The Parthenon
Athens
west facade
442-438 B.C.
Inside the outer colonnade, at the top of the outside wall of the cella, is the great frieze, a unique
sculptural procession 525 feet long which is a homage to the goddess Athena and a celebration in her
name. This is the first Doric frieze to go around a building. Previously such friezes were limited to Ionic
constructions. Starting in the southwest, the idealized figures of Athenian men, women, children, and
animals travel east and west to meet Athena at the eastern front of the temple.
Hugh Lester, Tulane University