The Parthenon Frieze

Attribution:

WVJazzman

Key Dates

Sculpted between c.443 and 438 BC.

Excavated in the 19th century and housed in the museum in 1975.

The Acropolis of Athens was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987.

Key People

Thought to have been sculpted in the 5th century BC under the direction of the Greek sculptor, painter and architect, Phidias.

The Parthenon Frieze is a low relief sculpture, quarried from Mount Pentelikon marble and created to decorate the upper part of the Parthenon's naos at the Acropolis site. The Frieze shows some 378 figures and 245 animals and all from Hydria-bearers to Olympian gods are shown in the sculpture. It would have been finished with metal detailing and paintwork and although no colour survives, it is thought that the background was painted in blue. 420 ft of the original piece survived, with part kept at the Acropolis Museum in Athens and the other at the British Museum in London. There are several thoughts on what the Frieze is meant to depict, one being that it shows the victories of Athens in the time of Pericles, another, that it shows the etiological myth of the city of Athens.

Origin & Collection

Discovered at:

Acropolis

On display at:

New Acropolis Museum

Physical properties

Height:

100.00cm

Depth:

5.60cm

Lenght:

16000.00cm

Materials:

Marble

Images

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The Parthenon Frieze

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