At once an entrancing cultural history and a congenial guide for tourists, armchair travelers, and amateur archaeologists alike, this book takes readers through the storied past and towering present of the most famous building in the world. ...

The Elgin Marbles, designed and executed by Phidias to adorn the Parthenon, are some of the most beautiful sculptures of ancient Greece.

The book further reflects on how, over 2,500 years, the cultural identity of the Parthenon sculptures has changed.