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Exterior
Column
The Parthenon has Doric columns, which are a more straightforward design than the later Ionic and Corinthian styles. The exterior of the Parthenon had 46 columns, six at the entrance and back, 15 on each side and four in the corners. The columns were 38 feet tall and approximately 6.2 feet in diameter. Each column had 20 flutes, the concave details running down the sides.
The four corner columns were slightly wider to compensate for looking thinner against the blue sky. This prevented the appearance of sagging. They were also placed closer to the columns beside them for a similar reason. The columns were also slightly wider in the middle to prevent the appearance of a tucked-in waist. All columns are slightly angled toward the center of the column to provide greater stability.
Pediment
The pediment is a triangular gable found on the East and West side of the Parthenon. Each are adorned with approximately 50 statues. Each pediment tells a different story significant to Greek religious beliefs.
In Greek, the pediment is called “aetoma”. This is taken from the Greek word for “eagle” because the triangular shape of the pediment resembles an eagle in flight.
The pediments on the Parthenon focus on scenes from Greek mythology: The birth of Athena and the battle between Athena and Poseidon for the patronage of Athens.
Metopes
The metopes are carved marble slabs fitted below the East and West pediment and wrapping around the sides. There were 92 metopes in total. Each side featured intricate, high-relief carvings depicting various stories from Greek mythology. The lower parts of the metopes are more deeply cut and are angled slightly downward so spectators below could better see the details. They were originally painted in bright colors.
The metopes feature various wars from Greek mythology, just as scenes from the Trojan War, the Olympian’s battles with giants, the Greek’s fight with the Amazons and the Greeks against the centaurs.
Frieze
The frieze is a band that wraps around the interior of the colonnade. It is nearly 525 feet of sculpture. Unlike the pediment sculptures and the metopes, the frieze does not depict scenes from Greek myth. Instead, it depicts Athenians taking part in the Panathenaic procession, a celebration for Athena that would have taken place at the Parthenon. This feature is unique because while it does feauture the Olympians, it primarily focuses on Athenian citizens.
East side: The Divine Side
East pediment
Described in detail by the geographer Pausanias, the East pediment shows the birth of Athena. While the birth of Athena had been depicted in pottery before this, it is believed to have been the first such depiction in sculpture.
According to Greek myth, Zeus had a horrible headache. He requested Hephaestus strike him with his hammer. After, Zeus’ head split and Athena emerged, fully clad in armor. Reconstructions of the East pediment shows the Olympians gathered around Zeus and Athena. The event occurred at Dawn, as evidenced by Helios in one corner preparing his daily journey across the sky and a sleepy Selene retreating with her horses in the other corner.
East metopes
The East metopes depict the Gigantomachy. This is the mythic war between the gods and giants for cosmic order. Hermes prepares to slay Hippolytos with a sword. Dionysos strikes Eurytos with his staff. Ares grabs Pelor’s head. Athena strikes Palas with her spear while Nike crowns her with a wreath. Amphitrite, the wife of Poseidon, drives his chariot while he battles Polybotes. Hera, too, drives a chariot. Zeus wields his thunderbolts again Eurymedon, the king of Giants. Apollo falls Ephialtes by kicking him. Artemis drives Apollo’s chariot. Herakles, the only mortal to fight in the battle, crushes Alkyoneas. Aphrodiets fights a Porphyrion, while Eros shoots him with arrows. Hephaestus attacks Mimas. The last metope depicts Helios emerging from the sea in his chariot.
East frieze
This side depicts the peplos offering, the highest moment of the Panathenaic procession. A procession of women are bringing bowls, jugs and incense to Hermes, Dionysis, Demeter and Ares as they oversee the offering. Hera and Zeus are seated on thrones, with Iris behind Zeus. At the center is the presenting of the peplos. It is the Athenian’s gift to their patron Athena. It is carried by a priest and a boy. Athena sits next to the Peplos, which Hephaestus beside her. The line of Olympians continues with Poseidon, Apollo, Artemis, Aphropdite and Eros. Next are seen the eponymous heroes of Attica that make up the Athenian’s mythical ancestors. The East side of the Frieze ends with more women carrying sacred items.
