Floral Akroterion from the Parthenon in Athens Brooch

The astounding design of this brooch comes from the temple of Athena Parthenos, the Parthenon, in Athens, Greece. The Parthenon's external ornamentation included gorgeous, elaborate three-meter tall marble akroteria in the form of acanthus plant stalks and tendrils that graced the apex of the roof above the pediment in both the front and the back of the building. An akroterion is a large floral or figural ornament that was affixed to the roof and thus adorned the top of an ancient temple or other building. It is rare to have any preserved today, as they have often fallen and been destroyed, over the millennia.

The Parthenon, the crowning jewel of fifth century BC Athens, was adorned with the most ornate and expertly-carved, breathtaking examples of akroteria ever known. The remains of two of them are in the Acropolis Museum in Athens, today.