The Parthenon metopes that were visible on the exterior of the temple were made in

deep relief and surrounded the temple on all sides. Most Greek temples had few
decorated metopes, but in the Parthenon all ninety-two metopes were decorated on all
sides with scenes from Greek mythology.

Early Christians systematically damaged most of the sculptures when the Parthenon was
converted to a church. Further damage occurred when the Venetians scored a direct hit
on the Parthenon with their canon during their scrimmage with the occupying Turks.
However, the fragments that have survived speak of conceptualization and craftsmanship
at the highest level. The marble figures of the Parthenon metopes reconstruct a dynamic
narrative with abundant energy and detail. The tension of the muscles, the push of the
bone against the flesh, and even bulging veins are clearly visible and surprising details
for sculptures that were to be seen from a considerable distance as they clinked near the
top of the building.

Each side of the Parthenon depicts a different mythological and historical theme.

At the east (or front) of the temple the metopes depicted the Gigantomachy, or the
battle between the gods and the giants. The west metopes depicted fights between
Greeks and the Amazons (or Persians), while the north and south metopes included
scenes from the Trojan War and the Cenauromachy respectively.

While the narrative differs from side to side, the metopes are bound thematically by a
common theme: the triumph of civilization over barbarism, a theme dear to the hearts of
the Athenians who were not shy to believe themselves and their achievements as
superior to other cultures of their time.

Metopes of the Parthenon

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Detail of the West metopes.

The Metopes of the Parthenon are a series of 92 marble panels running along the outside
walls of the Parthenon in Athens, Greece, and form part of the Doric frieze. The metopes of
each side of the building had a different subject, and together with the pediments, Ionic frieze,
and the statue of Athena Parthenos contained within the Parthenon, formed an elaborate
program of sculptural decoration.
Contents
[hide]

 1 The east metopes

 2 The south metopes
 3 The west metopes
 4 The north metopes
 5 References

[edit] The east metopes

The fourteen East metopes were situated above the main entrance. They depict the final stages
of the cosmogonic battle between the Olympian gods and the Giants (Gigantomachy). The
fight develops around the central figure of Zeus (Plaque No. 8) followed by his chariot. His
brother Poseidon with his chariot is shown close by (Plaque No. 6) throwing the island of
Nisyros over the defeated Giant Polybotes. Although the figure of Heracles has not yet been
identified from the remaining fragments, it is almost certain that the hero, whose contribution
to the victory of the Olympian gods was significant, was present. The felicitous outcome of
the battle is implied with the scene of Helios (sun-god) and his chariot rising from the night
(Plaque No. 14), a new era was about to commence. The East metopes are in extremely poor
condition, and the identification of most of the figures is tentative at best.[1]

[edit] The south metopes

The metopes of the southern wall (Plaques No. 1–12 and 21–32) present the Battle of the
Lapiths and Centaurs, also known as the Centauromachy, in which the mythological Athenian
king Theseus took part. The battle between the Centaurs and the Lapiths broke out during the
wedding feast of the king of the Lapiths and personal friend of Theseus, Peirithus. According
to one version of the myth, the Centaurs, insulted from being excluded from the celebrations,
attacked the Lapiths while according to another, during the feast drunken Centaurs reacted
violently under the influence of wine. The result was a fight between the Centaurs and the
Lapiths and an attempt of the former to abduct the Lapith women.

The Centaurs have faces with animal features whose linear drawings strongly recall theatrical
masks. They are shown wearing animal skins and they are armed with tree-branches. On the
other hand, the Lapiths fight nude or wearing a chlamys, several of them hold a sword or a
spear which, as they were formerly metallic attachments, are now lost, while in some cases,
the Lapiths use shields to protect themselves.

There is a tendency to recognize the bridegroom Peirithus on metope 11 and the bride
Diedameia on metope 25 but there is no conclusive evidence for these identifications. On
metope 29, features of the mature Classical style can be traced on the face and the dress of the
Lapith woman.

