The Parthenon Sculptures

The Parthenon marbles “belong to a period in the history of sculpture which has been acknowledged by all succeeding ages as the greatest epoch in the history of the art: they adorned one city, Athens, the centre of ancient civilization, the fruitful mother of many illustrious sons, whose works, after surviving the changes of so many centuries, still delight and instruct the world. These marbles chiefly ornamented one edifice dedicated to the guardian deity of the city, raised at the time of the greatest political power of the state, when all the arts which contribute to humanize life were developing their beneficial influence.” [The Committee of the British Museum. 1833].

The man responsible for the sculptural decoration of the Parthenon was the master sculptor  Pheidias, son of a certain Charmides, born in Athens around 490 BCE. Indeed, ancient sources reveal that Pheidias did not limit himself only to decorating the Parthenon, but designed down to the very last detail the imposing plan for the entire reconstructed Acropolis. Nevertheless, while it is generally acknowledged that all the sculptural compositions adorning the Parthenon were conceived by Pheidias, and that he may even have worked personally on some of these, close examination of the carving techniques employed suggests that as many as ninety individual sculptors may have been involved in their execution.

We know from the many building records which have survived and which give details about the construction of the Parthenon, that Agoracritos, Alcamenes and Kalamis were just some of the sculptors who collaborated with Pheidias in the production of these great works of art. Pheidias is known to have personally made three statues for the Sacred Rock: the colossal chryselephantine statue of Athena Parthenos, which stood in the centre of the Parthenon, and two others of bronze which stood in the open air: the gigantic Athena Promachos and the so-called Athena Lemnia.

THE PEDIMENTS

The subject matter of both pediments, completed between the years 438-432 BCE, dealt exclusively with the mythical past of the goddess Athena. The West Pediment, which faced the Propylaia and was thus the first sculpture to be seen by a visitor to the Parthenon, portrayed the contest between Athena and Poseidon for the possession of Attica.  

We know from drawings made by one Jacques Carrey in 1674 that Athena and Poseidon stood in the centre of the composition, while between them were the olive tree brought forth by Athena and the salt spring produced by Poseidon. They were flanked, at either side, by two-horsed chariot groups, behind which stood the gods and heroes commonly associated with them. Near Athena were various figures of the city’s legendary past, among whom were the sisters Pandrossos, Herse and Aglauros with their father Kekrops, while a winged Victory steered the chariot and its rearing horses. Behind Poseidon stood Thetis and Amphitrite, divinities of the sea, followed by the Aphrodite, born on the waves. The corners of the pediment were occupied by the reclining river gods Ilissos and Kephissos.

The West Pediment sculptures were severely damaged in 1687 when the Turkish powder magazine stored inside the Parthenon exploded after the Venetian bombardment. In 1688, the Venetian general Francesco Morosini, attempted to remove the central figures of Poseidon and Athena along with their chariots, but they fell to the ground and were smashed to pieces. The identification of many of the figures is still disputed and it is in fact likely that several groups are entirely missing.

The East Pediment, located above the Parthenon’s great doorway, adorned the main façade of the temple and is often claimed to be the nobler of the two pediments both in interpretation of subject and in composition. It portrayed the moment of Athena’s miraculous birth from the head of her father Zeus, fully fledged and armed for battle. Unfortunately, the central group has long vanished, removed by the early Christians in order to make way for an apse when the Parthenon was converted into a church. As a result, any reconstruction of this group is purely speculative. The remaining sculptures were also irreparably damaged by the Venetian bombardment of 1687, though thanks to the Carrey drawings the sculptural arrangement flanking the central figures is more or less known.

It is generally agreed that the central group was dominated by Zeus, the King of the Gods, seated on his throne with Athena, crowned by Victory, standing to his left. It is conjectured that Hera, Hephaistos, Poseidon and the other Olympians were arranged about Zeus and Athena, looking on in disbelief at the wondrous event taking place before their eyes. In the southeast corner we encounter Helios, the sun, as he emerges from the shadowy waters guiding the horses of his chariot. He is followed by a reclining figure variously identified as Dionysos, Theseus or Herakles. Next to him are the seated figures of Demeter and Kore, while Iris runs frantically behind them to announce the birth of the goddess to the world. All that survives to the right of the missing central group is part of a male torso which may belong to Hephaistos or Poseidon, a fragment of a winged Victory and the group known as the Fates. Finally, the chariot of Selene, of which only a horse’s head survives, was shown sinking into the ocean at the northern end of the pediment.

In 1801, Giovanni Battista Lusieri, the agent of Lord Elgin, removed the greater part of the surviving pedimental sculptures and shipped them to London. Of the twenty-six preserved figures from both pediments, fourteen are in the British Museum and twelve are in the Acropolis Museum. Several fragments belonging to six different figures are split between the two museums. One female bust is in the Louvre.

