Parthenon Frieze _ South XXVI, 65-66-67

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The chariot scenes clearly depict a real event that occurred during the Panathenaic festival. Charioteers, dressed in long robes, drove foot-soldiers for part of the race before leaping off and finishing on foot. The soldiers wore armor and carried large round shields, characteristic of the Athenian infantry. The south side of the frieze is badly damaged due to the catastrophic explosion that occurred in 1687. As a result, many sections are missing or fragmentary. Despite this, Carrey's drawings help us locate existing fragments and understand the sequence of events. The original length of the frieze along the south side was approximately 58.70 meters, comprising forty-seven blocks. Some blocks are now on display in the Acropolis Museum, while others are housed in the British Museum. Each block averages a width of 1.22 meters. Although the workmanship is less skilled than that of the north frieze, some scenes stand out as masterpieces (blocks III, X, XI, XXVI, XXXI, and XLIV). The procession begins at the west corner and moves to the right. Unlike the north frieze, there's little variety in pose, garment, or movement among figures and animals. Riders move in a straight line, facing forward, with one exception on block V (rider 13). The horses' trimmed manes reflect their speed. The sections evident on the south side are: horsemen, chariots, and sacrificial processions. It's likely that the arrangement of horsemen was based on tribe, following the Athenian state's political organization. This is supported by the variation in garments, with ten groups of six riders each. In the first group (2-7), horsemen wear fox-hide caps, short chitons, chlamys, and boots. The second group (8-13) wears only chlamys. In the third group (14-19), horsemen wear short cuirasses over short chitons and boots. The fourth group (20-25) is clad in short chitons and chlamys. The fifth group (26-31) wears anatomical cuirasses over short chitons and boots. The sixth group (32-37) wears fox-skin caps, short chitons, and boots. The seventh group (38-43) wears Athenian-type helmets, short chitons, chlamys, and boots. The eighth group (44-49) wears chlamys over short chitons and boots. The ninth group (50-55) is clad in petasos, short chitons, chlamys, and boots. The tenth group (56-61) comprises horsemen wearing short chitons and boots. Next comes the procession of chariots, which is very fragmentary due to the 1687 explosion. Only a few blocks are preserved, depicting ten chariots in motion. Some stand still, while others start or speed ahead. Depicted on the following blocks is the sacrificial procession, including thallophoroi with olive branches, musicians with kitharas, skaphephoroi with offering trays, and animals with their herdsmen. The Parthenon's frieze forms a continuous band around 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 goddess Athena. Numbering taken from I. Jenkins' book, The Parthenon Frieze (1994). Frieze slabs are marked in Roman numerals, while people are marked in Arabic numerals.