South frieze - Men with sacrificial cattle

These plaster friezes were moulded after the originals following their arrival in Britain with the Elgin Marbles in 1806. The Parthenon Frieze shows in marble relief horsemen, chariot groups, citizens, tribute bearers, and the women of Athens. Accompanied by sacrificial sheep and cattle, the procession culminates on the East face with the offering of a new robe, the Peplos, to the statue of the Goddess Athene (Pallas Athena). The damaged East Frieze (reproduced here in a completed form by Henning) depicts tribute-bearing mortals being met by groups of Heroes and Gods, while a small group perform a ritual with the Peplos. The larger scale of the figures in the central portion of the frieze indicates the difference between the deities and the mortals. (Venus Rising, 2005)

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