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El Partenón
An account of the building and decoration of the Parthenon and how it has survived to the present day as a outstanding monument to the classical art ideals of the ancient world.
48 pages, Paperback
First published June 11, 1981
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
October 5, 2022
really good, well illustrated and narrated albeit very manichean-ly biased in the beginning
May 13, 2020
This is a very interesting, albeit brief/basic, book on the origins, planning, construction, and subsequent destruction and despoliation of an architectural and sculptural masterpiece, the Parthenon.
The frieze trimming the upper border of the inner row of columns and continuing around the room housing the 30 foot statue of the goddess itself (the cella) showed a religious procession of horsemen, citizens, musicians, tray bearers, animal sacrifices, maidens and finally deities, terminating above the main entrance on the East side of the building with a representation of a man, possibly a temple official, folding or unfolding a piece of cloth with help of a child, while two girls are shown with a female, thought to be the priestess of the temple, the girls bearing some sort of objects within sacks that rest upon folding stools that are held on top of their heads. What these hidden things may be is unknown but probably relate to the festival the frieze depicts, perhaps objects that relate to the new "garment" that is given to the xoanon of Athena each year. Some say what they are carrying may only be cushions (for the seats - and that the seats are for the priestess and the male official). There is no way of knowing for sure - and there seems to be no commentary or description left to us from antiquity explaining the meaning of the group of five right above the entrance to the cella.
Here are some quotes from the book:
"[With respect to the Delian League (for self-defense) that was created in the aftermath of the Greek victory over the Persians during the Persian Wars of 480 and 479 BC] The other [coastal and island] city-states, who were all independent, contributed ships or money according to what they could afford as assessed by Aristeides, an Athenian celebrated for his fairness."
"...the Athenians rebuilt their city and erected long walls to connect it with the port at Piraeus a little over 6 kilometres (about 4 miles) away."
"Temples in most Greek cities contrasted with the humble dwellings of the people in much the same way that medieval cathedrals contrasted with the little houses that were clustered around them."
"...Sparta and her allies in the Peloponnese, who were not members of the Delian league...were becoming increasingly jealous of Athens."
"The [Athenian] Assembly, which consisted of all adult male citizens, made all the laws and decisions for the city; it controlled state funds and required those who received them to give a full account of their use."
"The myths were not part of a fixed religious system; the Greeks had no holy book like the Bible which is supposed to be the word of God."
"The [sacrificial] feast shared with the gods was also a very special event for the people, for it was only on rare occasions that the Greeks ate meat. Their usual food consisted of bread, cheese, garlic, onions, beans and olives, with wine for zest and honey for sweetness. Even fish was something of a delicacy."
"The stonemasons...needed particular skills. Foreigners and slaves worked side by side with Athenian citizens, doing the same jobs and receiving the same pay. The quality of their work, not their social status, was what mattered."
"The carving of the frieze is generally of higher quality and the style is more uniform than on the metopes."
"Pericles' building projects, of which the Parthenon was one, belonged to his vision of what Athens should be. This vision is also expressed in parts of the Funeral Oration he is supposed to have delivered shortly after the Parthenon was completed: 'Our constitution,' he explained, 'is called a democracy because power is not in the hands of a few but of the people. Our laws secure equal justice for all in their private disputes, and our public opinion welcomes and honors talent in every branch of achievement; what counts is not membership in a particular class, but the actual ability a man possesses.'"
"The Parthenon was, therefore, just one part of the amazing intellectual and artistic flowering that blossomed in Athens in the fifth century BC."
"Lord Elgin gave his collection of marbles from the Parthenon to the British nation in 1816."
The frieze trimming the upper border of the inner row of columns and continuing around the room housing the 30 foot statue of the goddess itself (the cella) showed a religious procession of horsemen, citizens, musicians, tray bearers, animal sacrifices, maidens and finally deities, terminating above the main entrance on the East side of the building with a representation of a man, possibly a temple official, folding or unfolding a piece of cloth with help of a child, while two girls are shown with a female, thought to be the priestess of the temple, the girls bearing some sort of objects within sacks that rest upon folding stools that are held on top of their heads. What these hidden things may be is unknown but probably relate to the festival the frieze depicts, perhaps objects that relate to the new "garment" that is given to the xoanon of Athena each year. Some say what they are carrying may only be cushions (for the seats - and that the seats are for the priestess and the male official). There is no way of knowing for sure - and there seems to be no commentary or description left to us from antiquity explaining the meaning of the group of five right above the entrance to the cella.
Here are some quotes from the book:
"[With respect to the Delian League (for self-defense) that was created in the aftermath of the Greek victory over the Persians during the Persian Wars of 480 and 479 BC] The other [coastal and island] city-states, who were all independent, contributed ships or money according to what they could afford as assessed by Aristeides, an Athenian celebrated for his fairness."
"...the Athenians rebuilt their city and erected long walls to connect it with the port at Piraeus a little over 6 kilometres (about 4 miles) away."
"Temples in most Greek cities contrasted with the humble dwellings of the people in much the same way that medieval cathedrals contrasted with the little houses that were clustered around them."
"...Sparta and her allies in the Peloponnese, who were not members of the Delian league...were becoming increasingly jealous of Athens."
"The [Athenian] Assembly, which consisted of all adult male citizens, made all the laws and decisions for the city; it controlled state funds and required those who received them to give a full account of their use."
"The myths were not part of a fixed religious system; the Greeks had no holy book like the Bible which is supposed to be the word of God."
"The [sacrificial] feast shared with the gods was also a very special event for the people, for it was only on rare occasions that the Greeks ate meat. Their usual food consisted of bread, cheese, garlic, onions, beans and olives, with wine for zest and honey for sweetness. Even fish was something of a delicacy."
"The stonemasons...needed particular skills. Foreigners and slaves worked side by side with Athenian citizens, doing the same jobs and receiving the same pay. The quality of their work, not their social status, was what mattered."
"The carving of the frieze is generally of higher quality and the style is more uniform than on the metopes."
"Pericles' building projects, of which the Parthenon was one, belonged to his vision of what Athens should be. This vision is also expressed in parts of the Funeral Oration he is supposed to have delivered shortly after the Parthenon was completed: 'Our constitution,' he explained, 'is called a democracy because power is not in the hands of a few but of the people. Our laws secure equal justice for all in their private disputes, and our public opinion welcomes and honors talent in every branch of achievement; what counts is not membership in a particular class, but the actual ability a man possesses.'"
"The Parthenon was, therefore, just one part of the amazing intellectual and artistic flowering that blossomed in Athens in the fifth century BC."
"Lord Elgin gave his collection of marbles from the Parthenon to the British nation in 1816."
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews