DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.14134#0072
following each other, six of whom carry sacrificial vessels.
A marshal (No. 51) stands in front of the foremost
pair, turned towards them; he has held in his right
hand some metallic object, probably a herald's staff, the
holes for the attachment of which remain in the marble.
The forefinger of his left hand is advanced, and this
gesture indicates that he is giving some order to the pair
of female figures (Nos. 52-53) at the head of the procession.
The next figure behind these (No. 54) carries the saucer,
phiale, used by the Greeks in sacrificial libations. The
next figure (No. 55) looks round to her companion
(No. 56) following her, and holds in her left hand a censer,
thymiaterion, for burning incense, with a conical cover,
Jcalyptra. Censers of this form occur on Greek Fictile
Vases (see Catalogue of Vases in Brit. Mus., Nos.
871, 883, 982, 1465, C. 4). Next follow two figures (Nos.
57-58) each carrying in the right hand a jug, oinoclwe,
then two more (Nos. 59-60) carrying phialae. One of the
two figures drawn by Stuart at the end of this procession
also carries a phiale.
There can hardly be a doubt that this procession repre-
sents Athenian maidens, probably belonging to distin-
guished families, whose duty it was to carry in the pro-
cession the sacrificial vessels belonging to the temple, and
which, as we know from the Treasure Lists, were usually
kept in the Parthenon. We learn from the Salutaris in-
scription found by Mr. Wood at Ephesos that in like
manner the precious vessels and images in gold and silver
which were kept in the temple of the Ephesian Artemis
were carried in procession on the birthday of the Goddess,
and were escorted by the Ephebi. The objects carried
in the Panathenaic procession were hence called pompeia.
The pair of female figures (Nos. 49-50), who stand in
advance of the rest and facing a magistrate (No. 48), are
evidently the Kanephori, maidens of noble birth, whoso
A marshal (No. 51) stands in front of the foremost
pair, turned towards them; he has held in his right
hand some metallic object, probably a herald's staff, the
holes for the attachment of which remain in the marble.
The forefinger of his left hand is advanced, and this
gesture indicates that he is giving some order to the pair
of female figures (Nos. 52-53) at the head of the procession.
The next figure behind these (No. 54) carries the saucer,
phiale, used by the Greeks in sacrificial libations. The
next figure (No. 55) looks round to her companion
(No. 56) following her, and holds in her left hand a censer,
thymiaterion, for burning incense, with a conical cover,
Jcalyptra. Censers of this form occur on Greek Fictile
Vases (see Catalogue of Vases in Brit. Mus., Nos.
871, 883, 982, 1465, C. 4). Next follow two figures (Nos.
57-58) each carrying in the right hand a jug, oinoclwe,
then two more (Nos. 59-60) carrying phialae. One of the
two figures drawn by Stuart at the end of this procession
also carries a phiale.
There can hardly be a doubt that this procession repre-
sents Athenian maidens, probably belonging to distin-
guished families, whose duty it was to carry in the pro-
cession the sacrificial vessels belonging to the temple, and
which, as we know from the Treasure Lists, were usually
kept in the Parthenon. We learn from the Salutaris in-
scription found by Mr. Wood at Ephesos that in like
manner the precious vessels and images in gold and silver
which were kept in the temple of the Ephesian Artemis
were carried in procession on the birthday of the Goddess,
and were escorted by the Ephebi. The objects carried
in the Panathenaic procession were hence called pompeia.
The pair of female figures (Nos. 49-50), who stand in
advance of the rest and facing a magistrate (No. 48), are
evidently the Kanephori, maidens of noble birth, whoso