Sculpture at the Parthenon

The parthenon, or the Great Temple of Athena, is one of the world's greatest masterpieces of ancient architecture. Its imposing structure and dazzling array of quality sculpture rival the best that man has ever created.

In 432 BC Pericles, King of Athens, commissioned the construction of a new temple dedicated to goddess Athena. This was to symbolize the emergence of the Greek city-state as an imperishable symbol of civilization and of the inevitable triumph of Greek values over barbaric instincts. The building would have a dual function as a temple and as a treasury.

Among the first works completed at the Parthenon were the metopes (rectangular slabs with relief scenes) that ran around the outer colonnade of the building. Each grouping of these metopes represented a mythical battle. Besides depicting the Greco-Persian wars, these metopes alluded to various events of Greek history, including the battles between the Lapiths and centaurs, the Amazonomachy and the Trojan War.

Many of the metopes, though not all, survived until the 19th century and are on display at the museum. In the north, for example, are a group of metopes whose figures depict the defeat of Troy.

These metopes, together with a frieze and two pediments adorned with compositions of all-sculptured statues, formed the main body of the sculpture decorating the Parthenon. The frieze, which spanned all four sides of the building (an Ionic feature), contained over 160 m of sculpture. The sculptors used a variety of techniques to create the metopes and frieze.

Some of the metopes were made from 10-ton marble blocks, fitted together with iron clamps placed into carefully-carved grooves and poured lead in the joints to cushion them against shocks caused by earthquakes. The marble blocks were hand-carved and polished by craftsmen.

Another type of marble was also used for the pediments, which had complex compositions of statues in relief. These pediments were built over the columns of the peristyle, and in some cases over the entrance doorway.

A number of the pediments were decorated with friezes, also carved in the round. These pediments depicted a variety of figures and animals, including horses.

During the 5th century the building was converted into a Christian church, which led to the destruction of many of the metopes and some of the frieze. The church had an apse built to the east, which destroyed some of the figures in the central part of the east frieze. The church also had windows set into the walls, which destroyed some of the metopes and a bell tower built at the west end.

The name "parthenon" is thought to have been given to the building by a chryselephantine statue of Athena in the eastern cella of the building. However, van Rookhuijzen has discovered that there is no solid evidence to support this claim and that it is more likely that the word “parthenon” refers to a group of rooms in the building rather than to the chryselephantine statue itself.