, Einsteins' fear of relatives was right !

[@Street-Gems]

Thank you for subscribing. Glad you liked the video.

[@davidschroeder3272]

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.

[@williamgreenough]

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.......................

[@Street-Gems]

Great! And the middle is very interesting.

[@ActionPanda-g5n]

Extremely SAD Impressive visuals and great storytelling.

[@ShimmyD-u7g]

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.

[@Breakfast_of_Champions]

So the Venetians wrecked both Constaninople and the Parthenon, anything else?

[@Street-Gems]

This comment literally made me crack up. Yeah their legacy is a mixed bag. Beautiful architecture and cities, but also a trail of destruction.

[@pedrosanchez-br4br]

They were like the us of bush

[@ministerofpropagandaindoct4966]

The Venetians were so cool

[@chumleyk]

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.

[@janibeg3247]

The Venetians were not the ones using the Parthenon as a powder magazine.

[@MrWombatty]

As an art historian, I consider this to be an excellent presentation and documentary!

[@Street-Gems]

Thank you very much. Are you a professor?

[@Toe_Merchant]

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.

[@Street-Gems]

I personally blame both.

[@kevinsedwards]

I blame the guys who planted gunpowder in a church. nevermind, I blame the people claiming a church has meaning to it.

[@zaxmaxlax]

Im still mad they used the pyramids casing stones to make mosques

[@Lord_Merterus]

Because the building they were originally using to store their gunpowder in blew up after a lightning strike

[@redemptionjack4657]

​@zaxmaxlax Uh I think the casing stones were mostly long since looted before they came.

[@morenofranco9235]

Excellent presentation, Jordan and Team. Thank you.

[@charlesjmouse]

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.

[@notlad1282]

Very well said.

[@dmd5645]

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]

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?

[@dmd5645]

@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.

[@Street-Gems]

@@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.

[@RJ-go3sn]

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]

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.

[@RJ-go3sn]

@@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!

[@Street-Gems]

@@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.

[@retlcdrusn]

Thanks!

[@Street-Gems]

Thank you for the tip

[@radionicpowers5938]

WOW had no idea about all of this thanks

[@StrawberryFieldsNIR]

Quality and well researched presentation. Thank you. I found it very interesting. Keep up the good work.

[@Street-Gems]

Thank you!

[@JackBWatkins]

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.

[@Alienalloy]

im 56 and wasn't till now i learnt the same.. were never to old to be amazed xx

[@Street-Gems]

Glad to refresh it for you.

[@alonzobrickman7418]

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 -

[@Street-Gems]

Amazing. I love it when I teach people things they didn't know. Thanks for watching.

[@johannesnicolaas]

As a dutch historian I must say: very, very impressive. Now I understand how devastating this 1687 explosion was...

[@Street-Gems]

Thank you. Do you teach history in the Netherlands?

[@johannesnicolaas]

@@Street-Gems No, I write and talk about it.

[@jadenephrite]

Thank you for your video. For those who are unaware, a full scale replica of the Parthenon including a huge statue of Athena @ <a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="68">1:08</a> 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.

[@lesliea7394]

Fabulous video. Thank you Jordan.

[@Street-Gems]

Thanks Leslie. Glad you enjoyed it.

[@Phileasfogg1]

The Parthenon would have been so magnificent today. So tragic😢

[@Wanamaker1946]

Nashville has an exact reproduction that quite impressive, and it’s to scale.

[@dolinaj1]

It still is.

[@Chellebelle121]

⁠​⁠@@Wanamaker1946I’ve been there! It was amazing.

[@alanpotter8680]

@@Wanamaker1946 But it's from the gift shop.

[@meetontheledge1380]

Excellent! You narrate with great passion. Liked and subbed!

[@Street-Gems]

Thank you very much, and for subscribing :)

[@SABER_Knight-King]

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...

[@Shark_King325]

Take a look at what ISIS and Al-Qaeda do to ancient Iraq monuments

[@Street-Gems]

Yeah I knew the explosion would be a stab in the heart for many Greeks watching.

[@ArduinoRR]

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.

[@Street-Gems]

Lovely comment. Thank you.

[@georgethanos7700]

Perfect. Keep up the good work.

[@Street-Gems]

Thank you

[@Shangomangotango]

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 ❤

[@Street-Gems]

Hello there old friend. Nice to see a comment from you. So happy you watched it. Happy New Year to you too.

[@stig]

Thank You Jordan Amit. Your narration was excellent. I'm a new fan.

[@Street-Gems]

Great! Check out some of my other videos.

[@damonl9981]

Passionate video. Very engaging.

[@Street-Gems]

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.

[@venceslavgeorgiev2295]

Very informative. Keep doing what you are.

[@samfrancescatoronto6067]

Thank you for this. I had no idea of its recent history. Very sad indeed. Man creates such masterpieces only to destory them.

