Places of worship

The Parthenon
Learn about the great temple of Athena, patron of Athens, and its long troubled history from its creation to its modern destruction.

The Parthenon, Athens

The Pantheon, Rome, c. 125
The Pantheon contains one of the most perfect interior spaces ever constructed—it’s no wonder it’s been copied ever since.

The Pantheon (Rome)

The Pergamon Altar (detail)
Here Greek gods battle Giants for supremacy of the universe, so deeply carved that they almost step out of the altar into our world.

The Pergamon Altar

Ara Pacis Augustae (Altar of Augustan Peace), 9 B.C.E. (Ara Pacis Museum, Rome, Italy) (photo: Steven Zucker, CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)
Augustus is said to have found Rome a city of brick and left it a city of marble—this elegant altar is a symbol of that golden age.

Ara Pacis