Inventory number
Ακρ. 1013
Artist
Agorakritos' workshop
Category
Architectural sculpture
Period
Classical Period
Date
Around 410 BC
Dimensions
Height: 0.55 m
Length: 0.315 m
Material
Marble from Penteli
Location
First Floor, West, Open case. Parapet of Athena Nike Temple
Three joining slab fragments from the west side of the parapet constructed around the Temple of Athena Nike. The biggest fragment was found at the Propylaia during the excavations conducted between 1835 and 1836. One small fragment from the figure’s right thigh was retrieved from within the Temple of Athena Nike and was adjusted to her torso in 1867. The third fragment, that is the left thigh, was unearthed in 1953 on the northeast slope of the Areopagus.
The Nike turns to the viewer’s left. Her left bent arm touches partly a prop covered by her garment’s folds, most possibly a rock, while her hand rests on her hip. She wears a chiton with short sleeves the drapes of which are held by cords leaving her armpits uncovered. Over the chiton she has a himation that is wrapped around her waist.
Some researchers find similarities between this Nike’s posture and the statue of the renown “Aphrodite of the Gardens” by Alcamenes and suggest some connection between the winged deity with the Sanctuary of Aphrodite Pandemos that lay very close to Athena Nike’s shrine.
The parapet enclosed the three sides of the bastion, on which the temple was built. It consisted of slabs approximately one meter in height whose outer surfaces were decorated with relief scenes visible by those ascending the Acropolis. The holes preserved on the upper surface of these slabs indicate that there was originally a metal railing, which further raised the height of the parapet.
The theme depicted on the parapet is a celebration of the military victories of the Athenians against their enemies, either Persians or other Greeks. The narrative is not continuous; instead it is composed of separate, individual scenes which – with slight variations – recur on each side of the parapet: winged Nikai lead bulls to sacrifice or hold weapons and adorn victory trophies with Greek or Persian armour. Among them sits goddess Athena, resting after victorious battles. The carving of the temple's sculptures was carried out by many different artists under the supervision of Agorakritos. These sculpted figures are highly representative of the end of the 5th cent. BC style called by archaeologists the "Rich Style".
In 1687 the temple and the parapet of Athena Nike were dismantled by the Ottomans and the material was used for the reinforcement of a gun emplacement and the fortification of the west side of the Acropolis against the attacks by the Venetians under the command of the general Francesco Morosini. Between 1835 and 1836 the gun emplacement was demolished and the Temple of Athena Nike was restored for the first time under the supervision of Ludwig Ross, the administrator of antiquities at the time. A second reconstruction was carried out in 1940, while a third was completed in 2010.
We use cookies to improve your experience on our site
The use of your data is described in the privacy settings