THE FRIEZE OF THE PARTHENON.
The Frieze of the Parthenon is a continuous band of sculpture in low relief, which encircled and crowned the central chamber or cella of the temple, together with the smaller porticoes that immediately adjoined each end of it.
The frieze is nearly 3 ft. 4 in. high. The height of the relief is somewhat greater at the top than at the bottom. At the top the height of the relief may be as much as 2¼ inches, with an average height of about 1½ inch. At the bottom it varies between low relief and about 1¼ inch. The whole surface of the relief is thus slightly tilted over towards the spectator, in order to compensate as far as possible for the disadvantageous conditions under which the frieze had to be viewed. The length of each end of the Parthenon frieze was 69 ft. 6 in.; the length of each long side was 191 ft. 11 in. The length of the entire frieze was therefore 522 ft. 10 in.
The frieze, which was nearly complete in the time of Carrey, suffered greatly in the explosion, particularly about the middle of the two long sides. Unfortunately, however, Carrey only made drawings of the west end; the east end, except its central slab which had been taken down; about 74 feet in the middle of the south side; and about 78 ft. 6 in. at the east end of the north side. Stuart and Pars drew a considerable amount of the frieze, but not much of what has since been entirely lost. The following table shows approximately the state of the whole frieze.
| East. | South. | West. | North. | Total. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ft. in. | ft. in. | ft. in. | ft. in. | ft. in. | |
| Originals in the British Museum | 43 0 | 108 6½ | 7 2 | 82 6 | 241 2½ |
| Casts in the British Museum | 21 2 | 33 9½ | 62 4 | 54 8 | 171 11½ |
| Preserved only in the drawings of Carrey | 3 4 | 27 6 | .. | 20 7 | 51 5 |
| Preserved only in the drawings of Stuart | .. | 0 6 | .. | 2 9 | 3 3 |
| Drawn by Carrey and Stuart but not otherwise preserved | 2 0 | .. | .. | 5 7 | 7 7 |
| Total existing or recorded | 69 6 | 170 4 | 69 6 | 166 1 | 475 5 |
| Lost without a record | .. | 21 7 | .. | 25 10 | 47 5 |
| Grand Total | 69 6 | 191 11 | 69 6 | 191 11 | 522 10 |
The subject of the frieze of the Parthenon has been considered, by most of the writers who have discussed it, to be connected with the Panathenaic procession at Athens. Those who have held a different view have been the early travellers, such as Cyriac of Ancona, who described the subject of the frieze as 'Athenian victories in the time of Pericles,' and a few recent authors. Davidson (The Parthenon Frieze) sees in the frieze a representation of a Panhellenic assembly, which Pericles tried to collect at Athens without success. Weber and Boetticher held that the scene represented is the preparation and rehearsal, rather than the procession itself. C. Petersen thought that different festivals are represented on different sides* (cf. Michaelis, p. 205).
* The frieze of the Parthenon records in sculpture the passionate delight with which Greeks, and more particularly Athenians (cf. Hel. Aeth., III. 1), regarded festal processions.
A vivid commentary on the Parthenon frieze is to be found in the third book (chaps, i.-iii.) of the Aethiopica of the novelist Heliodorus. The passage adds the sound, colour, and movement needed for a complete conception of the scene. The writer, however, is describing the procession of a Thessalian embassy at Delphi, and some of the details only partially agree with those of the frieze. "The Hecatomb led the procession, escorted by men initiated in the mysteries. These were somewhat rustic in dress and manner, and had their white tunics closely girded. The right shoulder and breast were bare, and they carried an axe in the right hand. The bulls were followed by a crowd of other victims, each kind being led separately and in order. Meanwhile flute and pipe were playing a melody which was, as it were, an introduction to the sacrifice. The cattle and their escort were followed by maidens with flowing hair. They were in two troops; the first carried baskets of fruits and flowers, the second troop carried flat baskets (κανᾶ κανηφοροῦσαι) with sweetmeats and incense, and filled the place with sweet smells. They bore their burdens on their heads leaving their hands free, and kept their ranks true both from front to rear and from side to side, that they might march and dance while the first troop gave the time, singing a hymn in honour of Thetis. The troops were so harmonious and the sound of marching was so accurately timed to the song, that hearing seemed better than seeing, and the spectators followed the maidens as they passed as if they were drawn by the melody. But at length the appearance of the youthful cavalry and of its leader proved that a noble sight was better than any music. There were fifty ephebi, in two troops of five-and-twenty, acting as body-guard of the leader of the embassy. Their boots were laced with purple thongs, and tied above the ankle. Their cloaks were white with dark blue borders, and were fastened on their breasts with golden brooches. The horses were all Thessalian, and breathed the freedom of their native plains. They tried to spue out their bits and covered them with foam, as if rebellious, yet submitted to the will of the riders. It seemed as if there had been a rivalry among the masters in adorning their horses with frontlets and phalerae, silver or gilded. But, as a flash of lightning makes all else seem dark, so, when the captain, Theagenes (the hero of the novel), appeared, all eyes were turned to him. He also was mounted, and wore armour, and brandished an ashen spear, tipped with bronze. He had not put on his helmet, but rode bareheaded. He wore a purple cloak, embroidered in gold with a fight of Centaurs and Lapiths; on his brooch was an amber figure of Athenè, wearing the Gorgon's head on her breastplate. A gentle breeze gave him further grace, spreading his hair about his neck, and parting the locks on his forehead, and blowing the ends of his cloak about the back and flanks of his horse. And the horse itself seemed conscious of the exceeding beauty of its master, as it arched its neck, and pricked up its ears, and frowned its brows, and advanced proudly, giving ready obedience to the rein, balancing on alternate shoulders, lightly striking the tips of its hoofs on the ground, and attuning its pace to a gentle motion." Interesting passages of Xenophon describe horses that prance as they ought in processions, and also lay down the duty of the leaders of a procession of horsemen (Xen. Hipp. 11 and Hipparch. 3).