Contents
- 1 How many decorated metopes are there on the Parthenon?
- 2 What is the subject of the sculptural decoration on the west pediment at the Parthenon?
- 3 What is abacus in pillar?
- 4 Why is it called the Parthenon?
- 5 What was originally housed inside the Parthenon?
- 6 How many relief panels were on the Parthenon?
- 7 How many sculptors worked on the Parthenon frieze?
How many decorated metopes are there on the Parthenon?
The sculpted decoration of the Parthenon included ninety-two metopes showing scenes of mythical battle. Those on the south flank of the temple included a series featuring human Lapiths in mortal combat with Centaurs. The Centaurs were part-man and part-horse, thus having a civil and a savage side to their nature.
What areas of the Parthenon were decorated with sculpture?
The main sculptural decorations of the Parthenon include the Chryselephantyne statue of Athena, the East and West pediments, the metopes of the peristyle, and the continuous frieze of the cella. The temple on its exterior exhibited an abundance of sculptures.
What is the subject of the sculptural decoration on the west pediment at the Parthenon?
The east pediment depicted the birth of Athena (which connects nicely with the frieze’s depiction of the Panathenaic Festival held on the goddess’ birthday), whilst the west pediment showed the competition between Athena and Poseidon to become the patron of Athens, the former offering the Athenians a salty spring, the …
What would you find on the metopes on the Parthenon?
The fourteen metopes on the west side of the Parthenon depict the Amazonomachy, the struggle of Athenian youths and their king Theseus against the Amazons. The Amazons, a mythical tribe of women-warriors from the Black Sea, invaded Athens threatening even the Acropolis.
What is abacus in pillar?
In architecture, an abacus (from the Greek abax, slab; or French abaque, tailloir; plural abacuses or abaci) is a flat slab forming the uppermost member or division of the capital of a column, above the bell.
Is there a statue of Athena in the Parthenon?
The colossal statue of the Athena Parthenos, which Phidias made for the Parthenon, was completed and dedicated in 438. The original work was made of gold and ivory and stood some 38 feet (12 metres) high. The goddess stood erect, wearing a tunic, aegis, and helmet and holding a Nike…
Why is it called the Parthenon?
The name Parthenon derives from one of Athena’s many epithets: Athena Parthenos, meaning Virgin. Parthenon means ‘house of Parthenos’ which was the name given in the 5th century BCE to the chamber inside the temple which housed the cult statue.
What is the general message of all the Parthenon’s sculpted metopes?
This general theme is considered to be a metaphor for the Median wars and thus the triumph of the city of Athens. The majority of metopes were systematically destroyed by Christians at the time of the transformation of the Parthenon into a church towards the sixth or the seventh century AD.
What was originally housed inside the Parthenon?
A shrine within the Parthenon housed an extraordinary statue of Athena, known as Athena Parthenos, which was sculpted by Phidias.
How are the metopes of the Parthenon decorated?
The Parthenon metopes that were visible on the exterior of the temple were made in deep relief and surrounded the temple on all sides. Most Greek temples had few decorated metopes, but in the Parthenon all ninety-two metopes were decorated on all sides with scenes from Greek mythology.
How many relief panels were on the Parthenon?
Parthenon Metopes. There were originally 92 Parthenon metopes (relief panels above the columns, between the triglyphs), 14 on the east and west sides and 32 on the others. Many of these panels are badly damaged today, others are destroyed, and several others have been removed for museums.
When was the south side of the Parthenon made?
They are dated from about 446 to 440 BCE, and are attributed to a sculptor named Kalamis. The metopes on each of the four sides of the Parthenon depict a different mythical battle or war. The south side is perhaps the best preserved.
How many sculptors worked on the Parthenon frieze?
No information is recoverable on the workshop, but estimates range from three to 80 sculptors on the basis of style. However, American archeologist Jenifer Neils suggests nine, on the grounds that this would be the least number necessary to produce the work in the time given. It was finished with metal detailing and painted.