Parthenon Frieze _ North XII, 45-47

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The lead chariot is yanked sharply to a stop by its driver. Straining against the metal reins, now lost and inserted through drill-holes, he uses his body to counteract the forward thrust of the horses. A foot soldier with one foot resting on a rock can be seen on the right, while a marshal signals to the chariot behind him on the left. The fragment of the foot soldier's head is housed in the Acropolis Museum in Athens, and the rest of the chariot was carved into Block XI, whose remains are also in the Acropolis Museum in Athens. Half of the North frieze is displayed at the British Museum, while the other half resides in the Acropolis Museum. The total length of the north frieze measures 58.70 meters. Scenes begin at the northwest corner of the opisthonaos and continue a procession already underway on the west side, spanning from block N XLVII to block N I. Action develops gradually, accelerating from quiet preparation to a gallop. Horsemen are depicted proceeding in groups of seven or eight, with horses overlapping each other, creating a continuous flow that is interrupted only by a marshal on block XXXIV. Despite the divisions between blocks, variety is maintained through differences in garments, stances, and gestures among the horsemen, as well as occasional depictions of men turning their heads to look back. This prevents monotony from arising. The Parthenon's frieze forms a continuous band with scenes in low relief that encircles the upper part of the cella within the outer colonnade. The theme represented is the procession toward the Acropolis during the Great Panathenaia, which commemorates the birthday of the goddess Athena. Numbering comes from I. Jenkins' 1994 publication, "The Parthenon Frieze." Frieze slabs are marked with Roman numerals, while people are designated by Arabic numerals.