Parthenon Frieze _ West II, 2-3

myminifactory

Two horsemen rein their horses back. The leading rider turns to glance at his companion, raising his left hand to his head. A cloak envelops him, billowing outwards as it's pulled tight against his neck. Metal wreaths may have once been inserted into the holes in his hair. The second rider wears a chlamys, while the horses are drilled with holes for metal reins. The two riders overlap slightly. The first rider holds the reins with his right hand, turning his body almost frontal as he looks back at his companion behind him. He raises his left arm in a gesture that's not entirely clear, possibly adjusting a headband or signaling to the next rider. A youth on block N-XLVII makes a similar gesture. The first rider wears a modelled cuirass over a short chiton, just like figures 7 and 18, and he's shod in boots. The Parthenon frieze forms a continuous band with low-relief scenes that encircle the upper part of the cella within the outer colonnade. The theme represented is the procession towards the Acropolis during the Great Panathenaia, commemorating Athena's birthday. The West frieze comprises sixteen blocks, including the corner blocks I and XVI. It depicts horsemen in scenes preparing for the cavalcades on the North and South friezes.