The presence of household utensils such as hydrias (ceramic pots with three handles used for
mainly for storing water), which are also used as provisional weapons by the combatants,
indicates a battle fought indoors. Certain compositions are repeated whereas the overall
execution of the scenes is less ambitious than the initial plans. Contrary to the eventual
outcome of the battle and to the moral of the myth which emphasizes on the superiority of the
civilized world over the primeval disorder, the winning party in this fearless fight are the
Centaurs and not the Lapiths. However, it is possible that the battle is still in its initial stages.

In 1687, a cannonball struck the Parthenon during an attack on Athens by the Venetians. This
event destroyed many metopes on the south wall, especially the central ones. The existence of
these metopes is now known only from Carrey's drawings executed in 1674 and from their
remaining fragments. Their subject matter is not altogether clear as the metopes present
uncommon iconographical details. Some experts recognize on them the representation of
Attic dynastic myths (the stories of the royal families of Cecrops and Erechtheus) while
others, attempting to unify mythologically the afore-mentioned scenes with the ones of the
Centauromachy, propose a subject related to the myths of the Centauromachy heroes.

[edit] The west metopes

The subject of the west metopes is the legendary invasion of Athens by the Amazons.
Scholars consider these metopes, which show the Amazons in eastern dress, a reference to the
Persian Wars.

[edit] The north metopes

The north metopes show scenes of the Trojan War.

Collection: London, British Museum and Athens, Acropolis Museum

Title: Parthenon, Metopes

Context: From Athens, Acropolis

Findspot: Found at Athens, Acropolis

Summary: Metope overview

Sculptor: Literary attestation to Pheidias

Material: Marble

Sculpture Type: Architectural

Category: Statuary group

Placement: Exterior Doric frieze

Style: High Classical

Original or Copy: Original

Date: 447 BC - 432 BC

Dimensions: H 1.20 m, W ca. 1.25 m (W varies by ca. 0.15 m)
Scale: Under life-size

Region: Attica

Period: High Classical

Subject Description:

Each metope of the exterior Doric frieze of the Parthenon was carved with
sculptural decoration. Each side of the building apparently had its own
subject. Each subject depicted a battle. The general theme of each side is
apparent, although the identification of the subject of specific metopes or
groups of metopes is often debated. The general themes are identified as
follows.

West: Greeks versus Orientals. Usually identified as an Amazonomachy,

although Brommer reserves the possibility that the Easterners may be
Persians. The extensive damage makes it difficult to determine the sex of
the opponents. However, the bare limbs of at least one of these figures
suggest Amazon rather than Persian dress, which usually includes long
sleeves and leggings. The horses are also characteristic of an
Amazonomachy. The three central metopes of the west are damaged
beyond recognition. Nonetheless it is clear that each metope appears as a
sculptural unit with no obvious relationship to the metopes on either side,
other than the regular alteration of equestrian scenes with scenes of
unmounted opponents. There is no clear narrative progression.

North: Greeks versus Trojans. Although the entire central section ? more
than half the side ? is lost, related subjects at both ends framed by Helios
rising and Nyx or Selene descending on her horse (a device also used in
the East Pediment) suggest a single subject and a single time frame. The
three westernmost metopes depict gods and goddesses, probably as
"witnesses" of a sort as on the east frieze. Reading from left to right, the
first metopes after Helios include men debarking from a ship and arming,
apparently stages before the battle. Among the later, NM.24-25 show
Menelaos pursuing Helen who has run to the Palladion for sanctuary. The
identification is certain, for the scene was copied by a vase painter who
inscribed the names of the figures. Since this scene takes place at the end
of the battle, a sense of narrative progression is implied.

East: Gods versus Giants. Severe damage leaves individual identification

difficult, but enough remains to determine the general theme and suggest
specific identities. Each metope apparently includes at least one god. Their
pronounced presence on the east side, i.e. the principal facade, is clearly
intentional. There is a certain link here with the east frieze and east
pediment. There is also a clearly planned progression of scenes
compositionally, with the movement toward the center from each side, as
in the east frieze. However there is no sense that one scene precedes
another in narrative fashion. Despite the poor condition the symmetry of
the overall design is clearly apparent and its original impression must
have been even stronger. The composition of the fourth slab from each
end is much fuller, and the charioteer next to each of these moves toward
the center, focusing attention on the four central slabs. Whatever the
significance here, Athena is not the focus. Her identification is reasonably
clear owing to the presence of Nike beside her. She is off to one side
(E.4), not particularly prominent within the design.

