Parthenon Frieze _ South XIII, 35-37

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The block endures as a testament to three horsemen, clad in armor, forming a group of six with those on the preceding block. The armor consists of reinforced leather plates, comprising a corselet, shoulder straps, and waistband adorned with series of straps worn over a short tunic. Riders wear animal skin boots with top flaps and a cap with a long tail, while metal reins, now lost, were inserted into drill-holes. The south side of the frieze is partially preserved, with the sculptured surface badly damaged in the catastrophic explosion that ravaged the Parthenon in 1687. This damage has made the sequence from block XX uncertain, but Carrey drawings provide valuable insights into many missing sections, enabling us to locate existing fragments. The original length of the frieze along the south side was 58.70 meters, comprising forty-seven blocks, with some exhibited in the Acropolis Museum and others in the British Museum. Each block averages 1.22 meters wide. The workmanship throughout is less skilled than that of the north frieze, although some scenes are masterpieces of the Parthenon (blocks III, X, XI, XXVI, XXXI, and XLIV). The procession begins at the west corner and proceeds towards the right, with riders moving in a straight line, looking straight ahead, except for one exception on block V. The varied rendition of horses' trimmed manes reflects their speed of movement. As in the north frieze, the south frieze is divided into three sections: a) horsemen, b) chariots, and c) sacrificial procession. It is likely that the arrangement of horsemen in the procession was according to tribe, following the political organization of the Athenian state. The variation in garments supports this interpretation, with ten groups of six riders each. The first group (2-7) wears a fox-hide cap, short chiton, chlamys, and boots; the second group (8-13) only chlamys; the third group (14-19) wears a short cuirass over a short chiton and boots. The horsemen of the fourth group (20-25) are clad in short chiton and chlamys, while those of the fifth group (26-31) wear 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-style helmet, short chiton, chlamys, and boots; while those of the eighth group (44-49) wear chlamys over short chiton and boots. The riders of the ninth group (50-55) are clad in petasos, short chiton, chlamys, and boots. The tenth group comprises horsemen (56-61) wearing short chiton and boots. Next comes the procession of chariots, which is very fragmentary due to the 1687 explosion, with only interrupted stretches preserved. Five blocks are missing altogether, but ten chariots are in the course, each taking up a single block. Some chariots are standing still (XXVI), some starting (XXIX), and some racing full speed ahead (XXXI). The procession of the sacrifice follows, featuring thallophoroi with olive branches, musicians with citharas, 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 is the procession toward the Acropolis during the Great Panathenaia, commemorating the birthday of the goddess Athena. Numbering taken from I. Jenkins, The Parthenon Frieze (1994), with frieze slabs marked in Roman numerals and people in Arabic numerals.