Huddilston, John H.: The attitude of the Greek tragedians toward art (London, 1898)

20 The Attitude of the Greek

wrought by the Persians, who had pulled down
the images of the gods and burned their
temples. In the Eumenides, where the play
opens with the Apollo temple at Delphi, there
is not a word of comment upon the structure;
not even a chance reference to a column. This,
compared with the Ion1 of Euripides, where
the temple is of the first importance, is striking
in simplicity. One feels that Aischylos had no
time for unnecessary words. His one purpose
is the pursuit of Orestes, and from the crucial
test of the hour neither scenery nor archi-
tectural decorations are able to swerve him.
What was the architectural Athens of Aischylos'
time ? The Persian invasion had worked havoc
with the buildings out of the earlier time. ' The
Old Temple' of Athena, together with the other
structures, had all gone down in the ruin wrought
by the invaders. These were unquestionably
rebuilt either in whole or in part on the return
of the Athenians from Salamis. The new build-
ings, however, rose slowly out of the pile of
smoked and charred rubbish. Aischylos never
saw anything of the Parthenon beyond the small
beginnings commonly known as Kimonian2.

1 Cf. p. 41 ff.

- Furtwangler {Masterpieces, p. 420 ff.) argues very cogently