DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.18216#0106
92
CATALOGUE OF SCULPTURE.
His youth was passed during the period of the Persian
wars, and his maturity was principally devoted to the
adornment of Athens, from the funds contributed by the
allied Greek states during the administration of Pericles.
Among the chief of the works of this period was the
Parthenon, or temple of the virgin Goddess Athene. The
architect was Ictinos, but the sculptural decorations, and
probably the design of the temple, were planned and
executed under the superintendence of Pheidias. The build-
ing was probably begun about B.C. 447 (according to
Michaelis, B.C. 454). It was sufficiently advanced to receive
the statue of the Parthenos in B.C. 438, and was probably
completed either in that year or a little later. It stood on
the Acropolis of Athens, on a site which had been already
occupied by a more ancient temple, commonly supposed
to have been an ancient Parthenon, which was burnt on
the sacking of Athens by the Persians, B.C. 480. Becently,
however, the foundations of an early temple have been
discovered between the Parthenon and the Erechtheion.
It has been thought that this is the Pre-Persian Parthenon,
and that the traces of an older foundation below the
existing Parthenon only date from the time immediately
following the Persian wars. A building is supposed to
have then been begun, on a plan somewhat different from
that which was carried out by Ictinos and Pericles.
The Parthenon was of the Doric order of architecture, and
was of the form termed peripteral octastyle ; that is to say,
it was surrounded by a colonnade, which had eight columns
at each end. The architectural arrangements can be best
learnt from the model, which is exhibited in the Elgin
Eoom. See also the plan (fig. 6.) and elevation (pi. iv.).
The principal chamber (cella) within the colonnade
contained the colossal statue of Athene Parthenos (see
below, Nos. 300-302). Externally the cella was decor-
ated with a frieze in low relief (see below, p. 145). The
CATALOGUE OF SCULPTURE.
His youth was passed during the period of the Persian
wars, and his maturity was principally devoted to the
adornment of Athens, from the funds contributed by the
allied Greek states during the administration of Pericles.
Among the chief of the works of this period was the
Parthenon, or temple of the virgin Goddess Athene. The
architect was Ictinos, but the sculptural decorations, and
probably the design of the temple, were planned and
executed under the superintendence of Pheidias. The build-
ing was probably begun about B.C. 447 (according to
Michaelis, B.C. 454). It was sufficiently advanced to receive
the statue of the Parthenos in B.C. 438, and was probably
completed either in that year or a little later. It stood on
the Acropolis of Athens, on a site which had been already
occupied by a more ancient temple, commonly supposed
to have been an ancient Parthenon, which was burnt on
the sacking of Athens by the Persians, B.C. 480. Becently,
however, the foundations of an early temple have been
discovered between the Parthenon and the Erechtheion.
It has been thought that this is the Pre-Persian Parthenon,
and that the traces of an older foundation below the
existing Parthenon only date from the time immediately
following the Persian wars. A building is supposed to
have then been begun, on a plan somewhat different from
that which was carried out by Ictinos and Pericles.
The Parthenon was of the Doric order of architecture, and
was of the form termed peripteral octastyle ; that is to say,
it was surrounded by a colonnade, which had eight columns
at each end. The architectural arrangements can be best
learnt from the model, which is exhibited in the Elgin
Eoom. See also the plan (fig. 6.) and elevation (pi. iv.).
The principal chamber (cella) within the colonnade
contained the colossal statue of Athene Parthenos (see
below, Nos. 300-302). Externally the cella was decor-
ated with a frieze in low relief (see below, p. 145). The