West frieze
w I
01
w I
w I
BM
BM
w II
02
03
w II
w II
BM
BM
w III
04
05
06
w III
w III
ΜΑ
AM
w IV
07
08
w IV
w IV
ΜΑ
AM
w V
09
10
w V
w V
ΜΑ
AM
w VI
11
12
w VI
w VI
ΜΑ
AM
w VII
13
14
w VII
w VII
ΜΑ
AM
w VIII
15
w VIII
w VIII
ΜΑ
AM
w IX
16
17
w IX
w IX
ΜΑ
AM
(ΜΑ 1031)
(AM 1031)
w X
18
19
w X
w X
ΜΑ
AM
w XI
20
21
w XI
w XI
ΜΑ
AM
w XII
22
23
24
w XII
w XII
ΜΑ
AM
w XIII
25
w XIII
w XIII
ΜΑ
AM
w XIV
26
27
w XIV
w XIV
ΜΑ
AM
w XV
28
29
w XV
w XV
ΜΑ
AM
w XVI
30
w XVI
w XVI
ΜΑ
AM
North frieze
n I n I
01
02
n I
n I
(ΜΑ 1210)
(AM 1210)
(ΜΑ 1162)
(AM 1162)
n II
03
04
05
n II
n II
ΜΑ
AM
n III n III
06
07
08
n III
n III
ΜΑ
AM
n IV n IV
09
10
11
12
n IV
n IV
ΜΑ
AM
n V n V
13
14
15
n V
n V
BM
BM
n VI
16
17
18
19
n VI
n VI
ΜΑ
AM
n VII n VII
20
21
22
23
24
n VII
n VII
(ΜΑ 1137)
(AM 1137)
n VIII n VIII
25
26
27
28
n VIII
n VIII
ΜΑ
AM
n IX n IX
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
n IX
n IX
ΜΑ
AM
ΒΙΕΝΝΗ
VIENNA
n X
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
n X
n X
ΜΑ
AM
n XI n XI
44
n XI
n XI
ΜΑ
AM
n XII
45
46
47
n XII
n XII
BM
BM
(ΜΑ 3369)
(AM 3369)
n XIII n XIII
48
n XIII
n XIII
ΜΑ
AM
n XIV n XIV
49
50
n XIV
n XIV
n XV n XV
51
52
53
n XV
n XV
BM
BM
n XVI n XVI
54
n XVI
n XVI
ΜΑ
AM
n XVII n XVII
55
n XVII
n XVII
ΜΑ
AM
n XVIII
n XVIII
n XVIII
(ΜΑ 13291)
(AM 13291)
n XIX n XIX
58
59
n XIX
n XIX
ΜΑ
AM
n XX
n XX
n XX
n XXI
61
62
n XXI
n XXI
ΜΑ
AM
n XXII
n XXII
n XXII
n XXIII
63
64
65
n XXIII
n XXIII
ΜΑ
AM
n XXIV
66
67
68
n XXIV
n XXIV
BM
BM
n XXV
n XXV
n XXV
n XXVI
n XXVI
n XXVI
(ΜΑ 1130)
(AM 1130)
BM
BM
(ΜΑ 878)
(AM 878)
n XXVII
70
71
72
n XXVII
n XXVII
BM
BM
ΜΑ
AM
n XXVIII
73
74
n XXVIII
n XXVIII
BM
BM
(ΜΑ 1170)
(AM 1170)
n XXIX
75
76
n XXIX
n XXIX
BM
BM
(ΜΑ 1149)
(AM 1149)
n XXX n XXX
77
78
79
80
n XXX
n XXX
n XXXI
81
82
83
n XXXI
n XXXI
BM
BM
n XXXII
n XXXII
n XXXII
n XXXIII
86
87
88
n XXXIII
n XXXIII
BM
BM
n XXXIV
89
90
91
n XXXIV
n XXXIV
ΜΑ
AM
n XXXV
94
95
n XXXV
n XXXV
ΜΑ
AM
n XXXVI
96
97
98
99
n XXXVI
n XXXVI
ΜΑ
AM
n XXXVII
100
101
102
n XXXVII
n XXXVII
BM
BM
n XXXVIII
103
104
105
n XXXVIII
n XXXVIII
BM
BM
n XXXIX
106
107
108
n XXXIX
n XXXIX
BM
BM
n XL
109
110
111
n XL
n XL
BM
BM
n XLI
112
113
114
n XLI
n XLI
BM
BM
n XLII
115
116
117
n XLII
n XLII
(ΜΑ 1110)
(AM 1110)
BM
BM
n XLIII
118
119
120
n XLIII
n XLIII
BM
BM
n XLIV
121
122
123
124
n XLIV
n XLIV
BM
BM
n XLV
125
126
127
n XLV
n XLV
BM
BM
n XLVI
128
129
130
131
n XLVI
n XLVI
BM
BM
n XLVII
132
133
134
135
136
n XLVII
n XLVII
(ΜΑ 1145)
(AM 1145)
BM
BM
South frieze
s I
01
02
03
04
s I
s I
ΜΑ
AM
BM
BM
s II
05
06
07
s II
s II
ΜΑ
AM
s III
08
09
s III
s III
BM
BM
s IV
10
11
