Editing Parthenon (section)

===Present building===
[[File:Parthenon restoration.gif|thumb|left|Animation showing the Parthenon in 2011 and how it looked originally]]
In the mid-5th century BC, when the Athenian Acropolis became the seat of the [[Delian League]], [[Pericles]] initiated the building project that lasted the entire second half of the century. The most important buildings visible on the Acropolis today – the Parthenon, the [[Propylaia (Acropolis of Athens)|Propylaia]], the [[Erechtheion]] and the temple of [[Athena Nike]] – were erected during this period. The Parthenon was built under the general supervision of [[Phidias]], who also had charge of the sculptural decoration. The architects [[Ictinos]] and [[Callicrates]] began their work in 447, and the building was substantially completed by 432. Work on the decorations continued until at least 431.<ref>{{cite book |last=Herman |first=Alexander |author-link= |url=https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/parthenon-marbles-dispute-9781509967179/ |title=The Parthenon Marbles Dispute |publisher=[[Bloomsbury Publishing|Bloomsbury]] |year=2023 |isbn=978-1509967179 |edition= |place=London |pages=12–13}}</ref>

The Parthenon was built primarily by men who knew how to work marble. These quarrymen had exceptional skills and were able to cut the blocks of marble to very specific measurements. The quarrymen also knew how to avoid the faults, which were numerous in the [[Pentelic marble]]. If the marble blocks were not up to standard, the architects would reject them. The marble was worked with iron tools – picks, points, punches, chisels, and drills. The quarrymen would hold their tools against the marble block and firmly tap the surface of the rock.<ref name="auto">Woodford, S. (2008). The Parthenon. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.</ref>

A big project like the Parthenon attracted stonemasons from far and wide who travelled to Athens to assist in the project. Slaves and foreigners worked together with the Athenian citizens in the building of the Parthenon, doing the same jobs for the same pay. Temple building was a specialized craft, and there were not many men in Greece qualified to build temples like the Parthenon, so these men would travel and work where they were needed.<ref name="auto"/>

Other craftsmen were necessary for the building of the Parthenon, specifically carpenters and metalworkers. Unskilled labourers also had key roles in the building of the Parthenon. They loaded and unloaded the marble blocks and moved the blocks from place to place. In order to complete a project like the Parthenon, many different labourers were needed.<ref name="auto"/>