West side
West pediment
Described by Greek Geographer Pausanius, the west pediment depicts the contest between Athena and Poseidon to become the patron deity of Athens. Athena is seen with an olive tree, and Poseidon is seen with his trident. According to the myth, both gods were asked to give the Athenians a gift, and they would choose their patron based on the gift. Athena produced the first olive tree, beautiful and full of olives. Poseidon strikes his trident against a rock and a salt spring erupts. The Athenians chose the olive tree. The
West metopes
The West metopes depict the Amazonomacy, the battle between the Greeks and the Amazons. Theseus, the legendary Athenian hero, leads the army. The Greeks are depicted as naked while the Amazons are clothed and sometimes on horseback. Antiope, their queen, is riding a horse on the first metope to the left.
West frieze
The West frieze continues the theme of the Panathenaic procession. The scene is of horsemen and horses. Some are racing, some are preparing to mount. One horseman is tying his sandals. The center sculptor is a dramatic image of a horse rearing up and his rider trying restrain him. It is the only block with only horse and rider, and some historians believe that Phidias carved this himself. One unique image shows a horse with his head bowed and between his legs. The frieze is bookended with marshalls overseeing the horse races.
North side
North metopes
The north metopes depict the Greeks sacking through the city of Troy during the Trojan War. The last metope differs in portraying Athena and Hera. Christian inhabitants did not alter this metope due to their similarity to Mary and Elizabeth.
North Frieze
The north frieze shows 60 horsemen in a chariot race. Four oxen and four rams wait to be sacrificed. Men carry olive branches, water vessels and baskets. Musicians are also shown.
South side
South metope
The south metope depicts the battle of Greeks and centaurs. The metopes depict the story of the Lapith king Peirithus’ wedding. He had invited the centaurs, who became drunk and attempted to kidnap the Lapith women, which started a great battle. The hero Theseus was a guest and fought the centaurs. The story represents the struggle of civility against barbarity and is reflective of Greek’s identity as an advanced culture.
South frieze
This part of the frieze features ten groups of six horsemen each, 10 chariots and 10 sacrificial oxen, all being led by the marshall of ceremonies.
Interior
Reflecting pool
The original design included a reflecting pool before the Athena Parthenos. This pool provided two functions: It reflected light from the entrance onto the statue and provided humidity to maintain the ivory.
Pedestal
Athena’s pedestal depicts the birth of Pandora, the first woman. Each of the Olympians gave her a gift. Athena taught her the art of needlework and weaving, and then clothed her.
Snake
The snake represents King Erichthonius, a legendary early king of Athens. According to myth, he was born from the ground when Hephaestus spilled his seed in the earth while in pursuit of Athena. Athena found him and raised him. He later drove a usurper from the throne, becoming king. Athen frequently protected him, and he founded the Panathenaic Festival in her honor. He brought many advancements to the Athenians, such to train horses for chariots, to smelt silver and how to use a plow. According to legend, he could not walk but was an acclaimed chariot driver. When he died, Zeus sent him to the heavens to become Auriga, the Charioteer. His sigil was a snake because he had a snake’s tail as an infant, potentially an allusion to his paralysis.
Shield
Like the frieze, Athena’s shield depicts scenes from the Panathenaic procession.
Spear
Traditionally, the spear is associated with Athena and she is frequently depicted in art and literature with a spear and helmet.
Clothing
Athena Parthenos wears a a long tunic with an aegis (breastplate) over it. According to Pausanias, there was an ivory carving of Medusa at her breast. According to myth, Perseus killed Medusa and gifted her head to Athena who mounted it to her shield to use against her enemies in battle.
Nike
Nike is the goddess of victory, and is frequently depicted with wings. In literature, she is often seen as the attendant of Zeus or Athena.
Helmet
According to Pausanias’ account, the center of her helmet was a sphinx with griffins on either side. The griffins were built to guard the gold housed within the Parthenon. Other artists’ renditions show her helmet with three griffins.
Optical illusions
Column width
The columns were carved slightly wider in the middle to prevent the appearance of a tucked-in waist.
Domed platform and entablature
There are very few straight lines in the Parthenon, including the platform and entablature. The platform domes in the middle slightly, ensuring that the floor doesn’t appear to dip. The dome in the entablature mirrors the curve of the platform and helps create a strong appearance.
Leaning columns
The
Interior double columns
The double columns that flank the Athena Parthenos were an intentional design to add to the grandeur and height of the statue.
Corner columns
The four corner columns are designed differently. The blue background of the sky would make the column appear smaller, so they are carved slightly wider. Less space is measured between them and the column beside them. The corner columns also lean slightly diagonally toward the center of the temple, whereas the other columns lean slightly backward.
