The Frieze
What happy musing genial went
With airest touch the chisel lent
    To frisk and curvet light
Of horses gay-their riders grave-
Contrasting so in action brave
    With virgins meekly bright,
Clear filing on in even tone
With pitchers each, one after one,
    Like water-fowl in flight.

from The Parthenon by Herman Melville


In Greek temple architecture, the frieze was a horizontal section below the roof on which sculptures often depicted human or mythical figures. Inside the Parthenon, sculptures run continuously along the frieze for 525 feet above the inner Doric columns. Depicted on the frieze is the Great Panathenaea, the majestic parade to the top of the Acropolis held every fourth year on Athena's birthday. Hundreds of carved figures, including bareback riders, chariot drivers, musicians, young men and women, and parade marshals represent the contemporary Athenians. The procession meets at the center, over the east entrance to the great statue of Athena.

The sculptures on the frieze reflect a high quality of craftsmanship. The sculptor Phidias probably trained and supervised the sculptors of the frieze himself. As with each portion of the Parthenon, sculptors used the frieze to convey the values and ideals of fifth-century B.C. Athens. The frieze devotes special attention to the accomplishments of the Athenians. Some of the gods also make an appearance in the sculptures, showing their approval.

What other messages do the Parthenon's sculptures convey?
The metopes are the rectangular panels of stone that span the top of the Parthenon's outer columns in a horizontal band beneath the cornice. They alternate with triglyphs, weight-bearing slabs identically carved in a vertical three-groove pattern. There were originally 92 metopes on the Parthenon-32 on each long side and 14 on each end. Each was carved in high relief, the figures projecting boldly from the flat background and illuminated by the bright Mediterranean sun. Metopes on each side of the Parthenon tell of dramatic battles from Greek mythology and history. The metopes on the south side depict the mythical battle between the early Greeks and centaurs. On the west metopes, Greek horsemen and foot soldiers engage in battle, probably with the Persians. The Trojan Wars, a mythical allegory of the Persian Wars, are detailed in the metopes on the north side. On the east side, the most important side of the temple, sculpted metopes tell of the mythological triumph of the gods over the giants. Together, these four stories in stone celebrate the triumph of Athenians over the enemies of reason, honor, and order.

Credits: Parthenon © SuperStock; Horsemen Acropolis Museum, Athens, Greece. Photo © Nimatallah/Art Resource, New York; Procession of the Panatheneans Louvre, Paris. Photo © Erich Lessing/Art Resource, New York.

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