Parthenon Frieze _ South VII, 17-20

myminifactory

Human: This block displays three horsemen dressed in a short tunic, their surface badly damaged and weathered from exposure to the elements. For more information on the composition of riders, refer to South frieze Block I. The horsemen of the South frieze are less well-preserved than those of the north, with less varied compositions. The Parthenon's explosion in 1687 caused significant damage to the South frieze. They wear short double-belted chitons and probably felt boots (embades). Only the lower part of horseman number 19 is preserved, covered by his chiton. The garments of this group, including the chiton, chlamys, and felt boots, are known from the best-preserved horsemen on blocks VIII and particularly IX. The south side of the frieze is preserved fragmentarily, with the sculptured surface badly damaged in the 1687 explosion. This is why the sequence from block XX onwards is uncertain. Even so, Carrey's drawings show representations on many missing sections and have enabled us to locate a number of existing fragments. The original length of the frieze along the south side was 58.70 meters. It was composed of forty-seven blocks, some of which are exhibited in the Acropolis Museum, others in the British Museum. The average width of each block is 1.22 meters. The workmanship on this section is clearly less skilled than that of the north frieze, although some scenes may be considered masterpieces (blocks III, X, XI, XXVI, XXXI and XLIV). The procession begins at the west corner and proceeds towards the right. Unlike the north frieze, there is little variety in pose, garment, or movement among figures and animals. The riders move in a straight line, looking straight ahead, with a single exception on block V, rider 13. The varied rendition of horses' trimmed manes reflects their speed of movement. As in the north frieze, the sections evident in the south are: a) the horsemen, b) the chariots, and c) the sacrificial procession. It is likely that the arrangement of the horsemen in the procession was according to tribe, following the political organization of the Athenian state. The variation seen in garments supports this interpretation. The horsemen of the first group (2-7) wear a fox-hide cap, short chiton, chlamys, and boots. The second group (8-13) wears only chlamys. In the third group, the horsemen (14-19) wear a short cuirass over a short chiton and boots. The fourth group (20-25) is clad in short chiton and chlamys. The fifth group (26-31) wears anatomical cuirass over short chiton and boots. The sixth group (32-37) wears a fox-skin cap, short chiton over which is a cuirass with flaps, and boots. Those of the seventh group (38-43) wear an Athenian-type helmet, short chiton, chlamys, and boots. The eighth group (44-49) wears chlamys over short chiton and boots. The ninth group (50-55) is clad in petasos, short chiton, chlamys, and boots. The tenth group comprises horsemen (56-61) wearing short chiton and boots. Then comes the procession of chariots, which is very fragmentary and preserved only in interrupted stretches. Five blocks are missing altogether. Ten chariots are in the course, each taking up a single block. Some stand still (XXVI), some start (XXIX), and some race full speed ahead (XXXI). Depicted on the following blocks is the procession of the sacrifice. Taking part are thallophoroi with olive branches, musicians with citharas (kitharai), skaphephoroi with offering trays, and animals with their herdsmen. The frieze of the Parthenon forms a continuous band with scenes in low relief that encircles the upper part of the cella within the outer colonnade. The theme represented was the procession towards the Acropolis during the Great Panathenaia, the commemoration of the birthday of the goddess Athena. Numbering taken from I. Jenkins, The Parthenon Frieze, 1994. Frieze slabs are marked in Roman numerals, people are marked in Arabic numerals.