The Parthenon

What order is the Parthenon built in, and when was it constructed?

Doric order with Ionic features, built between 437-432 BC during the High Classical period.
💡 Memory Tip: Picture a strong Doric warrior with elegant Ionic scrolls on his armor, standing in 437 BC.

Why was the Parthenon built, and how was it funded?

It was part of the rebuilding of the Athenian Acropolis after the Persians sacked it in 480/479 BC, funded by the Delian League treasury.

Pericles oversaw rebuilding of the treasury
💡 Memory Tip: Imagine Athens rising from the ashes, funded by a treasure chest from the Delian League.

What were the dimensions and arrangement of the Parthenon's external columns?

• 46 Doric columns (each 10.4m high)

  • Arranged in an 8 by 17 column ratio around a double cella.
    💡 Memory Tip: Picture a giant Doric column ruler measuring 10.4m, forming a perfect 8x17 grid.

How many metopes decorated the exterior, and what myths did they depict?

92 carved metopes with these themes:

• South – Centauromachy (battle of centaurs and Lapiths)

• West – Amazonomachy (battle of Amazons and Greeks)

• North – Fall of Troy

  • East – Gigantomachy (battle of gods and giants)
    💡 Memory Tip: Remember C.A.T.G. (Centauromachy, Amazonomachy, Troy, Gigantomachy) as “Centaurs And Trojans Go!”.

What were the themes of the Parthenon's pediments?

• East Pediment – Birth of Athena

  • West Pediment – Contest of Athena and Poseidon
    💡 Memory Tip: Athena rises in the East (birth), competes in the West (contest). Imagine a sunrise (birth) and a stormy battle (contest) in opposite directions.v

What was the cult statue inside the Parthenon?

A 11.5m high chryselephantine (gold and ivory) statue of Athena Parthenos.
💡 Memory Tip: Picture a giant Athena, shimmering in gold and ivory, standing as tall as a modern 3-story building.

What was unique about the Parthenon’s Ionic frieze?

• 160m long, 1m high

• Made of Pentelic marble in light relief

  • Depicts the Panathenaic procession with seated Olympic gods observing
    💡 Memory Tip: Imagine a never-ending festival parade (160m) watched by gods relaxing on divine thrones.

light relief

6cm at its deepest

narratives

panathenaic procession

2 seperate processions

folding/donation/giving of the peplos

animals heading up for sacrifice = hecatomb

galloping horsemen = arete

walking women

seated gods

what is controversial

big ionic columns in the way

what orientation

east west