Parthenon Frieze _ North XLVI, 128-129-130-131

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The last figure on the Slab with a riding hat hanging behind his neck and shoulders is leading the active procession to its final destination. To his right, figures are ready to join the action. Half of the North frieze is safely housed at the British Museum while the other half proudly resides in the Acropolis museum. The total length of the north frieze measures a staggering 58.70 meters from end to end. The scenes begin where the procession left off on the west side, continuing seamlessly onto the northwest corner of the opisthonaos and running all the way to block N I. As the action unfolds, it gradually accelerates from quiet preparation to a full-fledged gallop. With horses partly overlapping each other, the continuous flow is momentarily interrupted only by the marshal on block XXXIV, who brings some much-needed balance to the scene. The diversity of garments, stances, and gestures among the beautiful horsemen, coupled with occasional depictions of riders turning their heads to glance back, skillfully avoids monotony. The Parthenon frieze forms a continuous band around the upper part of the cella within the outer colonnade, showcasing scenes in low relief. The theme portrayed is the majestic procession that took place during the Great Panathenaia, honoring the birthday of the revered goddess Athena. Numbering follows the guidelines established by I. Jenkins in his comprehensive work, "The Parthenon Frieze," published in 1994. Frieze slabs are marked with Roman numerals, while people are identified using Arabic numerals.