Greek Parthenon was Athens' Fort Knox says McMaster researcher

The Greek Parthenon might have housed millions of coins in its attic, according to new research from McMaster University.

The Athenian temple, originally said to be dedicated to the goddess Athena, may have actually served as a storage place for the city's cash reserves.

McMaster researcher Spencer Pope and his team made the discovery after reconstructing the size of the attic, analyzing ancient records of Athenian cash reserves, and re-examining decades-old archeological work.

They knew, based on the ancient records, that a huge heap of coins - approximately eight cubic meters in space - was somewhere in Athens, they just had to find where. 

"But a small detail of the Parthenon's design led us to the solution," Pope said via e-mail as he continues to work over in Rome.

"A small staircase provided access to the attic level above the central room, or cella. The stairs rendered the attic, in architectural theory, a served space with a deliberate, intended function in the building."

Suddenly, a mysterious room the size of three tennis courts now had a purpose, and seemed like the probable location to hold the city's wealth.

That's because those coins had a religious safeguard preventing theft, he said. Since the temple was dedicated to Athena, stealing from the Parthenon meant you were stealing from the goddess herself.

The actual value of the treasure is still up for debate, as the economy hasn't exactly remained steady since 434 BC. But Pope says it's feasible to believe that attic would have held approximately $900 million.

Unfortunately for those in modern-day Greece, the attic is now destroyed and the coins, now gone, were likely spent on statues, buildings and wars with rival Sparta, according to a press release.