South: Centaurs versus Lapiths. By far the best preserved, even the
missing slabs are known from the drawings of Carrey, who carefully
recorded the entire side. All but the central nine (S.13-21) depict centaurs
fighting men or, in a few cases, carrying off women. The central group, at
least in part, is clearly set off from the battle. The problem, specific
interpretation aside, is to what extent its subject relates to the fighting
centaurs. The best known story of the Centauromachy involves the
disruption of a wedding, and several interpretations offer a variation on
this premise. The large number of women, their poses and attributes
appear to support this. Some scholars see a specifically Attic myth
represented. Robertson suggests that episodes in the life of Daedalus are
depicted. Brommer believes that, whatever the subject, it relates directly
to the centaurs so that the overall theme of the side is a unified one. The
metopes involving centaurs appear, like those on the west side, to be
individual units whose arrangement is not of great importance. The central
metopes, however, suggest a definite relationship and order within the
group.

Form & Style:

The variation in style is much greater among the metopes than in the
frieze or pediment. Several explanations have been offered. One
hypothesis, no longer much in favor, holds that some of the metopes are
in fact significantly earlier because they were carved for an earlier version
of the Parthenon never built. Other theories hold that, as the first of the
sculpture to be assigned, they were not yet subject to a stylistic norm.
Along related lines, the overall design may have been so general in nature
that sculptors were left to their own devices for all but the loosest
compositional guidelines. Whatever the reason, the diversity is greater on
the south and west, which share a division by metopal unit and
concentration of equine bodies as well. The most stylistically conservative
of the metopes ? some strikingly reflective of sculpture from the Temple of
Zeus at Olympia ? occur in this group as well, although there are also
stylistically more advanced sections on the south. The north and east
metopes appear more closely related to each other than to the west or
south. They share a more carefully planned design and a richness of style.
It may be significant that they occupy the more important and visible
sides. Brommer finds the hand of at least one sculptor (N.29) also present
in the west frieze, evidence of an overlap of work assignments among the
different sculpted elements of the building. The great depth of the carving,
which results in many figures sculpted nearly in the round, is also
noteworthy. The overall design is generally attributed to Pheidias on the
basis of his responsibility for the temple sculpture as a whole, although
the degree to which the metopes reflects his style must remain entirely
hypothetical.

Date Description:

Setting aside the hypothesis which attributes some of the south metopes
to an earlier, unfinished temple, there is no hard evidence to suggest that
any of the sculpture predates the earliest Parthenon building accounts of
447 B.C. The metopes were carved on the ground and then hoisted into
position in the exterior Doric frieze. Construction required that they be in
place before the pediments were erected or the roof put on. This need,
together with the early style exhibited by some of the metopes, suggests
they were the first of the sculptural elements begun. One can assume
they were finished before the statue of the Parthenos was dedicated in the
temple in 438 B.C., since by that time the roof was presumably done and
all supporting architectural members in place. The metopes can thus be
reasonably dated to the years 447-438 B.C.

Condition: Fragmentary

Condition Description:

East and West: all slabs preserved but heavily damaged. North: 13 slabs
preserved, all but NM.32 badly damaged. E, W, N metopes in Athens.
South: Well preserved and/or known through Carrey drawings of 1674. 18
slabs extant. SM.2-9 and SM.26-32 in London, SM.10 in Paris, SM.1 and
SM.12 in Athens.

Material Description:

Pentelic Marble

Associated Building: Athens, Parthenon

Sources Used:

Brommer 1967; Brommer 1979b, 20-32

Other Bibliography:
Parthenon-Bibliographie 1984; Parthenon-Kongress

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