What is on the metopes of the Parthenon?
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. It depicts a battle between the civilized Lapiths and the brutish half -human, half-horse centaurs, where the legendary Athenian king Theseus fought on the Lapiths’ side.
What does the Parthenon frieze represent?
The Parthenon friezes meant to convey a Panathenaic procession, the victory of the Athenians at Marathon, the power of Athens as a city-state, and the piety of its citizens.
What is the controversy surrounding the Parthenon sculptures?
They argue that the marbles are a prime piece of Greek heritage and were removed with the permission of what was effectively a foreign government, as Greek independence only occurred a few years after Elgin was collecting. They also argue that the British Museum has no legal right to the sculptures.
What did the metopes represent?
Each metope represents a duel between a Greek and an Amazon, around Theseus, the central figure.
What themes are pictured on the metopes of the Parthenon?
At the east (or front) of the temple the metopes depicted the Gigantomachy, or the battle between the gods and the giants. The west metopes depicted fights between Greeks and the Amazons (or Persians), while the north and south metopes included scenes from the Trojan War and the Cenauromachy respectively.
What does Parthenon symbolize?
The Parthenon was the center of religious life in the powerful Greek City-State of Athens, the head of the Delian League. Built in the 5 century B.C., it was a symbol of the power, wealth and elevated culture of Athens. It was the largest and most lavish temple the Greek mainland had ever seen.
Why does Greece want the Elgin Marbles back?
Perhaps the most impassioned argument for the return of the Parthenon sculptures is that the pieces represent a vital and central part of Greek cultural heritage. The Parthenon Sculptures were made in Greece by Greeks to honour the glory of Greece. They represent the cultural identity of millions of people.
What happened to the statue of Athena in the Parthenon?
The original Athena Parthenos created by Pheidias in the fifth century BC was stripped of its gold fixtures by Lachares in around 296 BC. What remained of the statue was almost certainly destroyed by a fire in the east naos of the Parthenon that must have taken place sometime shortly before around 165 BC.
Why Greece should have the Elgin marbles?
What happened to the Parthenon sculptures?
Around 50% of the original architectural decoration on the Parthenon is now lost, having been destroyed over many centuries in the ancient world and later. It is therefore impossible to reconstruct the monument completely or reunite it with its sculptural decoration.
How many metopes are there in the Parthenon?
The part between the triglyphs, at first a simple unadorned stone space, was quickly used to receive a carved decoration. The Parthenon numbered ninety-two polychrome metopes: fourteen on each of the east and west facades, and thirty-two on each of the north and south sides.
What happened to the ancient metopes of Athens?
A powder magazine installed in the building by the Ottomans exploded during the siege of Athens by the Venetians in September 1687, continuing the destruction. The southern metopes are the best preserved.
What is the central theme of the metopes of Athens?
To the east, the most religiously important side, the theme of the metopes would be the gigantomachy. Zeus and Hera (or Athena) would be represented on the central metopes, the fights being organized symmetrically around them. To the west, they represented Greeks fighting opponents in oriental costume.
How did the Parthenon become so important to Athens?
The power of Athens then grew gradually, mainly within the League of Delos which it controlled more and more hegemonically. Eventually, in 454 BC., the treasure of the league was transferred from Delos to Athens. A vast program of construction was then launched, financed by this treasure; among these, the Parthenon.