Monday, February 10, 2014

GREECE - The Story of Athens' Parthenon

"Seeing the Parthenon through ancient eyes" PBS Newshour 2/6/2014

Excerpt

SUMMARY:  An icon of ancient democracy, the story and significance of Athens’ Parthenon has been reinterpreted by numerous cultures.  Joan Breton Connelly, author of “The Parthenon Enigma,” joins Jeffrey Brown to discuss the landmark’s meaning and whether the Parthenon sculptures (also known as the Elgin Marbles) should be returned to Greece.

GWEN IFILL (Newshour):  Taking a fresh look at a timeless treasure.

Jeffrey Brown has our book conversation.

JEFFREY BROWN (Newshour):  It’s perhaps the most famous building in the world, the Parthenon in Athens, Greece.  Built in the fifth century B.C., it’s become a symbol of the very idea of democracy in Western civilization, as well as an architectural model for other important structures, including the U.S. Supreme Court.

A new book, “The Parthenon Enigma,” tells the story of the people who built it and how it’s been understood, rightly and wrongly, to our own day.

Author Joan Breton Connelly is a classical archaeologist and professor at New York University.

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