Timeline
Parthenon is built.
447 BCE - 432 BCE
Pericles ordered the construction of the Parthenon as part of a massive rebuilding program. He is commonly credited for Athen’s golden age and the development of Athenian democracy. Construction on the Parthenon began in 447 BCE. The building itself was completed in 438 BCE, with the external sculpture completed in 432 BCE. Phidias oversaw the project, with Ictinus and Callicrates acting as the architects.
Alexander the Great leaves his mark.
334 BCE
To celebrate his victory over the Persian army, Alexander the Great installed shields claimed in battle. They were hung at the East entrance. Some historians claim his also added suits of armor.
The gold and ivory is removed from the Athena Parthenos.
295 BCE
In 295 BCE, Lachares, the tyrant of Athens, stripped the gold and ivory from the Athena Parthenos to fund his army and for his own personal gain. He also removed the Persian shields Alexander the Great had installed at the East entrance in 334 BCE. The Greek geographer Pausanias wrote that Lachares was “of all the tyrants, the most inhuman towards men, and the most sacrilegious towards the gods.”
The Athena Parthenos is removed and the temple becomes a church.
4th-6th centuries
The wooden core of the Athena Parthenos was later removed after it was converted to a Christian Church during Justinian’s reign. Many of the metopes were removed with chisels, and many of the pediment statues were taken down. One metope, a sculpture of Athena and Hera, remained intact due to their close appearance to the Christian figures Mary and Elizabeth. A spiral staircase and bell tower were installed, and the Parthenon was consecrated to St. Sophia. It was later rededicated to Mary and called “Our Lady of Athens”.
The Parthenon falls under Ottoman control and is converted to a mosque.
1456
In 1456 AD, the Parthenon came under Ottoman control. Mehmed II the Conquerer came to admire the Parthenon. Not long after, it was converted into a mosque and the bell tower became a minaret.
An explosion destroys the roof and most of the walls.
September 26, 1687
During the Siege of the Acropolis in 1687, the Ottomans were holding the Acropolis from the Venetians. General Commander Francesco Morosini, knowing there was gunpowder stored in the Parthenon, ordered his soldiers to fire on the temple. One of the shells broke through the roof and ignited the gunpowder, causing a large explosion in the middle section of the temple, destroying the roof and most of the walls. A Swedish attache wrote of the event: "How it dismayed His Excellency to destroy the beautiful temple which had existed three thousand years!". Morosini himself called it a "fortunate shot".
Lord Elgin removes statues from the Parthenon.
1801-1814
Further destruction befell the Parthenon between the years 1801 and 1804 when Lord Elgin infamously removed 56 slabs of the frieze, 15 metopes and 28 pediment statues for his personal use. He also removed one of the Caryatids from the Porch of Maidens in the Erechthium. The legality of his actions are still under debate to this day. Lord Elgin eventually suffered imprisonment for other charges and financial ruin. Some say he was cursed for separating the Caryatid from her sisters. He was forced to sell the Parthenon marbles to the British Museum, where they are still housed to this day.
Greek becomes an independent country.
1832
In 1832, Greece became an independent country and regained control of the Parthenon. That same year, the first photograph of the Parthenon was published. Throughout the late nineteenth century, the Parthenon grew in prominence and was broadly recognized as an influential monument to art, architecture and democracy. It is also embraced by the Greek people as a symbol of their culture, history and resiliency.
Two Greek resistance fighters remove a Nazi flag from the Acropolis.
May 30, 1941
Since Greece declared independence, a Hellenic flag has flown at the Acropolis. A flagpole was erected at the base of a medieval Belvedere tower. During the Nazi occupation, a Nazi flag flew over the Acropolis, a harrowing symbol over the birthplace of democracy. Two teenagers, Lakis Santas and Manolis Glezos, using encyclopedias and textbooks, researched the terrain of the Acropolis to find hiding place. The night of May 30, 1941, two teenagers, they broke curfew, ascended the Acropolis strategically, snuck past armed guards and tore the Swastika down. It was the first major act of resistance against the German army and led to many more. The Nazis sentenced the unknown offenders to death in absentia, but the Greek citizens never disclosed their names and they were never caught. Both men continued to resist in various ways, and both lived long lives and died as old men.
Restoration and repatriation efforts.
1975 - today
In 1975, Greece began restoration efforts. In 1983, they began their campaign for the return of the Parthenon marbles from the British Museum. Both efforts continue to this day.
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