Interesting Facts about Greece

Did You Know?

20 curious facts about Greece.

• When a child loses a tooth they throw the tooth on the roof for good luck and make a wish so that their teeth will grow in strong and healthy.
• Parthenon for the Parthena (“Virgin” or “Maiden”) Athena. The Emperor Theodosius turned the Parthenon into a Christian Church dedicated to the Virgin Mary, the Franks into a Catholic Church (1204) and the Turks into a Mosque (1458). Part of the Metopes were destroyed by the Christians when the Parthenon was transformed into a Church. The Parthenon in Athens, Greece, was built at the initiative of Pericles. In 480-479 BC Persians destroyed most of the buildings of the Acropolis in Athens. The architects were Iktinos and Kallikrates (or Callicrates). Construction began in 447 BC and it was completed by 438 BC, while decorations were added until at least 432 BC for which the sculptor Pheidias (or Phidias) was responsible with around 70 other sculptors working for him. Additional work was done also until 425 BC. The Venetian Francesco Morosini (1618-94) destroyed Athena's team of chariot horses trying to remove the sculpture group from the west pediment. In 1686, the temple of Nike was destroyed by the Turks and was restored in 1835. In 1687, while the Turks were using it as a powder magazine, they were attacked by Venetian military forces of Morosini (with Otto Vilhelm von Königsmark (1639-1688) as field commander). A German lieutenant fired the fatal shot (26 September 1687) which reduced this crowning glory of Grecian art to a mere skeleton. The roof collapsed, parts of the sculptures and pillars were destroyed. Jacques Carrey, a French artist in 1674 spent two weeks making sketches and drawings of the Parthenon that provide an idea of the building as it was before the explosion. The cost for the Parthenon building is estimated to 1000 Talents (from 447-432) or around 6 million drachmae.The buildings costs from 447-427 in Athens was around 8000 Talents or 48 million drachmae. Penteli Marble was used and transported from the synonymous place in 20 km distance. The reported monetary reserves of Athens in 432 BC: 9000 talents according to Thucydides. The Parthenon was build partly on the bedrock and part on a bedding of stone so that the foundation was flexible during an earthquake.
• More than 7 million Greeks or persons of Greek origin live outside of Greece.
• Greeks call themselves “Hellenes,” their country “Hellas” and their language “Hellenic.” The words “Greece” and “Greek” are derived from Roman words used to describe the people of Hellas.