temple-relief

Marble relief (Block XLIII) from the North frieze of the Parthenon. The frieze shows the procession of the Panathenaic festival, the commemoration of the birthday of the goddess Athena. This block shows parts of four riders, each dressed differently. The lead figure wears a helmet and body armour with cloak and short tunic. The figure to the right of him is most distinctive of all. He is naked but for a chlamys that has slipped down his back and falls down his bottom and flows over his left arm. He raises his right arm, which must have held a whip, added in paint. The horsemen of the cavalcade on the North frieze are composed of a series of phalanxes overlapping one on another in an unequal division. There is among the riders of the North frieze great variation in composition and in dress. Some are heavily draped in mantle and tunic, while others are all but naked. Some ride bareheaded, while others wear a distinctive form of cap. Metal reins, which are now lost, were inserted in drill-holes. For more information on the North frieze see North frieze Block XLVII. The northern branch of the procession follows a similar pattern to the southern.