Two heads from the Parthenon

Two heads from the Parthenon.
447-431 BC.
Fidias.
Centaur height: 28 cm. Lapith height: 20 cm.
Marble.
Two heads from one of the metopes of the Parthenon, the temple of Athena on the acropolis of Athens. The metopes on the south side of the temple told the story of the battle between the centaurs and the Lapiths. A centaur was half man, half horse, and the Lapiths were a legendary Greek people. At the marriage feast of the Lapith king, Peirithoos, the centuars gate-crashed the party and tried to abduct the women. The remaining metopes can be seen at the British Museum in London.