Athena Parthenos: description, history and interesting facts

The heritage of mankind has preserved the magnificent creations of art. A lot of architectural masterpieces, paintings, works of literature and music still fascinate modern people. They can be seen at exhibitions, in museums, private collections. Some of the treasures of the nation are still underground or closed in palaces and castles.

But it turns out that the stories are known works that you will never see. Most often people learn about them from other works. For example, Athena Parthenos became known only through copies and descriptions. At the moment there is no genuine sculpture. But the beauty of the description still keeps this work of Phidias in the memory of modern people.

In honor of whom?

It is not difficult to guess who Phidias had in mind. Athena Parthenos is the embodiment of that very ancient Greek goddess, who at one time was famous for her intelligence and wisdom. Athena was the most revered goddess of Ancient Greece. She was one of the greatest masters of Olympus. In addition to being called the goddess of war, Athena is considered to be involved in knowledge, art, crafts, also called the patroness of cities and states.

What did she look like?

Before we find out what the statue was, Athena Parthenos must appear before us in true guise. Perhaps, it remains for many the most expressive character of Ancient Greece. It is considered the most unusual and memorable. This is due to the fact that whoever depicts Athena, she always has the attributes of a man: armor, weapons and shield. Also, near the goddess, you could always see sacred animals.

Most often Athena is a fair-haired and gray-haired woman. Homer at all considered it "sovokojka." Perhaps this comparison is due to the fact that you could often see an owl, a symbol of wisdom. It does not matter where we get acquainted with Athena, whether in poems, whether in prose, or on canvas, the creators always try to distinguish her big eyes.

The main attributes of Pallas still remains a helmet that had a high comb, and aegis, or shield, decorated with the head of the gorgon Medusa. Also nearby, in particular in the paintings, you can see the olive tree, which was considered a sacred tree, an owl and a snake - two symbols of wisdom. With Athena not once met and Nika - winged goddess.

Author

Many people dreamed of preserving the statue of Athena Parthenos in the history of mankind. Sculptor Phidias forever in the minds of people remained the creator of the great goddess. The Creator lived in 400 BC. He was a friend of Pericles and was considered the greatest artist of the great classics.

During his short career, he created a huge number of works. Their main character was always Athena. In addition to what was later placed in the Parthenon, was the sculpture of the goddess at the Athenian Acropolis. Her Phidias created in honor of the victory over the Persians. It was huge and served as a kind of beacon for sailors.

Athena Lemnia also did not survive until today, but it is known for its copies. This statue was created specifically for the inhabitants of the island of Lemnos, hence the name. There are also two more sculptures depicting the goddess of war. One was in Plataea, and the other was in Achaia.

Phidias is also the author of one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. It's about the sculpture of Zeus in Olympia. This statue was the only one that was on the mainland of Europe. It was made of marble, and in size exceeded any temple of that time.

Sculpture

As you know, the sculpture of Athena Parthenos was in the Parthenon. This temple was built as a home for the goddess between 447 and 432 BC. The statue was made of ivory and gold. It was created in order to glorify success in the Persian wars.

Despite the fact that Athena Parthenos long ago ceased to exist, it still remains an invisible symbol of the great city. Little is known about the disappearance of sculpture. Historical facts lead us to Constantinople, where, perhaps, a statue was transported. It was here that it could be destroyed and stolen. Restore the original look allows copies, sculptural details and descriptions of Plutarch and Pausanias.

All the most expensive

Now it is difficult to understand whether Athena was named after the temple of the Parthenon, or everything was exactly the opposite. Now we can say that Parthenos means "virgin", and the Parthenon means "the house of the virgin."

The temple itself was no less magnificent. But the statue of Athena Parthenos is still considered the main decoration of the building. Myths and legends say that the temple was originally built in order that this sculpture could fit there. Perhaps, when the Parthenon was erected, it was already understood that Phidias would place there something similar to the sculpture of Athena Promachos.

Maximal exact descriptions of the statue were given by Pliny. He claimed that the creation was about 12 meters high (26 cubits). For its manufacture was taken ivory and gold. The first Phidias used to create parts of the body of the goddess, and the rest was made of gold.

There was also talk about the fact that gold could be easily removed in case of financial difficulties. For the rest of the jewelry was used copper, glass, silver and precious stones. As a result, Phidias created a sculpture, the cost of which at times exceeded the cost of the entire temple of the Parthenon.

It is known that the statue occupied a huge pedestal with a height of 4-8 meters. It was located closer to the eastern door and was surrounded by columns. Before the sculpture was a large reservoir of water, which in modern terms can be called a swimming pool. This was done in order to keep it moist all the time, and the ivory was preserved under these conditions.

Decoration

Very majestic and belligerent in Phidias turned out to be Athena Parthenos. The description of the details makes it clear how unique this sculptural composition was. By the copies it became clear that in one hand the goddess kept a statue of Nicky, which, by the way, had a height of 2 meters, but against the background of the grandeur of the main sculpture looked very tiny. In the other hand, Athena held a shield.

