Athenian Culture Depth Study

Who was the Parthenon dedicated to, and how was this highlighted within the temple?

It was dedicated to Athena Parthenos (Athena the virgin). She was celebrated by the huge cult statue inside the temple. It was chryselephantine (made of gold and ivory) and was sculpted by Pheidias. ==Pausanias== gives an account of the statue.

What was the structure of the Parthenon and how did it differ from traditional design?

It was larger than usual, with 8 columns at each end instead of 6. It also had two different orders, Ionic and Doric, and two layers of columns at the east and west ends.

In most temples, the metopes down the long sides would be left undecorated, but this was not the case with the Parthenon.

What did the doric metopes of the Parthenon depict and how is this significant?

__Doric Metopes:__

* North: Sack of Troy
* East: Gigantomachy
* South: Centauromachy
* West: Amazonoachy

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There is a common narrative throughout these mythological scenes, the attempt of an ‘uncivilised’ force to interrupt the civilised world. This mirrors the Persian invasion.

What did the ionic frieze of the Parthenon depict and how was this significant?

The Panathenaic Procession, finishing at the east side. This is significant as the east side was the entrance to the temple and so would have had the most foot traffic.

What were the pediments of the Parthenon?

East: The birth of Athena

West: The contest between Poseidon and Athena to be the patron deity of Athens

==Pausanias== gives us an outline of each design.

How was the Erechtheion significant for Athenian religion?

It contained the original statue of Athena, made of olive wood, which according to ==Pausanias== was the most revered in Attica. It also supposedly housed the site that Poseidon’s trident had struck and the tomb of the legendary king Erechtheus. It was dedicated to both Athena Polias and Poseidon.

The southern porch of the temple has 6 statues of women which serve in place of columns. This is quite a feat of engineering.

What order was the Erechtheion in?

Ionic order

What was the Propylaea?

The Propylaea was the entrance to the Acropolis. It divided the sanctuary from the rest of Athens. Significantly, it had view of the bay of Salamis

How do the structures on the Acropolis reflect Athenian victory over the Persians?

The Propylaea overlooks the bay of Salamis, where the battle took place in 480BC. This is significant as the Greeks were victorious over the Persians.

The original temple on the Acropolis was burnt down by the Persians so the construction of such an impressive sanctuary was defiant in itself. The original statue of Athena was housed in the Erechtheion, which ==Pausanias== makes clear is the most revered image of the goddess in the whole of Attica.

The Sanctuary at Eleusis

There were three architects which contributed to the sanctuary, Coroebus, Metagenes and Xenocles (==Plutarch, Pericles==). The developments there were substantial because the secret nature of the cult required rituals to be conducted indoors.

Temple of Poseidon, Sounion

Sounion is located at the southern tip of Attica. The temple was constructed high on the cliff, making it very visible to ships sailing into Athens. It was undoubtedly a statement that Athens owned the seas, especially as it was dedicated to Poseidon.

The friezes of the temple are:

* the battle of the centaurs and the Lapiths
* the battle of the giants and gods
* the labours of Theseus

What order was the Sounion temple in?

Doric order

Temple of Artemis, Brauron

At Brauron, on the east coast of Attica, there was a sanctuary to Artemis, where young girls (around the age of 10) would go to celebrate their transition into womanhood (Lysistrata).

The columns of the temple are placed more widely apart for ease of access.

What order was the temple at Brauron in?

Doric order

Temple of Nemesis, Rhamnous

At Rhamnous, in the north-east of Attica, there was a temple to the goddess Nemesis (retribution). It seems that the work on the temple was interrupted as the columns have not been finished. The temple also included a statue of Nemesis sculpted out of Parian marble which ==Pausanias== claims was left behind by the Persians after their first invasion of 490.

What order was the temple at Rhamnous in?

Doric order

Aristophanes context

Aristophanes was a wealthy comic playwright in the late 5th century. These were always based on topical themes, such as politics, particularly centred around Cleon, who Aristophanes hated, and other subjects such as womens’ right and the sophists. He is often called the ‘Father of Comedy’, and his plays very often prompted the audience to question their politicians, and their own moral values.

Drama context

The crowd at dramatic festivals in the Odeon of Pericles would have been at least 6,000. The majority of this would have been citizen men, and the plays were definitely catered towards their viewpoints.

What were the two major drama festivals called?

The Lenaia and the City Dionysia

What characterised the two major drama festivals

Lenaia: Held in January so foreigners couldn’t attend. Comedy was more important.

City Dionysia: Held in March so foreigners were present.

Tragedy was more important.

What year was Knights?

424

Who are the characters in Knights?

* Agoracritus: Sausage seller
* Demos: Old man representing the people

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Three slaves representing politicians:

* Cleon
* Nicias
* Demosthenes

What year was Wasps?

422

Who are the characters in Wasps?

* Philocleon (Pro-Cleon): older man, obsessed with Cleon and attending trials
* Bdelycleon (Anti-Cleon): son of Philocleon, prevents his father from attending trials
* Labes: Dog who is put on trial for eating cheese
* Hound of Cydathenaeum: Dog representing Cleon

What year was Thesmophoriazusae?

411

Who are the characters in Thesmophoriazusae?

* Euripides
* Mnesilochus: Euripides father-in-law who offers to spy on the women at the Thesmophoria for Euripides
* Micca: woman at the festival
* Myrtle seller: woman at the festival
* Chorus: women at the festival

What year was Clouds?

423

Who are the characters in Clouds?

* Strepsiades: The father of Pheidippides
* Pheidippides: The son
* Socrates: represents sophists and pre-socratics rather than himself, runs the ‘Thinkery’
* Right argument: anti-rhetoric
* Wrong argument: pro-rhetoric
* Two debt collectors

Gorgias *Encomium of Helen*

Date: late 5th century

Significance:

* The Encomium of Helen is a display speech written by the ‘father of rhetoric’, Gorgias
* It centres around highlighting the power of rhetoric
* It argues that Helen of the Trojan War shouldn’t be blamed for going with Paris, even if she did so because she was persuaded by rhetoric

Quotes:

* ‘The adornment… of a speech \[is\] truth’
* ‘Speech is a powerful lord who… can stop fear and banish grief and nurture pity’
* ‘The effect of speech upon the structure of soul is as the structure of drugs over the nature of bodies’
* ‘some \[speeches\] cause fear… and some drug and bewitch the soul with a kind of evil persuasion’

Pliny

Plutarch

Thucydides *Pericles Funeral Oration*

Thucydides *Mytlinean Debate*

Ostrakon

The Old Oligarch