Architecture reached its zenith at Athens in the Classical period, with the Parthenon and the other buildings on the Acropolis. These buildings, like most of those put up after the Persian wars, were part of building programmes planned and financed by specific sections of society and men in the public eye. In the second half of the 5th century other important temples besides the Acropolis were built. There were tholoi and stoas, public halls and theatres; and these were just some of the era's splendid public buildings. It was at this period, too, that a revolutionary new town planning system was tried out, particularly in the Piraeus. The 5th century's breathtaking creativity left its mark on the development of architecture, which historically underwent frequent throwbacks to classical models, in the shape of various kinds of Classicism.



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