THE METOPES

A Doric frieze comprised of ninety-two metopes, each set in between triglyphs, adorned the exterior of the Parthenon. According to the building records of the time, these sculptures were carved between the years 446-440 BCE. The metopes stand 1.35m tall and are all carved in high relief.

The metopes portrayed four different subjects taken straight from mythology, each developed on a different side of the building, whose common underlying theme was war and victory. Those on the West Façade showed the battle between the Athenians and the Amazons, while on the East Façade was depicted the triumph of the Olympians over the Titans. Those on the long South flank of the temple illustrated the fight between the Centaurs and the Lapithae, while scenes from the sack of Troy formed the subject of the metopes on the North flank.

All the metopes were still in place up until the time of the Venetian bombardment of 1687, though only those of the temple’s South flank were relatively well preserved. The remainder had, regrettably, long been chiseled down by early Christian fanatics when the Parthenon was converted into a church. After the bombardment only thirteen were left on the building’s North side and seventeen on the South. Many of the metopes decorating the East and West façades, which were still in place after the bombardment, suffered further damage at the hands of the Turks. Of the sixty-four surviving metopes, forty-eight are in Athens, fifteen were removed by Elgin to London and one is in the Louvre. Needless to say, the fifteen metopes in the British Museum are the best preserved.

 

THE PANATHENAIC FRIEZE

The Ionic Frieze is today without question the most celebrated feature of the sculptural decoration that once adorned the Parthenon. Certainly it is the best preserved. The frieze, which was begun in 442 BCE and took only four or five years to complete, originally comprised one hundred fifteen blocks (or one hundred nineteen relief surfaces, since the corner stones are counted twice) that were carved in situ around the exterior walls of the cella. In its entirety it measured some 160m in length and was about a metre in height. Unlike the metopes, it is rendered in very low relief, carved slightly deeper at the top for greater visibility. In total, there are more than three hundred fifty human figures and about one hundred twenty-five horses depicted on the frieze, no two of which are alike.

The fact that the frieze could only be seen with great difficulty from below (it stands some 12m above the marble pavement of the colonnade) suggests that it held special meaning in the eyes of Pericles and Pheidias because of its subject. It represented, transferred into a world where gods and men were on familiar terms, an idealized view of the procession of the Great Panathenaea Festival, which gathered together the entire population of the city every year to carry the peplos, woven by the noblest young women of Athens (known as Ergastinai), to the ancient cult statue of Athena Polias that would later be housed in the Erechtheion. The procession begins at the southwest corner of the temple, from where it advances in two groups, each of which makes its way along the longer North and South Friezes of the building, and which finally converge at the centre of the East Frieze above the Parthenon’s great bronze doors.

The West Frieze shows the preparations of the young Athenians about to join the procession. Some are already mounted and advancing towards the northwest corner; others are adjusting their bridles or are giving the last touches to their attire, assisted by youthful attendants; and still others are standing beside their horses ready to mount. The directional flow is from right to left, though a few figures turn to the right in order to create a compositional unity with the South Frieze. Indeed, the preparations overlap at the corners at each end of the North and South Friezes, thus providing an effective link with the West Frieze. All sixteen blocks of the West Frieze have been preserved. Of these, thirteen are in the Acropolis Museum and two are in the British Museum. One block is split between the two museums.

The North and South Friezes continue with the procession of the cavalry, which takes up more than half of the long sides of the temple. The directional flow on the North Frieze is from right to left, whereas on the South Frieze it is from left to right. Here the horses are shown bounding impetuously forward, sometimes in irregular order, sometimes in regular formation, six or seven abreast. The nearer horses typically hide the hinder parts of the preceding, and sometimes parts of the riders behind. The riders themselves are mostly shown wearing short tunics or cloaks pinned over one shoulder. A few wear distinctive caps with ear and neck flaps.

In front of the riders come the chariots, each with an armed warrior, who either accompanies the driver in the car or mounts or dismounts while it is in motion. In front of the chariots on both the North and South Friezes is a series of groups walking on foot. Among them is a gang of bearded men conversing as they advance, identified as Thallophoroi or ‘bearers of olive branches’. In front of them march the musicians playing on the flute and the lyre, preceded by men carrying water jars, sacred vessels or sacrificial implements. The eastern portion of both sides is occupied by the procession of sacrificial victims – cows on the South Frieze, the Athenian offering; cows and sheep on the North Frieze, the gifts of the Athenian colonies.

