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Special Study
“The Parthenon sculptures were created more for the glory of the Athenian people than the gods. Discuss.
The Parthenon sculptures were created more for the glory of the Athenian people than the gods. Discuss.
The once grand temple, known as the Parthenon, was built between 447 and 438 BC. Constructed during the reign of the great statesman, Pericles, the Parthenon was created with the intention of honoring the goddess Athena, the patron goddess of Athens. In fact, many of the sculptures held a double meaning, glorifying not only the patron goddess of war, but rather glorifying people of Athens, known throughout the ancient world for their egotistical nature. By 450BC, Athens was the centre of the ancient world, birthplace of drama and democracy, the Athenians only saw it as fitting that a temple should be erected that would serve as a testament to their achievements. This amazing feat of architecture and art was unique both today and in its time. The Parthenon Marbles held great symbolism and represented mythology and cult that were exclusive to Athens. The Parthenon features three categories of architectural sculpture: the metopes, the pediments and the coveted frieze, all of which hold great symbolism and importance in understanding Athenian society.
The Pediments:
The pediments are the triangular gable ends of a Greek temple, often filled with sculptures. According to Pausanias, writing in the second century AD, the east pediment of the Parthenon represented the birth of Athena. Pausanias describes the west pediment as showing the contest between Athena and Poseidon for the land of Attica. In 1674, artist Jacque Carrey made several sketches detailing the fantastic sculptures of the Parthenon pediments. The east pediment, showing the birth of Athena from Zeus’ head is now mainly found in the British Museum. The right side of the east pediment shows the bringing of night by the horses of Selene, with sculptures of what is thought to be Aphrodite and her mother. The left side of the pediment, featuring the sculpture of a nude man, thought to be Dionysus, represents the encroaching light that the birth of Athena had bought. The Parthenon’s west pediment holds great importance and symbolism, showing the goddess in a state of warfare. This mythological battle, wherein the victor would claim the coveted land of Athens and surrounding Attica, was glorified on the Parthenon as Athena’s greatest victory. By venerating this as Athena’s greatest victory, it shows the Athenians conceited attitude, as if they intended for all to know how lucky Athena was to win the people of Attica. The surviving sculptures are some of the best examples of Classical sculpture. Created by Phidias, the sculptures show great movement, indents of muscle and the curved lines of the body, glorifying the gods, who were by nature vain. This series of sculptures is integral in understanding the mythological origins of Athens, showing the goddess Athena, who is seen with the olive tree, the first one to be planted in Athens. The Pediments act as juxtaposed images of Athena’s life, from her birth to her greatest victory, the battle for Athens and the battle for the Athenians.
The Essay on The Parthenon Athens Web Metope
... Athena and western pediment showed th battle between Athena and the sea god Poseidon for the control of Athens (Scully, 65/Web). In 1687 the pediment sculptures ... Greece. Pericles greatest structure built under his command was the Parthenon. The Parthenon was a temple built for the patron goddess Athena (goddess of ...
The Metopes:
Unlike other Greek temples, the Parthenon features ninety-two metopes, carved in high relief with scenes of Greek mythology. The metope in Greek architecture is a rectangular element that serves as a decorative band around the outer edges of the temple. The metopes of each side of the Parthenon are dedicated to the battle and warfare, as Athena is the goddess of war. On the west side, combat between Greek and Amazons; on the north, scenes from the sack of Troy; on the east a battle of gods and giants and finally, the most influential on the south, the battle between Centaurs and the human Lapiths. The series featuring the human Lapiths of Northern Greece and the half man half horse Centaurs shows the Centaurs attending the wedding of Peirithoos, king of the Lapiths. At the wedding, the Centaurs are served wine, which ignites their savage side and they proceed to rape the women and destroy the house of Peirithoos. Although the Lapiths were victorious, the metopes depict a gruesome battle, with casualties of both sides. The metopes show the centaurs engaging in vicious battle with the Lapiths, pulling them by the hair and celebrating over their kills. The Lapiths are also shown engaging in battle, strangling the centaurs and cutting into their hindquarters.
