Most of the great cultures in history have something that makes them famous. The Mayan civilization has the calendar, the Romans have the Colosseum and I would like to suggest that the embodiment of Greek culture is the Parthenon. It reflects the religious ideas and beliefs of the Greeks and incorporates the architectural brilliance first seen among the Greek people. The frieze, the religious idea behind the construction of the temple and the attention to detail in the Parthenon show a genius that can only be claimed by the Greeks. First, the Parthenon frieze is an example of how unique the Parthenon was to the Greeks. . The frieze is “[t]he most characteristic element of the architecture and decoration of the temple” (Wikipedia contributors). It was made for “. . . depict the people of Athens in two processions that begin at the southwest corner and march in opposite directions until they converge. . . at the eastern end of the Parthenon” (“Greek Architecture”). The procession mentioned in this source and represented by the frieze is an annual parade for the goddess Athena, for whom the Parthenon was built. This work of art is a two-tiered banner that surrounds the interior wall: the top banner depicts the gods and goddesses sitting and talking to each other while the bottom banner shows the Greek citizens marching in the Panathenaic procession. The two banners move to the central stage at the east end of the building (Sakoulas, "Parthenon Frieze"). This scene shows the folding of the peplos which was a fabric made by virgins devoted to Athena (“Greek architecture”). The fact that the gods were depicted above the citizens in the frieze was not so much to show that they were more important than the citizens or that the... middle of paper ......me the basis of the way certain buildings were constructed. However, we must not forget that it all started with the Greeks and how they left their mark on society with the Parthenon, as it incorporated many of the revolutionary ideas of the Greeks. Works Cited Green, Peter. The Parthenon. New York: Newsweek, 1973. Print. “Greek architecture”. The complete Hutchinson Encyclopedia with Atlas and weather guide. Abington: Helicon, 2010. Reference Credo. Internet. March 4, 2011. “Parthenon.” The Columbia Encyclopedia. New York: Columbia University Press, 2008. Reference Credo. Internet. March 4, 2011. Sakoulas, Thomas. “The Parthenon”. Ancient Greece.org. Internet. March 6, 2011.---. “Parthenon Frieze.” Ancient Greece.org. Internet. March 6, 2011. Wikipedia Contributors. "Parthenon." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, March 5, 2011. Web. March 6. 2011.