From the pediment of the Archaic Parthenon (ca. 570 BC) or Hekatompedon (i.e. The 100-Foot Temple), the creature holds symbols representing the three elements of nature: water, fire and air.
© Vangelis Zavos
The east frieze represents an assembly of the Olympian Gods, the south frieze shows battles between Greeks and Persians, while the other two sides depict battles between Athenians and other Greeks.
© Vangelis Zavos
These spinning weights were found in the 1950s to the south of the Odeon of Herodes Atticus. They represent the most common offerings made by the women of ancient Athens at the Sanctuary of Nymphe (6th and 5th centuries BC).
© Vangelis Zavos
The statue (520 BC) owes its name to the rider’s colorful, eastern-style attire, namely a short chiton and close-fitting trousers. The horse’s mane had green braids on a red background and its tail was also green.
© Vangelis Zavos
The largest Kore (ca. 500 BC) on the Acropolis was the work of the great sculptor Antenor. The marble statue evidences the rise of a new social class, professional craftsmen, who began to acquire wealth and fame, as well as the ability to dedicate such remarkable works to the sanctuary.
© Vangelis Zavos
An outstanding work made in an Attic workshop about 530 BC. The garment differs from those usually worn by Korai and the figure has a more naturalistic stance. Scholars surmise she may not represent a Kore, but a goddess, possibly Artemis. Next to the Peplos Kore stands her “twin sister”: an exact plaster copy that has been painted as the original 1.18 m-tall statue would have been, within the framework of the museum’s interesting “Archaic Colors” initiative.
© Vangelis Zavos
A marble sculpture of a young boy (after 480 BC); it belongs to the “Severe” style (a transition between the Archaic and Classical styles) and is the first known ancient sculpture to use contrapposto (the weight of the body rests on the left leg, while the right leg is relaxed and bent at the knee; this stance influences the balance of the rest of the body).
© Vangelis Zavos
One of the earliest dedications on the Acropolis, it is a work of exceptional quality (ca. 570 BC). The bearded young man carries a sacrificial calf. The inscription on the base reveals the name of the dedicant: “Rhombos, son of Palos, dedicated this statue.”
From the apex of the Parthenon’s pediment, this decoration is a stunning palmette – unusual because traditional Doric buildings were rarely crowned with a floral ornament – which gives the impression of moving in the wind.
The different hairstyles and garment details suggest they were not created by a single sculptor, but by several artists.
Tassoula Eptakili | October 8th, 2015
In the six years since its opening, the Acropolis museum has received eight million visitors from around the world and has consolidated its ranking among the finest repositories of art in the world. As you meander through its galleries, check out these ten unique exhibits that represent the treasures that once stood on the Acropolis, or discovered in the surrounding area.
From the pediment of the Archaic Parthenon (ca. 570 BC) or Hekatompedon (i.e. The 100-Foot Temple), the creature holds symbols representing the three elements of nature: water, fire and air.
© Vangelis Zavos
The east frieze represents an assembly of the Olympian Gods, the south frieze shows battles between Greeks and Persians, while the other two sides depict battles between Athenians and other Greeks.
© Vangelis Zavos
These spinning weights were found in the 1950s to the south of the Odeon of Herodes Atticus. They represent the most common offerings made by the women of ancient Athens at the Sanctuary of Nymphe (6th and 5th centuries BC).
© Vangelis Zavos
The statue (520 BC) owes its name to the rider’s colorful, eastern-style attire, namely a short chiton and close-fitting trousers. The horse’s mane had green braids on a red background and its tail was also green.
© Vangelis Zavos
The largest Kore (ca. 500 BC) on the Acropolis was the work of the great sculptor Antenor. The marble statue evidences the rise of a new social class, professional craftsmen, who began to acquire wealth and fame, as well as the ability to dedicate such remarkable works to the sanctuary.
© Vangelis Zavos
An outstanding work made in an Attic workshop about 530 BC. The garment differs from those usually worn by Korai and the figure has a more naturalistic stance. Scholars surmise she may not represent a Kore, but a goddess, possibly Artemis. Next to the Peplos Kore stands her “twin sister”: an exact plaster copy that has been painted as the original 1.18 m-tall statue would have been, within the framework of the museum’s interesting “Archaic Colors” initiative.
© Vangelis Zavos
A marble sculpture of a young boy (after 480 BC); it belongs to the “Severe” style (a transition between the Archaic and Classical styles) and is the first known ancient sculpture to use contrapposto (the weight of the body rests on the left leg, while the right leg is relaxed and bent at the knee; this stance influences the balance of the rest of the body).
© Vangelis Zavos
One of the earliest dedications on the Acropolis, it is a work of exceptional quality (ca. 570 BC). The bearded young man carries a sacrificial calf. The inscription on the base reveals the name of the dedicant: “Rhombos, son of Palos, dedicated this statue.”
From the apex of the Parthenon’s pediment, this decoration is a stunning palmette – unusual because traditional Doric buildings were rarely crowned with a floral ornament – which gives the impression of moving in the wind.
The different hairstyles and garment details suggest they were not created by a single sculptor, but by several artists.
Once the place where every Athenian came to shop, the...
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