The Essay on The Parthenon Temple Construction Athena
The Parthenon is the most significant and important symbol of the ancient Greek civilization to this day. This temple was built in dedication to the patron goddess of Athens, Athena Parthenos. The construction of this temple began in 447 B. C. and was not completed until almost 438 B. C. This temple was developed in the Doric order and made almost completely of pen telic marble. Even more ...
It would appear that scenes of combat and warfare are appropriate in decorating a temple dedicated to the patron goddess of war, but the sculptures also represent a political triumph of Athens. In 480BC, roughly a generation before the Parthenon was built; the Persians under King Xerxes attacked the Acropolis of Athens, destroying an unfinished temple where the Parthenon would later stand. The original temple was created to commemorate the victory of the Greeks at Marathon in 490 BC. As the Parthenon was created in the honour of Athena, it rightfully should only show mythological images, however, it would appear that the south metope was created to commemorate the Athenian struggle over the invading Persians in the guise of a mythological war. The Lapiths represent the Athenians, mortals and yet still powerful enough to fight off an invading and exotic enemy, the Persians. With the images of the wounded Lapiths, the Athenians showed the potential damage the Persians could have caused. The Athenians ventured to honor the people of Athens for their perseverance against the enemy Persians, seen as savage and barbarian, represented by the Centaur. It also served as a reminder to the people of Athens to be ready to protect their city from the enemy, who had the ability become savage at any time.
The Frieze:
The Parthenon frieze is considered as one of the greatest examples of Greek art and one of the most coveted and unique items of Classical antiquity. Originally running as a continuous band of low-relief carving around all four sides of the inside of the temple, it shows a procession, beginning on the west side of the structure and then divided into two branches, running along the north and south sides. The eastern side of the frieze shows the leaders of the procession converged towards the gods, one facing the northern division of the procession and the other, southern. The procession shows the sacred Panathenaic Festival, the celebration of Athena’s birthday. The festival, celebrated in the height of summer, brought together all the peoples of the city’s community; old, and young, male, female, citizen and foreigner. Like its fellow sculptures, the frieze is assumed to be the work of Phidias, and his team of sculptors. The frieze is noted for its sense of uniformity, even though it would have been worked on by many different sculptors, from various parts of Greece, each with different methods of working. The frieze is the most unique and mysterious series of sculptures of the Parthenon as it explicitly honours the mortal citizens of Athens.
The Essay on Description Of A Sculpture “The Thing”
Detail is an important part of everyday life, though it is more often than not one of the most overlooked aspects of life. People often see detail without actually noticing it, thus what they see is overlooked. For example, in a sculpture named “The Thing,” detail is written all over it, but without a close observation of the details, all that is seen is a piece of junk and no longer useful items ...
In classical Greece, a temple dedicated to a god or goddess, such as the Parthenon, shows images of the divine gods, glorified in scenes of war and victory, or scenes of mythology. The Parthenon frieze, however, depicts not myths or gods, but the people of Athens. It was highly unusual for a temple frieze, one that adorned the statue of Athena, to depart from the conventional practice of scenes of mythology. The Athenian people were the proudest and vainest in Greece. They loved their city and they genuinely felt blessed to be Athenians, and so, they endeavored to pay homage to themselves in the most visual way possible, on the largest sculpture of their most venerated temple, and the most recognizable temple of ancient civilization. Elsewhere on the Parthenon, this tradition of mythological scenes is observed, but on the frieze, instead of seeing the conventional mythological characters, we instead see a generalised portrayal of contemporary Athenian life and the community. A low-relief carving, the Parthenon frieze is noted for its attention to detail. Although the bright paint that once decorated the marble is now worn away, the frieze retains its painstaking attention to detail. Phidias’ figures are covered in material, yet their robes are almost transparent in their quality, highlighting the movement and definition of the human torso. Phidias’ technique is seen in the muscle definition, folds of material and facial expressions of the figures, with each face being individual and unique. The frieze takes on the literal meaning of the festival by encapsulating the entire community of Athens, just as the Panathenaia represented ‘All Athenians’, it shows a cross-section of Athenian life, a microcosm of Athens, unique and idiosyncratic.
