Acropolis Parthenon 2007

Visit to Greece Acropolis Parthenon 2007. First hand look from Samson. Enjoy through my eyes, what I was able to capture and treasure.

4th Grade Parthenon Project

My 4th grade class built the Athenian Parthenon out of plastic bottles for an Earth Day project that tied into our SS work studying Everyday Ancient Greek Life. We also use the project to help us study fractions.

Ancient Art Podcast 11b, Parthenon Frieze Part 2

(Episode split into 2 parts for YouTube: 11a and 11b.) In this part of multiple episodes focusing on the Parthenon Frieze and its relationship with the Persian Apadana reliefs at Persepolis, we investigate the evidence for the transmission of ideas from Persia to Greece by way of the Ionian Greek artists, who plied their trade throughout the Mediterranean. Well look closely at an important transitional piece, the so-called Harpy Tomb at Xanthos in Lycia, as well as a couple Persian imperial sites, Susa and Persepolis, before turning westward to Athens. Well also examine the role of Persian monumental art and architecture and reveal the Greek stylistic influence passed on to Persia by the Ionian artists.

Sculptures of the Parthenon

Image : http://www.flickr.com

The sculptural decoration of the great temple of Athena was eminently worthy of its architecture. Pheidias made his name immortal by creating a work that will eternally remain a model of Greek sculpture. The subjects, the composition, everything was of matchless perfection.

The Doric frieze sculptured in high relief above the outer colonnades consisted of ninety-two metopes: fourteen on each front and thirty-two on each side. Of the few that remain twenty-eight are to be seen on the east, thirteen on the north and one on the south, but all these are either badly weathered or so defaced as to be unrecognizable. Fifteen metopes are in London (others were lost in a shipwreck near Cape Maleas while being transported to England) and one in Paris. Those on the east represent battles between Gods and Giants; on the west between Athenians and Amazons; on the south between Centaurs and Lapithae, and on the north scenes from the Siege of Troy.

The tympana in the pediments, 28.65 m. in length by 3.45 m. in height, were filled with Pheidias' finest sculpture. That on the eastern pediment represented the Birth of Athena and showed her clad in full armor, springing forth from the head of Zeus. On the western pediment was represented the Contest between Athena and Poseidon for the possession of Attica. The two divinities occupied the center of the pediment and were shown standing, separated by the olive tree symbolizing the victory of the Virgin Goddess. Of all these statues, totalling fifty, almost nothing remains in situ. The vast majority was transported to London by lord Elgin and are now displayed in the British Museum; copies may be seen in the Museum of the Acropolis.

A continuous Ionic frieze 159.70 m. in length and 1 m. in height, carved in low relief, ran along the top of the outer walls of the naos and represented the ritual procession of officials, high born youths and maidens, Athenian citizens and resident aliens, and trains of sacrificial animals during the feast of the Greater Panathenaea, held every four years.

The beginning of the procession is shown in the south west angle of the frieze with the celebrants moving in double files from west to east; those on the north from the right, those on the south from left to right, towards the entrance at the east end of the temple, where the twelve Gods of Olympus preside over the ceremonial folding of Athena's peplos. On the west portion of the frieze knights are shown preparing for the cavalcade. One of them with his chlamys streaming in the wind makes ready to mount his rearing horse; another is shown fastening his sandal while his attendant bridles his master's restive steed; in a corner of the frieze, an official marshals the groups of cavalrymen who are seen moving off under their commanders.

With the exception of the three central figures, the western section of the frieze is still in situ, though in a very decomposed state; a great portion of that belonging to the northern, southern and eastern sides is in the British Museum, while the remainder, with the exception of eight pieces in the Louvre, is in the Museum of the Acropolis. The sight of this stupendous frieze in the days when it was surmounted by richly painted mouldings under a coffered ceiling ornamented with stars and flowers must have been overwhelming. The total number of figures represented in the frieze is estimated at three hundred and fifty pedestrians and one hundred and twenty-five equestrians, and no two figures are alike.

At the western end of the cella stood Pheidias' masterpiece; the cult-statue of Athena Parthenos. The site is clearly seen in the oblong of dark colored limestone in the center of which is a square opening. This held the main prop that supported the towering statue of the virgin goddess, constructed of gold and ivory over an inner wooden frame; including the pedestal it stood 12.80 m. high.

According to Pausanias, the goddess was standing, clad in a peplos. Her face, hands and feet were of ivory, while the peplos like the armor and accessories, was constructed of detachable gold plates, and could be removed in an emergency. On her left was her shield decorated with scenes from the battles between Greeks and Amazons on the outer side and Giants and Gods on the inner. Under the shield was a golden serpent representing Erechtheus. On her breast she wore the aegis with the Gorgon's head, and her helmet was adorned by a sphinx between winged horses, with griffins in relief on either side. In the palm of her extended right hand she carried a six-foot high Victory wearing a crown of gold; in her left a spear. Her sandals were decorated with a scene from the fight between the Lapithae and the Centaurs, while on the pedestal was depicted the Birth of Pandora.

It was especially on the embellishment of the head of the goddess that Pheidias lavished all his art and genius. To enhance the brightness of the eyes, the hair and the helmet, he employed a great variety of scintillating gems whose brilliance dazzled the eyes of the beholder. In the morning, when the sun invaded the sanctuary, bathing the resplendent statue in its rays, one might imagine the living goddess had suddenly descended Olympus, and now stood before one.

If you would like to stay in Athens Hotels in Acropolis Area choose Acropolis View Hotel or Divani Palace Acropolis.

NOVA | NOVA Short | Optical Tricks of the Parthenon

Ancient Greek architects were on to something when they built the Parthenon with subtle curves and no right angles. While it remains debatable, some scholars argue that these features were intended to counter the brain's tendency to see optical illusions. www.pbs.org Watch "Secrets of the Parthenon" Tuesday, January 29 at 8pm ET/PT on PBS (check local listings). Or join us online at pbs.org "Secrets of the Parthenon" is a Providence Pictures production for NOVA and WGBH Boston in association with Studio International and ARTE France. Funding for NOVA is provided by David H. Koch, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and public television viewers. Additional funding for "Secrets of the Parthenon" is provided by The Solow Art and Architecture Foundation. To learn more, visit www.pbs.org