Cultural Significance

Safua Elisaia

Kevin Forman

Art History: 15th Century

July 13, 2016

Cultural Significance Essay

The Greek most recognizable structure is the temple and they could be found in all cities, most at their highest points. One of Ancient Greece widely known temples is the Parthenon that rests on the Acropolis of Athens. Just like any other temple, the Parthenon was dedicated to its patron goddess Athena which demonstrated the Greeks religious beliefs at the time. In Jeffery Hurwit article on the Parthenon he states “the Parthenon was an attempt on the part of Pericles and Athens to assert the city's cultural, political, and military dominance over the rest of Greece and the Aegean.” (The Glorious Parthenon, pbs.org). That much is evident when seeing the Parthenon. Constructed by Iktinos and Kallikrates between 447 and 438 BCE the Parthenon was dedicated to the city’s patron deity, Athena. It was built to house the Phidian statue Athena Parthenos, from which the temple gets is name. While the temple was built only to be seen from the outside, it still fell nothing short of the Greeks quest for perfection. The Parthenon was significantly Doric but it had Ionic features. It was built on the Acropolis of Athens and while it was the most ideal place to build a temple for their goddess, the uneven terrain proved to make it difficult. Iktinos and Kallikrates were forced to work with the land and in the end came up with a scheme that manipulated the temple to create an illusion of a perfect structure. Their strive for perfection was reflective of the Greeks ideals for harmony and mathematical proportions that is not only found in the Parthenon but their art that adorned it as well.  The Parthenon was one of the most richly decorated temples with 92 metopes, a frieze that ran around all four sides and pediments filled with beautiful sculpture.

In totally there were 92 metopes that adorned the temples outsides, each depicting important Greek mythology or significant points in Greek history.  The East metope was the most important of the metopes due to its location over the main entrance of the Parthenon. It shows the Olympian god fight against the giants for control over the universe. The West metope was a reflection of their conflict with the Amazons, showcasing their battles, some which were won, and others that were not. The North displays the fall of Troy and on the South Metopes, the Greeks fighting the Centaurs. While each metope portrays significant moments in the Greeks history one could see it as a metaphor for their triumph over chaos and barbaric foreign forces, a theme they were not shy to believe.

Along with the metopes that decorated the outsides of the Parthenon there was also the frieze that ran along the exterior wall of the cella. There is no description of the frieze that remains today, although, many believe it to be a depiction of a Panathenic Procession, specifically the Great Panathenaia. The Great Panathenaia was a festival held every four years in honor of the city’s goddess, Athena. It lasted for several days and during this time there were rituals, sacrifices, and musical and athletic competitions. While the majority of the frieze is horses and chariots there are also groups of men and woman offering animals and ceremonial vessels for the sacrificial procession. Overall, the frieze portrayed an important part of the Greeks culture.

The last to decorate the exterior of the Parthenon are the two pediments on the East and West side. On the East pediment shows Athena’s birth. Standing as central figures are Athena fully clothed and armed as she standing before her Zeus, her father. Many other Olympian gods who were probably present during her birth flank the two deities. Just like the metope of the gods fighting the giants, this pediment holds just as much significance to the Athenians, which is why it is placed above the entrance to the Parthenon. Athena was the patron goddess of Athens, it would only make sense to dedicate a part of the temple to her creation. On the opposite side of the temple, the West pediments represented the competition between Athena and the god of the sea, Poseidon. The two gods were competing for the right to be patron of Athens and it was the ruler at the time, King Cecrops, that would have final say and in the end, it was Athena that won his judgment. She had buried something in the ground and from it sprang an olive tree, something much more useful to the people than Poseidon’s salt water. The West pediment depicts parts of that story with its sculptures. In the center there is Athena who holds the olive tree while Poseidon raises his trident, the two are flanked by chariots pulled by horses followed by a group of legendary figures that were no doubt apart of that day. The sculptures that represented these significant stories were some of the finest of the Classical Period and make up the foundation for the Athenian people.