The Term Paper on Sculpture Of The Old Kingdom Of Ancient Egypt
Introduction Egypt is situated in the north-eastern corner of the African continent. It is composed of two very different regions-Upper Egypt and Lower Egypt. Lower Egypt-the Black Land as it was also called by the ancient Egyptians-with its fertile soil strip along the Nile River makes up the northern part of the country. The Red Land-the Upper Egypt-is a deserto us southern part with the red, ...
The Parthenon sculptures are like no other of their time and style. The Athenians created a temple not only to glorify their patron goddess, but to glorify Athens, Athenians and all their achievements: social, political and mythological. The Parthenon sculptures have withstood the test of time, survived war, earthquakes and bombings. Although shadows of their former glory, they still retain the fine detail and amazing technique of the sculptor Phidias and still offer insight into 5th century Athenian life and worship. Pericles intended to show the pride and even vanity of 5th century Athenians, by committing its golden age of architecture, art, education, theatre and political achievements to eternity by honoring Athenians in what is now the most acknowledged building of the ancient era. Mixing together mortal and divine, human and mythological elements, the Parthenon sculptures pay homage not only to the immortals, but to those who created the center of the Western World, the Athenians. The Parthenon sculptures, with all their symbolism and mystery remain the highest level of human creativity and a powerful testament of what man is capable of.
BIBLIOGRAPHY:
Books:
* ‘The Parthenon Frieze’ Ian Jenkins. First published 1994 by British Museum Press, London, United Kingdom.
* ‘The Parthenon Sculptures’ Ian Jenkins. First published 1994 by British Museum Press, London, United Kingdom.
* ‘The Elgin Marbles’ Dorothy King. First published 2006 by The Random House Group Limited, Hutchinson, United Kingdom.
Websites:
*
*
* http://www.ancient-greece.org/art/parthenon-ped-west.html
* http://www.ancient-greece.org/art/parthenon-ped-east.html
*
* http://www.cocooceanresort.com/europe/sculptures-of-the-parthenon-frieze/
The Term Paper on Diversity In The Post war United Kingdom
H2>'What have been the main forms of diversity to emerge in the post-war United Kingdom, and to what extent have they been sources of uncertainty? There have been many forms of diversity to emerge in the UK in the post war period. It is subjective which of these can be considered the main forms. Personal circumstances may colour somebodys view of which forms of diversity are the most ...
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[ 1 ]. The Parthenon Sculptures: JENKINS, Ian. First Published in 2007, United Kingdom. British Museum Press. P.47
[ 2 ]. Ibid
[ 3 ]. http://www.ancient-greece.org/art/parthenon-ped-east.html
[ 4 ]. The Parthenon Sculptures: JENKINS, Ian. First Published in 2007, United Kingdom. British Museum Press. P.47
[ 5 ]. http://www.ancient-greece.org/art/parthenon-ped-west.html
[ 6 ]. The Parthenon Sculptures: JENKINS, Ian. First Published in 2007, United Kingdom. British Museum Press. P.48
[ 7 ]. http://www.ancient-greece.org/art/parthenon-ped-west.html
[ 8 ]. The Parthenon Sculptures: JENKINS, Ian. First Published in 2007, United Kingdom. British Museum Press. P.69
[ 9 ]. Ibid
[ 10 ]. Ibid
[ 11 ].
[ 12 ]. Ibid
[ 13 ]. Ibid
[ 14 ]. Ibid
[ 15 ]. The Parthenon Sculptures: JENKINS, Ian. First Published in 2007, United Kingdom. British Museum Press. P.69
[ 16 ].
[ 17 ]. Ibid
[ 18 ]. “The Parthenon Frieze” JENKINS, Ian First Published in 1994, United Kingdom. British Museum Press. P.17
[ 19 ]. http://www.cocooceanresort.com/europe/sculptures-of-the-parthenon-frieze/
[ 20 ]. “The Parthenon Frieze” JENKINS, Ian First Published in 1994, United Kingdom. British Museum Press. P.25
[ 21 ]. “The Parthenon Frieze” JENKINS, Ian First Published in 1994, United Kingdom. British Museum Press. P.33