[@daytonmorehead7330]

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.

[@commonsense246]

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.

[@mikecarbone828]

Thank you for this informative and educational video! Thanks for sharing! Please have an excellent and awesome day!

[@Street-Gems]

Thank you, you too.

[@ddouglas3687]

Well done!

[@danielrutschman4618]

This is why we can't have nice things.

[@1ralton1]

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.

[@Street-Gems]

This is a great comment and compliment. Thank you very much.

[@zaghell]

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.

[@the_phaistos_disk_solution]

Extraordinary! Thank you!

[@kailiebejung]

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.

[@Street-Gems]

Thank you man. And I agree with you. We lost so much.

[@kaloarepo288]

@@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.

[@noticiasinmundicias]

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.

[@kaloarepo288]

@@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!

[@user-rn3rn6nl3h]

​@@kaloarepo288that is your best guess, nice theory!

[@NowFail205]

With my background in art history, I must say this is a phenomenal and insightful piece of work

[@Street-Gems]

Thank you 😁

[@JasonBecraft-pp7bc]

I just discovered this channel. Im glad i did...

[@Street-Gems]

Great! Check out some of my other videos.

[@andypanda4756]

Some people want to burn the world to ashes rather than let anyone else enjoy it...

[@Gambitt1970]

Great video, very well done!

[@OldWines]

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.

[@sandman0123]

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.

[@Street-Gems]

It's a good idea actually. Original goes home, and stealer keeps the copy.

[@Klydesdale2010]

What a shame. That was a crime against humanity, and history! Thank you for making this video. Lest we forget.

[@steveemrich84]

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!

[@Street-Gems]

Thanks Steve. It was a pleasant surprise that you were watching all my videos.

[@virgiliustancu9293]

Ottomans and remorse in the same sentence... impossible. The Ottomans were barbarians... and they still are today.

[@koksalceylan9032]

Barbarian Greeks

[@stuartgmk]

👍

[@paideia-e9u]

Thank you very much for making and sharing.

[@VIJER47]

Great video. Learned a LOT. Thanks!

[@Street-Gems]

Awesome!

[@diGritz1]

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.

[@nikiTricoteuse]

Thank you. I've always found it puzzling that fire can do such damage to stone buildings.

[@Street-Gems]

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.

[@chrigdichein]

So many gabs in my knowledge you filled with this video! 👍🏽 thanks for that. subscribed

[@Street-Gems]

Thanks for subscribing, and glad to fill in those gaps.

[@JasonBecraft-pp7bc]

War has destroyed so much history.

[@joshb6470]

oh no, did someone park a cyber truck in there

[@galolito]

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.

[@Chellebelle121]

What a fantastic video, thank you! I love history, and I don’t think I’ve ever heard of this account before. Judging by the.comments, many others didn’t know it as well. It was so easy to follow, and the visuals were simply stunning .

[@Street-Gems]

Thank you 🙂

[@V8_screw_electric_cars]

If you want to see intact parthenon you have to go to nashville tenneesee they have exact replica.

[@invictus3598]

A fascinating history of tragic Grecian historical events. Thank you for sharing this amazing project!

[@MotoWorld777]

Mary is not and never was a "goddess".

[@g-r-a-e-m-e-]

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.

[@53175704]

By far the best historical dramatization on the destruction of monument ever! Congratulations!

[@Street-Gems]

Thank you!

[@clanpsi]

The Ottomans are completely to blame.

[@geoffreystephen6840]

Mostly...

[@Eigil_Skovgaard]

Thank you. A testament to the human paradox between excellence and destructiveness.

[@richardsmith579]

Elgin wasn’t a barbarian, just for a bit of reality.

[@preeyakumari-i2q]

A Pirate for his Lordship ?

[@0takudad]

Assassin's Creed Odyssey made me appreciate Greek structures. :) It's like going back in time.

[@chinatownimportscom1434]

Rebuild it just like Notre Dame.

[@red.aries1444]

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.

[@1000sofrobins]

This video is totally awesome! Thanks 8)

[@Ominous89]

"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.

[@vasilikimanoli9285]

Μπράβο! Well done on choosing the subject less discussed and preventing it as simple as that. Well done on the music theme, too.

[@Street-Gems]

Σας ευχαριστώ. I hope more Greeks will watch this.

[@lukegauci1159]

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.

[@kingofbithynia]

There were no other space more suitable

[@slickrick2420]

​@@kingofbithynia Ottomans had no right to be there to begin with

[@PseudoIntellectual2.0]

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.

[@SuperSquark]

Israel targets mosques (etc) apparently for no reason. Depending on who you listen to of course.

[@Aaron067]

amazing, a thread full of idiots.

[@nikiTricoteuse]

Wonderful narrative and narration. Thank you. Subscribed.

