The Parthenon stands as an unparalleled symbol of beauty and proportions for the Western world. Even today, the magnificent temple, dedicated to the goddess Athena, embodies our political ideals, serving as a model for our most esteemed secular buildings. But do the values of those who built the Parthenon truly align with our own? In this provocative book, award-winning archaeologist Joan Breton Connelly challenges our most fundamental beliefs about the Parthenon and life in ancient Athens.

Connelly portrays the evolution of the Acropolis, the sacred rock, from prehistoric times to the glorious days of the Periclean era, presenting a multitude of temples, with the Parthenon being the most prominent among them. Her particular focus is on the legendary frieze, the 160-meter-long relief that originally surrounded the upper part of the temple, before being partially destroyed by the cannon fire of the Venetians (in the 17th century) and before most of the remaining pieces were transported to Britain (in the 19th century) as part of the “Elgin marbles.”

The colossal enigmatic procession of the frieze – a dazzling parade of horsemen and elders, musicians and choirs – has been identified for over 200 years as a scene from the annual festival of the city, the birthplace of democracy. However, thanks to a once-lost tragedy by Euripides, the discovery of which within the wrappings of a Hellenistic Egyptian mummy is just one of the fascinating adventures that unfold in the book’s pages, Connelly brings to light a long-buried meaning, the story of a human sacrifice placed in the mythic times of the city's founding.

In a society strongly focused on worship practices to such a degree that it surprises us, this story lay at the core of the concept of Athenian identity. Connelly reveals a world far richer within this city of philosophers, rationalists, and orators, which, according to our widely held notions, was Athens. A world where the modern conception of democracy would be simply incomprehensible.

“As a species, we are storytellers, and our stories have shaped our reality since ancient times. Connelly’s outstanding study of the Parthenon shows how a myth can reveal so many secrets, just like a rock or a monument, and how, by re-examining what we know about antiquity, we can better understand ourselves today.” GEORGE LUCAS, creator of Star Wars.

“Joan Connelly’s study, elegant and broad in knowledge, firmly advocates a new way of understanding the Parthenon, its original religious content, and the fullest possible restoration of its numerous parts scattered here and there.” DONALD KAGAN

Joan Connelly’s book speaks to multiple audiences. For the general public, it is a well-written analysis of the myths and landscape of Attica and the values of its inhabitants. For specialists, it is an invitation, viewing the Parthenon and its sculptures from a different perspective, to contribute to a better understanding of it. But for those who choose to persist in the view that the Parthenon frieze depicts the Panathenaic procession, it is a challenge to support this view with solid arguments rather than with religious faith.

Finally, by demonstrating the close connection between monument, sculptures, and landscape, the author, an archaeologist with significant contributions to combating the illegal trade of antiquities, presents the most essential argument for the reunification of the Parthenon sculptures at the New Acropolis Museum.” From the preface by Angelos Chaniotis.

“I deeply admire the historical approach of this splendid book: with courage and intelligence, picking up the thread from the beginning, Joan Connelly reconstructs the meaning of the Parthenon from the perspective of Pericles and his contemporary Athenians of the classical era. The strange image that emerges offers all of us a sharper view of what this ageless monument might represent for our own troubled world.” Gregory Nagy