Comparison of sacred spaces The two sacred architectural wonders analyzed in this assignment are the Parthenon in Athens, Greece, and Stonehenge in Wiltshire, England. This decision arises from my ever-growing fascination for both countries of origin of the two buildings we will talk about in the following report. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay These renowned structures show more differences than similarities. The most obvious difference is simply the reason for existing. The ancient Greeks believed that each of their cities was protected by a different god, so the Parthenon temple in Athens was built in homage to Athena, the goddess of war, wisdom, and the arts, who they thought watched over them (DeWitte, Larmann, Shields 379). Furthermore, the mysterious English pile of rocks recognized as Stonehenge is famous for its lack of history: its builders, why it was built there, even its significance, however, historians believe it served as an ancient observatory ( DeWitte, Larmann, Shields 566). This leads to the second difference between the two compounds: the purpose they served, or are believed to have served by most scholars. Stonehenge is believed to have been used as a place to promote intellectual interests such as astronomy. After learned investigation and thorough examination, Stonehenge determined that it was able to use the sun to predict solar and lunar eclipses, which would have considered the sight an ancient astronomical calendar (Smagala). In contrast, the motivation for the creation of the Parthenon is much simpler: it was created as a memorial to honor Athena and to show her how grateful the ancient Greeks of Athens were to the goddess for her protection: it was also an arsenal for weapons. and wartime currency (Cartwright). The final difference between the two sacred spaces may be that Stonehenge has remained largely undisturbed in its structure since its creation from 3,200 to 1,500 BC, while the Parthenon, built from 447 to 432 BC, was actually built over a temple which had previously been burned. by the Persian army around 480 BC (DeWitte, Larmann, Shields 379). While most scholars believe that Stonehenge was used for astrological purposes, many believe that it may have been used as a place of worship: similar to the Parthenon, used by the Greeks to worship their goddess Athena (Smagala). Another similarity between the two may be that both are considered important historical sites for their countries, as well as impressive structures for their time periods. Finally, the last – and rather obvious – similarity between the prehistoric rock structure and the ancient Mediterranean temple is that ultimately their impression of timelessness is symbolized by their "rock-solid" foundations which are both composed of different types of stone..