Parthenon Frieze _ South XXIII, 57-59

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Three horsemen in short tunics and riding boots congregate at a standstill point where the procession comes to an abrupt halt due to anticipation of the stationary chariots ahead.\r\nThe southern section of the frieze is preserved fragmentarily, while the sculptured surface was severely damaged during the catastrophic explosion of 1687 that devastated the Parthenon. This explains why the sequence from block XX onward is uncertain despite the Carrey drawings which depict representations on many missing sections and have enabled us to locate numerous existing fragments. The original length of the frieze along the southern side was a significant 58.70 m, composed of forty-seven blocks, some exhibited in the Acropolis Museum, others in the British Museum. Each block's average width is approximately 1.22 m. While the workmanship overall appears less skilled than that of the north frieze, several scenes may be considered masterpieces of the Parthenon (blocks III, X, XI, XXVI, XXXI and XLIV). The procession begins at the western corner and proceeds 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 directly ahead with one exception on block V, rider (13), where the horse's trimmed mane reflects its speed of movement. As seen in the north frieze, the southern sections are evident: 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 organisation 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; the third group (14-19) wears a short cuirass over a short chiton and boots; the fourth group (20-25) is clad in short chiton and chlamys; the fifth (26-31) 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; and the eighth group (44-49) dons chlamys over short chiton and boots. The riders of the ninth group (50-55) are clad in petasos, short chiton, chlamys, and boots, while the tenth group comprises horsemen (56-61) wearing short chiton and boots. Then comes the procession of chariots, which is very fragmentary due to the 1687 explosion, preserved only in interrupted stretches. Five blocks are missing altogether, with ten chariots in the course, each taking up a single block. Some chariots stand still (XXVI), some start (XXIX), and others race full speed ahead (XXXI). Depicted on the blocks that follow is the procession of the sacrifice, featuring thallophoroi with olive branches, musicians with citharas (kitharai), skaphephoroi with offering trays, and animals accompanied by 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 that took place during the Great Panathenaia, commemorating the birthday of the goddess Athena. Numbering taken from I. Jenkins' The Parthenon Frieze (1994), where frieze slabs are marked in Roman numerals and people in arabic numerals.