The ruined silhouette of the Parthenon on its hill above Athens is one of the world’s most famous images. Its ‘looted’ Elgin Marbles are a global cause celèbre. But what actually are they? In a revised and updated edition, Mary Beard, award winning writer, reviewer and leading Cambridge classicist, tells the history and explains the significance of the Parthenon, the temple of the virgin goddess Athena, the divine patroness of ancient Athens; "Sophisticated, engaging … she unravels the intricacies with the light and deft touch which characterises the whole book … something for classicists and laymen alike"Gavanndra Hodge, Independent on Sunday "The classical world still rouses fierce passions, and books like this help to make the study of ancient Greece urgent and relevant" Tom Holland, New Statesman