s IV
s IV
ΜΑ
AM
BM
BM
s V
12
13
14
s V
s V
BM
BM
s VI
15
16
s VI
s VI
BM
BM
s VII
17
18
19
20
s VII
s VII
BM
BM
s VIII
21
22
23
s VIII
s VIII
BM
BM
s IX
24
25
s IX
s IX
BM
BM
s X
26
27
28
s X
s X
BM
BM
s XI
29
30
31
s XI
s XI
BM
BM
(ΜΑ 4865)
(AM 4865)
s XII
32
33
34
s XII
s XII
BM
BM
s XIII
35
36
37
s XIII
s XIII
BM
BM
s XIV
38
39
s XIV
s XIV
ΜΑ
AM
s XV
40
41
42
s XV
s XV
BM
BM
s XVI
43
s XVI
s XVI
ΜΑ
AM
s XVII
44
45
46
s XVII
s XVII
ΜΑ
AM
s XVIII
47
48
49
s XVIII
s XVIII
ΜΑ
AM
s XIX
50
s XIX
s XIX
BM
BM
s XX s XX
51
52
s XX
s XX
(ΜΑ 1122)
(AM 1122)
ΜΑ
AM
s XXI
53
54
55
s XXI
s XXI
(ΜΑ 1134)
(AM 1134)
BM
BM
s XXII
s XXII
s XXII
s XXIII s XXIII
57
58
59
s XXIII
s XXIII
BM
BM
s XXIV s XXIV
60
61
s XXIV
s XXIV
(ΜΑ 7417)
(AM 7417)
s XXV s XXV
62
63
64
s XXV
s XXV
BM
BM
(ΜΑ 4859)
(AM 4859)
(ΜΑ 1156)
(AM 1156)
s XXVI s XXVI
65
66
67
s XXVI
s XXVI
BM
BM
s XXVII s XXVII
68
69
70
s XXVII
s XXVII
s XXVIII s XXVIII
71
72
73
s XXVIII
s XXVIII
s XXIX
74
75
s XXIX
s XXIX
(ΜΑ 1111)
(AM 1111)
BM
BM
s XXX
s XXX
s XXX
s XXXI
78
79
s XXXI
s XXXI
BM
BM
s XXXII s XXXII
80
81
82
s XXXII
s XXXII
BM
BM
s XXXIII s XXXIII
83
84
85
s XXXIII
s XXXIII
(ΜΑ 1155)
(AM 1155)
s XXXIV s XXXIV
86
87
88
s XXXIV
s XXXIV
s XXXV s XXXV
89
90
91
92
s XXXV
s XXXV
s XXXVI s XXXVI
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
s XXXVI
s XXXVI
BM
BM
s XXXVII s XXXVII
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
s XXXVII
s XXXVII
ΜΑ
AM
s XXXVIII s XXXVIII
109
110
s XXXVIII
s XXXVIII
s XXXIX
s XXXIX
s XXXIX
s XL
120
s XL
s XL
(ΜΑ 1140)
(AM 1140)
s XLI
122
123
124
125
s XLI
s XLI
BM
BM
s XLII
126
s XLII
s XLII
ΜΑ
AM
s XLIII
130
131
s XLIII
s XLIII
BM
BM
s XLIV
132
133
134
135
136
s XLIV
s XLIV
BM
BM
s XLV
137
138
139
140
141
s XLV
s XLV
BM
BM
s XLVI
142
143
144
s XLVI
s XLVI
BM
BM
s XLVII
145
146
147
148
149
s XLVII
s XLVII
BM
BM
BM
BM
East frieze
e I e I
01
e I
e I
BM
BM
e II e II
02
03
04
05
06
e II
e II
ΜΑ
AM
(BM)
(BM)
e III
07
08
09
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
e III
e III
BM
BM
(ΜΑ 1066)
(AM 1066)
e IV
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
e IV
e IV
BM
BM
e V
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
e V
e V
(ΜΑ 855)
(AM 855)
BM
BM
e VI e VI
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
e VI
e VI
ΜΑ
AM
BM
BM
BM
BM
ΠΑΛΕΡΜΟ
PALERMO
e VII e VII
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
e VII
e VII
ΛΟΥΒΡΟ
LOUVRE
e VIII
57
58
59
60
61
e VIII
e VIII
BM
BM
(ΜΑ 1189)
(AM 1189)
(ΜΑ 1138)
(AM 1138)
e IX e IX
62
63
e IX
e IX
(ΜΑ 3342)
(AM 3342)
(ΜΑ 2903)
(AM 2903)
(ΜΑ 7411)
(AM 7411)
thematic tour

