Theotokos Parthenos
| Name of structure: | Theotokos Parthenos |
| Extended name of structure: | Parthenon |
| Type of structure: | Church |
| Country or main area: | Greece |
| Region within country or main area: | Attica |
| City or area within region: | Athens |
| Date of structure: | 6BCE-12C |
| Century of structure 1: | |
| Century of structure 2: | 12 AD |
| Specific place of mosaic: | Apse semi-dome. |
| Brief descriptive contents of mosaic: | Virgin and Christ child. |
| Date of mosaic: | Second half of 12C, when the frescoes were painted. |
| Century of mosaic 1: | 12 AD |
| Century of mosaic 2: | 12 AD |
| Silver tessera at site: | Unknown |
| Gold tessera at site: | Yes |
| Colour tessera at site: | Yes |
| Were other materials found at site (i.e., glass cakes)? | Unknown |
| Has analysis been done? | Unknown |
| Samples taken from where? | n/a |
| Excavation and restoration campaigns: | |
| Bibliography of mainly technical resources: | Neils, J. The Parthenon: from Antiquity to the Present (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2005). Chatzidakis, N., 'Mosaics and wall-paintings in Byzantine and Postbyzantine churches in Athens', in Athens: from the Classical Period to the Present Day (5th century B.C.-A.D. 2000), ed by K. Staikos, C. Bouras, S. Sakellariou & E. Touloupa (Athens: Kotinos and Delaware: Oak Knoll Press, 2003), 246-79. Cutler, A., 'The Christian wall paintings in the Parthenon: interpreting a lost monument', Deltion tes Christianikes Archaiologikes Hetaireias (Bulletin of the Society of Christian Archaology), Ser. 4, vol. 18 (1993-94), 171-80. C. Mango, 'The conversion of the Parthenon into a church: the Tübingen Theosophy', Deltion tes Christianikes Archaiologikes Hetaireias (Bulletin of the Society of Christian Archaology), Ser. 4, vol. 18 (1995), 201–3. Deichmann, F. W., 'Die Basilika im Parthenon', Mitteilungen des Deutschen Archäologischen Instituts, Athenische Abteilung, 63/64 (1938-1939), 127-39. |
| URLs: | |
| Comments: | In 1848, Thomas Burton gave 188 tesserae to the British Museum labelled 'From the Ceiling of the Parthenon when a Greek Church- before taking of Athens by the Turks'. Quoted in Cutler (1993-94), 173, n. 20. Cutler also states that the tesserae are 'mostly of glass, some of it glided on both sides, but also ox-blood and emerald coloured stones'. |