Parthenon Frieze _ North III, 6

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The British Museum houses half of the North frieze's length, while the other half resides in the Acropolis museum. Spanning a total of 58.70 meters, the scenes on the North frieze unfold from the northwest corner of the opisthonaos as an extension of the procession initiated on the west side, seamlessly connecting block N XLVII to block N I. As the action builds, it transitions from quiet preparation to a galloping pace. Disregarding block divisions, horsemen are depicted in groups of seven or eight, with horses partially overlapping each other in a continuous flow. The only interruption occurs on block XXXIV, where a marshal appears. Despite this, variety is maintained through differing garments, stances, and gestures among the most beautiful horsemen, as well as occasional depictions of riders turning to look back. The Parthenon's frieze forms a continuous band encircling the upper part of the cella within the outer colonnade, featuring scenes in low relief. This procession depicts the event that took place during the Great Panathenaia, commemorating Athena's birthday. Numbering is based on I. Jenkins' "The Parthenon Frieze," 1994, with Roman numerals marking slabs and Arabic numerals designating people.