[@Street-Gems]

Thank you for subscribing :)

[@stevenlarkin1706]

A concrete copy of the Parthenon can be found in Kentucky. The original could be restored completely at great cost.

[@KarenPage-m1t]

The parthenon replica is in Centennial park in Nashville.

[@ΧρήστοςΚαψάλης-σ5φ]

Enjoyed seeing all the photos. Good job of putting this together. Even so, it was sad to watch this video.

[@Street-Gems]

I know. Especially for a Greek person.

[@paulus.tarsensus]

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.

[@richardhallyburton]

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.

[@bouzoukiman5000]

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

[@paulus.tarsensus]

@@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. )

[@BoogieBubble]

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?

[@seriv34]

wow, i love this documentary.

[@drsoxami]

Excellent video bro. Thank you.

[@WhiteDragon689]

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.

[@Chris_at_Home]

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.

[@Street-Gems]

Deployed in the navy base in Catania? Just guessing.

[@Chris_at_Home]

@ Sigonella, Sicily

[@Street-Gems]

@@Chris_at_Home I looked it up on google maps, so an airbase. Very interesting.

[@rorykeegan1895]

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.

[@giorgosvarvi697]

You are blatantly ignorant if you think he "paid for it", or that by any means it was ethical what he did

[@JiveTrkey]

@@giorgosvarvi697 Do you think he snuck them out under the cover of darkness?

[@Street-Gems]

I don't think paying for them makes it ok or ethical. And paid who? The ottomans? The local workers who extracted the statues?

[@JiveTrkey]

@@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

[@brantmaize8661]

This was a great video I learned a lot thank you

[@Pablo-t6q7h]

Wow so the cowards ottomans destroyed the Parthenon

[@fourtails1192]

Very well put together 👍

[@abelgerli]

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.

[@galerad7254]

See also wooden churches built by Goths in eastern Europe and Scandinavia, still standing as from 1300s or so.

[@Street-Gems]

You should watch my short video on Greek temple roofs: kzbin.info/www/bejne/j4rXipVpi8dpoM0si=2Eh315JF-vgM7iVW

[@paulcreutz2478]

Great video and narration! Thank you!

[@LevisH21]

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.

[@hansla8608]

@@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.

[@George-xb5ey]

Needs to be a go fund me like the cathedral of notradame is already rebuilt 100% just 5 years after being in ruins

[@A.G.798]

Obwohl wenn man die Schulden beider Länder betrachtet, glaubt man das sie das schon mehrfach getan hätten?

[@Potato-mu7nu]

The Brits should give Greece its statues back. They would look so much cooler on the Parthenon.

[@chinatownimportscom1434]

Greek Ambassador to UK should just walk into the British Museum with a crew and take back the marble statues. They don't stop anything in UK anyway unless you make a critical social media post.

[@MsTendus]

I think maybe you read British tabloids. Detached from reality is symptom of that.

[@andrewhumphries4029]

Super video, graphics and compelling story. Thank you!

[@EatScrabbleGoo]

<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="281">4:41</a> 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

[@geoffreystephen6840]

Well said, better than my explanation!

[@Street-Gems]

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.

[@EatScrabbleGoo]

@@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!

[@lray1948]

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.

[@Street-Gems]

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: kzbin.info/www/bejne/j4rXipVpi8dpoM0si=PFfy26rNdcIHjgbo

[@marianmoses9604]

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.

[@Horus070]

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?

[@pio4362]

<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="697">11:37</a> 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.

[@brianshorey]

I think he’s Canadian. That said, you make an excellent point.

[@Street-Gems]

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.

[@sfperalta]

Wonderful documentary of the lesser known history of the Parthenon (I didn't know the name origin until now). Thank you for posting this!

[@MommyLongLegs-le2xh]

<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="535">8:55</a> Ah yes, the Morean war, the disaster for the Parthenon

[@jeremyraglin8170]

Great video. Most people who never know about the explosion and what really happened to it.

[@lachbullen8014]

They didn't use a shell they used a solid shot cannonball shells where in development in the early 19th century..

[@Street-Gems]

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.

[@charlesmaurer6214]

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.

[@martinkammeier1199]

I never knew the history of the place. Good to know, thank you for your work.

[@Street-Gems]

you're welcome

[@Airroll777]

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.

[@ShadowVonChadwick]

Thanks for the history

[@Bob.Jenkins]

A nice but sadly inaccurate description of the history of the the Parthenon - written and narrated to make Elgin a plunderer and thief. In actuality, Elgin was highly disturbed by the neglect he saw of this ancient monument and noted that the locals had neither the money or will to protect or preserve the marvels all around them. Parts of the temple were casually plundered and reused in new buildings and many of the Statues lay toppled and subject to the elements.

[@TheFragrantClerk]

So it’s okay to steal from the poor? Cool. A very British perspective there.