Which themes are pictured on the metopes of the Parthenon?

Which themes are pictured on the metopes of the Parthenon?

On the west wall metopes is the portrayal of the mythical battle between the Ancient Greeks and the Amazons, a nation of all-female warriors in the west. On the north wall, metopes portray the Fall of Troy. On the east wall, the metopes depict the battle between the Giants with the Olympian gods.

What is depicted in the Parthenon frieze?

The frieze of the Parthenon forms a continuous band with scenes in relief that encircles the upper part of the cella, the main temple, within the outer colonnade. The theme represented was the procession toward the Acropolis that took place during the Great Panathenaia, the festival in honour of the goddess Athena.

How big are the Metopes in Parthenon?

Parthenon Metopes (Sculpture)

What is the main theme of the sculpture on the Parthenon?

The main theme of the sculpture was the fight between order and chaos, a metaphor for the wars between Greeks and the Persian enemy they considered “barbarians”.

What did the Metopes show?

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 are triglyphs and metopes?

Triglyph is an architectural term for the vertically channeled tablets of the Doric frieze in classical architecture, so called because of the angular channels in them. The rectangular recessed spaces between the triglyphs on a Doric frieze are called metopes.

What mythological battle is depicted in the metopes of the Parthenon?

Each side of the Parthenon depicts a different mythological and historical theme. At the east (or front) of the temple the metopes depicted the Gigantomachy, or the battle between the gods and the giants.

What scenes are depicted on the Parthenon?

The sculpted decoration of the Parthenon included ninety-two metopes showing scenes of mythical battle. Those on the south flank of the temple included a series featuring human Lapiths in mortal combat with Centaurs. The Centaurs were part-man and part-horse, thus having a civil and a savage side to their nature.

Does the Parthenon have metopes?

Where are the Metopes?

The southern metopes are the best preserved. Fourteen of them are in the British Museum in London and one is in the Louvre Those of the other sides, very damaged, are in Athens, sometimes even still in place on the building.

What did the Parthenon symbolize to the Athenians?

The Parthenon was an expression and embodiment of Athenian wealth, and it was a symbol of Athenian political and cultural preeminence in Greece in the middle of the fifth century. It was larger and more opulent than any temple that had been constructed on the Greek mainland before.

How would you describe the Parthenon?

The Parthenon is a resplendent marble temple built between 447 and 432 B.C. during the height of the ancient Greek Empire. Dedicated to the Greek goddess Athena, the Parthenon sits high atop a compound of temples known as the Acropolis of Athens.

How are the metopes of the Parthenon decorated?

The Parthenon metopes that were visible on the exterior of the temple were made in deep relief and surrounded the temple on all sides. Most Greek temples had few decorated metopes, but in the Parthenon all ninety-two metopes were decorated on all sides with scenes from Greek mythology.

How big was the Parthenon when it was built?

The Parthenon was erected between 447 and 438 BC. The “pre-Parthenon” (little known) was hexastyle. Its successor, which was much larger, was octastyle (eight columns in front and seventeen on the sides of the peristyle) and measured 30.88 meters wide and 69.50 meters long.

What does high relief mean on a Parthenon?

High relief means that more than half of the sculpted figure is raised, as opposed to low relief which has less dramatic depth. In high relief, parts of the figure like arms are often completely free-standing.

Are there any ancient Greek buildings with so many metopes?

No ancient Greek building has ever been adorned with so many metopes, neither before nor after the construction of the Parthenon.