Construction of the Parthenon

Pericles commissions architects Ictinus and Callicrates to build a new temple on the Acropolis, with the sculptor Phidias overseeing the decorative program including a 40-foot gold-and-ivory statue of Athena. The building uses subtle optical refinements — slightly curved columns, a gently arched floor — to appear perfectly straight to the human eye. Funded by Delian League tribute (to the outrage of Athens's allies), it remains standing 2,400 years later as a monument to what a confident civilization can achieve.