Ancient Greek Temple

Not many sets were released by LEGO in the general theme of antiquity. Still, I think that this era should deserve more attention from LEGO and would perfectly fit in with the historical or semi-historical themes such as Castle, Pirates or Western. Antiquity gave us some magnificent architectural and technical wonders, and I'm sure that many LEGO enthusiasts feel the same.

Greek architecture was perhaps the most prominent and influential in the era, and one of the most iconic ancient wonders were created by the Hellenic culture. I had the chance to see some of these in their full splendour when I visited the country and was inspired by them ever since.

 

This set depicts a small a Greek temple dedicated to the goddess Athena in its 'natural habitat', a small, rocky island somewhere in the Aegean Sea. The building itself is based partly on the Parthenon, but more on the Temple of Aphaia, a similar though smaller temple on Aegina, a beautiful little island near Athens. 

The set consists of 2500 pieces, all parts being in already available colours, so no new parts are needed to be manufactured, and it is ready to build (if you bother to gather the pieces). The Ionic columns are made by connecting technic wheels/cogs and round 2x2 bricks by a technic axle and are connected to a 4x4 round brick with an axle hole covered by tan corner tiles. The mid-section of the roof can be removed (picture no. 6) revealing the shrine of the dedicated deity. 

Due to the extensive size and the historical theme, I think that the primary target audience for this set would be AFOLs.