parthenos

Parthenos is a Greek word meaning virgin or maiden. In classical usage it functioned as a general noun and as an attribute, and it served as an epithet for Athena in her aspect as a virgin guardian. The most famous association is Athena Parthenos, the virgin Athena revered as the city’s patron goddess.

The Parthenon on the Athenian Acropolis was constructed to house the cult statue of Athena Parthenos. The renowned sculpture, a chryselephantine work attributed to Phidias in the mid-5th century BCE, portrayed Athena wearing a helmet, holding a shield and spear, and often with Nike, the goddess of victory, in her hand. The original statue did not survive antiquity; our knowledge comes from ancient descriptions and later Roman copies and references. Its iconography and presence shaped later Greek and Roman representations of Athena.

Beyond this cult statue, parthenos also denotes virginity in broader religious and cultural contexts, including references to temple maidens and other sacred virgins associated with certain cults. The term also leaves a linguistic and scientific legacy: the prefix partheno- appears in modern terms such as parthenogenesis, describing offspring produced without fertilization.

In sum, parthenos conveys both a specific religious meaning tied to Athena and a wider linguistic heritage reflecting virginity, which extends into contemporary scientific vocabulary.