Classical Mythology, 7th Edition - obinfonet: dia logou

ATHENA 159
all honoring Athena, whose great statue was housed in the temple. The whole program
was directed by Pheidias, creator of the statue of Zeus at Olympia.
The east pediment of the Parthenon immortalized the dramatic moment of
the birth of Athena, who stood in the center before the throne of Zeus, from
whose head she had just sprung full grown and fully armed. Hephaestus, who
had assisted in the birth, and Hera were probably present, while the announcement
of the birth was brought to other divine figures waiting to observe the miracle.
At the corners, to set the divine event in cosmic time, were the horses of
Helius, rising from the sea, and of Selene, sinking into it.
As at Olympia, the west pediment was a scene of violent action, celebrating
the victory of Athena in her contest with Poseidon for control of Athens and Attica.
The central figures pull away from each other as they produce the gifts with
which they vied, and to each side were figures of divinities and heroic kings of
early Athens who attended the contest. Athena with her spear created an olive tree;
Poseidon with his trident, a salt spring. Athena was proclaimed victor. 2 Poseidon
continued to be worshiped (in conjunction with the Athenian hero Erechtheus) in
the nearby sanctuary of the Erechtheum (described on pp. 550-551). 3 There the marks
of Poseidon's trident were enshrined and Athena's olive tree continued to grow.
There were two friezes on the Parthenon. The exterior Doric frieze consisted
of ninety-two metopes (each 1.2 meters high), thirty-two on each of the long sides
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Metopes (on four sides, exterior) N Frieze (on four sides)
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Statue of
Athena
Parthenos
Cella f
Figure 8.1. Plan of the Parthenon (After J. Travlos)
150 feet
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