James Gorman, age 9, Of Philadelphia, Penn. , for his question

What is the Parthenon?

Some say that the Parthenon was the most beautiful building ever made. It was built about 2400 years ago in Athens as a temple to the Greek goddess Athena. On each of its four sides, white marble steps lead up to a row of lofty white marble pillars. Inside and out there were friezes of fine carvings and inside there were many beautiful marble statues. There was also a huge state of Athene of gold and ivory.

Today, the lovely building stands almost in ruins. Many of its art treasures have been removed or stolen. In 1687, the Turks used it to store munitions and an explosion ripped off part of the roof and did other damage.