Chariots

The section with the chariots, in the middle of the long sides of the frieze, is fragmentarily preserved because of the bombardment of the temple in 1687 A.C. The drawings of J. Carrey contribute significantly to the restoration of the form of the chariots that have been lost.

Chariot races were one of the oldest and most spectacular of the Panathenaic contests. A special contest was that of the apobates, which went as follows: four-horse chariots with charioteer and hoplite ran the course, during which the hoplite dismounted and remounted the chariot while it was running.

The hoplites wore a short chiton, cuirass and helmet and they carried a shield.

The charioteers wore a sleeveless long chiton, belted at the waist.

Let us take a closer look at one of the chariots. It has two wheels to bear the biga, that is the vehicle of the chariot. The horses are yoked to the chariot by means of a strong pole, the shaft that was connected to the centre of the axis of the wheels. The charioteer drove the chariot. Those mounting the chariot could hold onto the rails.

The contest of the apobates is shown on the north side of the frieze. Taking part are twelve chariots, each one of which occupies one and a half blocks.

Chariots are shown standing…

during the course of the race…

with the dismounting of the hoplite…

and at the finish.

Various officials are stationed at intervals for the entire length of the procession.

Various officials are stationed at intervals for the entire length of the procession.

On the south side ten chariots are shown participating, each of which occupies a single block.

Five of the chariots have been lost. Carrey’s drawings help us reconstruct what the frieze looked like.

The chariots are depicted in motion, except for the first two, which appear to be preparing for the contest…

The chariots are depicted in motion, except for the first two, which appear to be preparing for the contest…

and the two last chariots which have finished.

and the two last chariots which have finished.

On block ΧΧΧΙ we see a brilliant composition with the chariot running with an armored Athenian, while in less than five centimeters relief the four heads of the horses are depicted at different levels.

 

NEXT TOUR: SACRIFICIAL PROCESSION

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