Parthenon Frieze _ South XVI, 42-43

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The south side of the frieze is remarkably preserved despite the devastating damage it suffered during the catastrophic explosion of 1687. This has led to a significant amount of uncertainty regarding the sequence from block XX onwards. Fortunately, the Carrey drawings provide valuable insights into the missing sections and have allowed us to locate several existing fragments. The original length of the frieze along the south side was an impressive 58.70 meters. It consisted of forty-seven blocks, with some exhibited in the Acropolis Museum and others in the British Museum. Each block measures approximately 1.22 meters in width. While the overall workmanship is clearly less refined than that of the north frieze, several scenes stand out as masterpieces (blocks III, X, XI, XXVI, XXXI, and XLIV). The procession begins at the west corner and proceeds towards the right, with a consistent movement of figures and animals in a straight line. One notable exception is rider 13 on block V, who looks to the side instead of ahead. The varied rendition of the horses' trimmed manes suggests their speed of movement. Similar sections are evident in the south frieze: a) horsemen, b) chariots, and c) sacrificial procession. It's likely that the arrangement of the horsemen was based on tribe, following the political organization of the Athenian state. The variation seen in the garments supports this interpretation, with ten groups of six riders each wearing distinct attire. Group 1 (2-7) wears a fox-hide cap, short chiton, chlamys, and boots; group 2 (8-13) only chlamys; group 3 (14-19) has a short cuirass over a short chiton and boots; group 4 (20-25) is clad in short chiton and chlamys; group 5 (26-31) wears an anatomical cuirass over short chiton and boots; group 6 (32-37) wears a fox-skin cap, short chiton over which is a cuirass with flaps, and boots; group 7 (38-43) wears a helmet of Athenian type, short chiton, chlamys, and boots; group 8 (44-49) has chlamys over short chiton and boots; group 9 (50-55) is clad in petasos, short chiton, chlamys, and boots; and group 10 comprises horsemen (56-61) wearing short chiton and boots. The procession of chariots follows, which is fragmented due to the explosion but can be pieced together from interrupted stretches. Five blocks are missing altogether, leaving ten chariots in the course, each taking up a single block. Some chariots stand still (XXVI), while others start or speed ahead (XXIX and XXXI). The procession of sacrifice is depicted on subsequent blocks, featuring thallophoroi with olive branches, musicians with citharas, skaphephoroi with offering trays, and animals accompanied by their herdsmen.