Parthenon Frieze _ South XV, 40-41-42

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The block XV preserves parts of three horsemen, dressed in a fine linen tunic with intricate folds, animal skin boots featuring a top flap, and a helmet of the Athenian type that is open-faced. Two battered riders wear helmets, tunics, and long boots. Metal reins were once inserted into drill-holes, but are now lost. The surface of this block is badly damaged and weathered. The south side of the frieze is preserved fragmentarily, and the sculptured surface was severely damaged in the catastrophic explosion of 1687 that ravaged the Parthenon. This is why the sequence from block XX on is uncertain. Despite this, the Carrey drawings provide valuable insights into the representations on many missing sections, allowing us to locate several existing fragments. The original length of the frieze along the south side was 58.70 meters. It consisted of forty-seven blocks, some exhibited in the Acropolis Museum and 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 of the Parthenon (blocks III, X, XI, XXVI, XXXI, and XLIV). The procession begins at the west corner and moves to the right. In contrast to the north frieze, this section lacks variety in pose, garment, and movement of figures and animals. The riders move in a straight line, looking straight ahead, with one exception on block V, rider 13. The varied rendition of the horses' trimmed manes reflects their speed of movement. As in the north frieze, the south side features three sections: horsemen, chariots, and sacrificial procession. It is likely that the arrangement of the horsemen in the procession was based on tribe, following the political organization of the Athenian state. The variation seen 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; and so on. The procession of chariots is very fragmentary, preserved in interrupted stretches due to the 1687 explosion. Five blocks are missing entirely. Ten chariots take part in the course, each occupying a single block. Some chariots are standing still (XXVI), some starting (XXIX), and some racing full speed ahead (XXXI). Depicted on the following blocks is the sacrificial procession, 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, the commemoration of the birthday of the goddess Athena.