The moment had arrived for Pericles to rebuild the Acropolis, which had been destroyed by the Persians. Thousands of people worked on this project. The sculptor Phidias, a personal friend of Pericles, supervised the work. At the highest point of the hill, the famous Parthenon was built, inside which was the chryselephantine statue of the goddess Athena. Everyone was now talking about the city of intellect and art, Athens. This period was called the Golden Age – and not without reason.