It is he who is the controversy of that time. He was most often tried to copy the creators of the whole world. Pliny claimed that on the shield Phidias displayed the battle of Thezey and the Amazons. Also here you could find the battle of the giants with the gods. There was also an image of the Gorgon of Medusa. Perhaps, and some other interesting characters.

Equally attractive was the helmet of Athena Parthenos. He had on himself a sphinx in the middle and two griffins with wings of Pegasus. It is also known that there was a snake in the feet of the goddess. Some argue that the reptile was placed by Phidias and on the chest of the patroness. This snake was given to the goddess Zeus. Shoes decorated kentavromahii.

Invisible details

Of course, what invisible details of sculpture can there be talked about when from contemporaries no one saw the sculpture? Athena Parthenos is full of mysteries and mysteries. There is a statement that on the shield of the goddess Phidias placed his portrait and the image of his friend Pericles. Presumably, he veiled everything under Daedalus and Thezey.

Also, many contemporaries believe that Phidias was fond of boys. His lover was a young Pantar who became the winner in the fight at the Olympics. The young man was so dear to the sculptor that the inscription "Lovely Pantarque" was carved on one of the statues. Perhaps, it was on the finger of Athena Parthenos that this recognition was adorned. Although there is no reliable data on this. Perhaps the inscription was on the statue of Zeus, or on the sculpture of Aphrodite of Urania.

Victims

As already mentioned, Phidias did much to make Athena perfectly fit into the Parthenon. If the statue of Zeus's head rested against the ceiling and it seemed that if the Thunderer rose, he would break through the building, then the goddess looked harmoniously in the architectural space.

The fact is that Phidias has often communicated with Iktin, the builder, so that he will depart a little from the original plan and, in general, the style of the Dorian temple. The sculptor required more space inside. As a result, we see not six classical columns, but eight. In addition, they are located not only on the sides of the statue, but behind it. Athena was as if inscribed in an architectural frame.

Chronology

It turned out that it is difficult to determine the future destiny of the creation. Also it is not known where the creation of Phidias Athena Parthenos died. His history begins about 447 BC. E., when the sculptor received the order and started to work. In 9 years the statue was installed in the temple.

In a couple of years, the first conflict happens. Phidias substitute enemies and envious persons, after which he has to justify himself in the name of purifying his conscience. For more than a century, nothing was known about the fate of the statue. But in 296 BC. E. One commander removed the gold from the sculpture in order to pay his debts. Then I had to replace the metal with bronze.

Even more than a century later, Athena Parthenos suffered from a fire. But they were able to restore it. The following information appears in the 5th century AD. It is known that another fire in the temple once again torments the creation. In the 10th century AD E. The masterpiece was in Constantinople. What happened next is unknown.

Rock of fate

We have already briefly mentioned the conflicts that have affected the Phidias. It was Athena Parthenos who became for him the harbinger of death. The Creator was a good friend and adviser to Pericles. He helped him with the reconstruction of the Acropolis. He was also, of course, talented. Therefore, enemies and envious persons could not pass by.

He first encountered them when he was accused of stealing gold from the cloak of a goddess. Phidias had nothing to hide. It was ordered to remove the gold from the base and weigh it. No shortcomings were found.

But the following charges ended pitifully. Enemies have been searching for a long time, why should they carp. The last straw was the accusation of insulting the deity. Many knew that Phidias tried to portray himself and Pericles on the shield of Athena Parthenos. The sculptor was thrown into prison. It was here that his death came. The only thing for historians and remained a mystery: he died of anguish or poison.

Glory

Among all the works of Phidias, the most famous is Athena Parthenos. The description and history of it are so vivid that we know about this creation after millennia. The glory of sculpture swept through the years. About her not once wrote contemporaries Fidia, as well as later writers. It is known that even Socrates referred to Athena for interpreting the concept of beauty.

The greatness of the work is also indicated by the number of copies that have survived to this day. The most accurate and bright remains the sculpture "Athena Varvakion". She is in the National Museum of Athens. The second similar copy was placed immediately under the name "Athena Lenormann".

Gorgon Medusa, which was placed on the shield, also copied more than once. The most famous is the copy of the head of Medusa Rondanini. Now this sculpture is in Munich, in Glyptoteka.

More than once the artists tried to copy the original shield. One of them is stored in the British Museum and is called the Strangford Shield. Similar is also in the Louvre.

House of Athena

There is practically nothing left from the Parthenon. Although the temple keeps a centuries-old history, which, like sculpture, is full of mysteries and contradictions. Greek archaeologists and builders tried to maximally recreate the ancient style of ruins. But all the greatness and beauty, of course, can not be conveyed. Nevertheless, the feeling that many centuries ago historical events took place here enchant and fascinate. The history of the guides annually attracts many tourists who are allowed to plunge into the atmosphere of ancient militancy.