A window was cut into sections of both the North and South Friezes in late antiquity, effectively destroying parts of the processional scene. The greatest damage to these sections, however, was inflicted by the 1687 explosion that tore out the guts of the Parthenon as well as the central portions of both the North and South Frieze, which took the full brunt of the blast. As a result, large junks of these Friezes are either completely missing or are in a very fragmentary state. Of the forty-six preserved blocks from the North Frieze, twenty-four are in the Acropolis Museum and fifteen are in the British Museum. Seven blocks are split between the two museums. Likewise, of the forty-one preserved blocks from the South Frieze, fourteen are in Athens and twenty-four are in the British Museum. Three are split between the two museums.

The East Frieze shows the culmination of the procession. It begins at each end with a series of Athenian-born maidens bearing bowls, jugs and a variety of sacrificial implements. They approach from either side a group of men engaged in conversation – five on the one hand and four on the other – identified as the archons of the city, who have gone on ahead of the procession and are awaiting its arrival. The procession itself is received at either side by marshals, distinguishable by their long cloaks, and who also appear at intervals throughout the Frieze to order and regulate the advancing throng.

Between the two groups of archons are the gods, seated on low stools ready to receive the hospitality of Athena and her chosen city. The gods themselves are divided into two groups, separated by the central peplos scene which depicts the sacred rites performed in honour of Athena Polias by the maidens known as Arrhephoroi. All the gods represented here had sanctuaries on or near the Acropolis. To the left of the centre sits Zeus, followed by Hera, raising her veil, and her attendant Iris. Ares, Hermes and other Olympians are also shown. To the right of the centre sits Athena, followed by Asklepios and Hygeia, Poseidon, Aglauros and Pandrossos. Unfortunately, only nine blocks of the East Frieze have survived, three of which are in the Acropolis Museum and one in the British Museum. Fragments belonging to five blocks are split between the two museums. One block is in the Louvre.

It is worth noting that all the sculptural decoration of the Parthenon – pediments, metopes and frieze - was once painted with vivid colours. Indeed, colour was used extensively throughout, not only in the backgrounds of the gable, metopes and frieze, but also for the finer details such as the borders and the hems of draperies, the accessories and details of the garments and equipment, as well as certain features such as the eyes, lips and hair. There was also widespread use of bronze adjuncts and accessories such as weapons, wreaths, reins, bridles of horses and so on, for the most part now lost, which were fastened into the marble. Holes bored into the marble indicate where these objects were once attached.

ATHENA PARTHENOS

The final element of the Periclean sculptural program, insofar as the Parthenon was concerned, was the colossal 9m tall chryselephantine statue of Athena Parthenos or Virgin, dedicated in 438 BCE. Our primary literary source is the description of the statue by the Greek traveller Pausanias in the second century CE. “The statue itself”, Pausanias says (I.24.5-7), “is made of ivory and gold.

In the middle of the helmet is the image of a Sphinx … and on either side are Griffins in relief … The statue of Athena is erect, in a tunic reaching to the feet, and on her breast is the head of Medusa inlaid of ivory. She holds a Victory about four cubits high [2m high], and in the other hand a spear. At her feet is set her shield and near the spear is a serpent, which may be Erichthonios.

In relief on the base of the statue is the birth of Pandora.” Other ancient writers provide further details. We are told, for example, that the relief on the base contained the figures of twenty gods, and that on the interior of the shield was painted the battle between the Olympians and the Giants. A number of later copies, such as the Varvakeion statuette, seem to confirm Pausanias’ account, though the column shown under Athena’s right hand seems to have been a later addition and not part of the original design, since it does not appear in Athenian coins which show the statue.

From all the various sources we can obtain a reasonably clear picture of what the statue must have looked like. The flesh was rendered in carved ivory while the drapery was made from sheets of gold, the weight of which was reckoned to be forty talents.

The goddess was represented as standing in an easy attitude on a high base, her weight being thrown on her right foot, while the left was slightly bent. She was clothed in a simple tunic, folded down and tightened at the waist, on which lay the aegis. On her head was a crested helmet elaborately adorned with symbolic figures. She was armed, though her spear was propped against her left side while her left hand held the shield which rested upon the ground. Inside the shield was the coiled serpent. The exterior of the shield was carved with figures from the battle between the Athenians and the Amazons.

It was said that among these figures Pheidias not only represented himself as a bald old man raising a stone with both hands, but also Pericles in the act of hurling a spear. In her outstretched right hand Athena held a figure of Nike or Victory which symbolized not only the victory of Athens over the Persians but also the triumph of Democracy. During the fifth century CE the Parthenos was removed to Constantinople.

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Author: Ioannis Georgopoulos | Source: Ancient Emporium [First published December 21, 2009]

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