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Classical Athens. Fifth-fourth cent. BCE. Lecture Layout. Athens in Vth century BCE Archaeological evidence: the Acropolis (central cult place, cfr. last week lectures) Why ‘classical’? Athens and us. Some dates (cfr. Gates, ). Persian wars (499-479 BCE)
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Classical Athens Fifth-fourth cent. BCE
Lecture Layout Athens in Vth century BCE Archaeological evidence: the Acropolis (central cult place, cfr. last week lectures) Why ‘classical’? Athens and us
Some dates (cfr. Gates, ) • Persian wars (499-479 BCE) 499-494 rebellion of Greek cities led by Miletus in Asia Minor (modern Turkey) against Persia. The rebellion was suppressed. 490 Darius attacks Greece. Battle of Marathon, Athens victory 480-479 Xerxes invades Greece, sack of Athens 480 Battle of Thermopylae and Salamis 479 Battles of Plataea and Mycale (naval battle): Persians defeated 461-429 under leadership of perikles, Athens took control of the Delian League and start rebuilding the Acropolis • Peloponnesian war (431-404 BCE)
The Parthenon and the British Museum: you must study the webpages on Parthenon (here’s link, see also link on course website)
The sculptures • The metopes: combats • The frieze: Panathenaic festival procession • The pediments: episodes of Athena’s life • Cult statue
The Parthenon Reconstruction of Parthenon sculptures: • Archaeological evidence • Ancient literary sources (as Pausanias, or Plutarch) • Sketches of modern artists, as Jacques Carrey (1674)
Metopes(mythological combats) • South side battle between Lapiths and Centaurs, GR South Metope XXVII
Offerings found in the tombs surrounding the Herooon. Centaur figurine, terracotta, geometric
The Frieze • On the external wall of the cella (naos), pronaos and opisthodomos Interpreted as a representation of the Panathenaic procession PARTHENON FRIEZE RECONSTRUCTION: http://www.mcah.columbia.edu/parthenon/flash/main.htm
Varvakeion Athena, copy of Phidias statue of Athena Parthenos, II cent. CE (Athens National Museum)
Athena Parthenos, Historical Reproduction (Nashville, Tennesse)