|
|
|
 |
| My Favourite Planet > English > Europe > Greece > Attica > Athens > galleries > Acropolis |
|
|
|
The first view visitors get of the Parthenon after climbing up to the Acropolis. |
"The most magnificent ruin in the world"
Sir William Gell (1777-1836), English archaeologist and illustrator.
"Let him who denies the sublimity of Grecian architecture
travel to Athens, view the ruins of the Parthenon, and be silent."
Peter Edmund Laurent, Recollections of a classical tour through various parts of Greece, Turkey, and Italy, made in the years 1818 & 1819. G. and W. B. Whittaker, london, 1821. |
Plan of the Parthenon. |
| |
| |
"The Varvakeion statuette"
of Athena Parthenos.
National Archaeological Museum, Athens.
photo: © Konstanze Gundudis
Statuette of Athena Parthenos.
Copy of the statue by Pheidias.
1st century AD. Found near the Pnyx, Athens, in 1859.
National Archaeological Museum, Athens.
photo: © David John
Head of Athena Parthenos.
This head (Sk 76a), once in Altes Museum, Berlin, disappeared at the end of World War II.
photo: © David John
Head of Athena in the "Medici style", copied from works by the circle of Pheidias. Marble, from an acrolith statue (of marble and wood), 2nd century AD. Thessalonika Archaeological Museum.
photo: © David John
Head of Athena, wearing a Corinthian helmet. Marble, 2nd century AD, copy of a Greek original, circa 390-380 BC. Pergamon Museum, Berlin.
photo: © David John
Corinthian helmet.
Bronze, 520-500 BC.
Athena is often portrayed wearing this type of helmet which covers the whole head, with slits for the eyes and mouth. However, the goddess usually wears it high on her head so that her face can be seen. This, incidentally, is also how Pericles was portrayed
(see gallery page 6).
Pergamon Museum, Berlin.
photo: © David John
Athena Promachos. Detail of a prize amphora, awarded to the winner of a chariot race in the Panathenaic games, circa 450 BC. Found in Benghazi, Lybia. Pergamon Museum, Berlin.
photo: © David John
Marble statuette of Athena.
From Leptis Magna, Tripolitana (Lybia). Roman copy of a 5th century BC original. Istanbul Archaeological Museum.
photo: © David John
|
More information and images will be appearing
on this page in May 2012. |
|
| |
Zeus on his throne gives birth to Athena.
Athena springs fully armed, except for a helmet, from the head of Zeus.
Present to assist and cheer on with music are (l-r): Hermes, Apollo, Eileithyia (goddess of birth) and Ares.
Beneath Zeus' throne is a winged figure, perhaps Nike.
Apollo plays his lyre and Zeus clutches his thunder bolt. Ares carries a shield decorated with the face of a gorgon,
a symbol which was also to become associated with Athena, and which she is often shown wearing on her breast.
Source: lithograph made by A. Ray for Kaeppelin & Co.
Published in Elite des monuments céramographiques: matériaux pour l'histoire des religions et
des moeurs de l'antiquité by Charles Lenormant (1802-1859). Leleux, Paris, 1844-1861.
The motif is taken from an Archaic Attic black figure panel amphora, cica 540 BC,
now in the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. See photos at perseus.tufts.edu.
The small winged figure has been labelled as "Sphinx", though similar vases depicting this event
more clearly show a winged female in human form. |
|
|
| Copyright © 2003-2012 My Favourite Planet | contributors | impressum | index of contents | sitemap |
| |
|
