Athena Promachos
Encyclopedia
The Athena Promachos was a colossal bronze statue of Athena
sculpted by Pheidias, which stood between the Propylaea
and the Parthenon
on the Acropolis
of Athens. Athena was the goddess of wisdom and warriors and the protectress of Athens. Pheidias also sculpted two other figures of Athena on the Acropolis, the huge gold and ivory ("chryselephantine
") cult image
of Athena Parthenos
in the Parthenon
and the Lemnian Athena
. The designation Athena Promachos is not attested before a dedicatory inscription of the early fourth century CE: Pausanias
(1.28.2), for one, referred to it as "the great bronze Athena" on the Acropolis.
was one of Pheidias' earliest recorded works: it was placed in about 456 BCE. It was made with the Persian spoils of the Battle of Marathon
, won some years earlier. Parts of the marble base remain; according to the preserved inscription, it measured about 30 feet (9 m) high. It showed Athena standing with her shield resting upright against her leg, and a spear in her right hand. The statue was so big it was possible to see the tip of the spear and her helmet crest at sea off Cape Sounion.
Surviving accounts for the sculpture cover nine years, but the dates are not identifiable, because the names of officials are missing (Stewart; Lundgreen 1997:191). The sculpture may have commemorated Kimon's defeat of the Persians at the Eurymedon in 467 or the peace of Kallias
in about 450/49 (Walsh 1981).
The appearance of the Athena Promachos can only be certainly identified on a few Attic coins minted in Roman times, in the first and second centuries CE, providing clues to identifying versions in surviving sculptures, with varying confidence. They show that she wore a belted garment and stretched forward her right hand on which a winged object can be seen. A spear leans against one shoulder and her shield, which we know was made separately, by different artists, rests on the ground. Sometimes the plinth is indicated. Her crested helmet is sometimes rendered as Attic in type, sometimes Corinthian.
Athena Promachos stood overlooking her city for about 1000 years until shortly after 465 CE, when she was transported to Constantinople
(capital of the Eastern Roman Empire), as a trophy in the "Oval Forum", the last bastion and safe haven for many surviving Greek bronze sculptures, under the protection of the Eastern Empire's Imperial court.
The Athena Promachos was finally destroyed in 1203 by a superstitious Christian mob who thought she was beckoning the crusaders who had besieged the city (Jenkins 1947).
Of surviving models thought to represent the type, the two outstanding are the Athena Elgin, a small bronze statuette in the Metropolitan Museum of Art
, who bears an owl in her outstretched hand (like some coin types), and the Athena Medici torso in the Musée du Louvre, of which there are a number of replicas.
Athena
In Greek mythology, Athena, Athenê, or Athene , also referred to as Pallas Athena/Athene , is the goddess of wisdom, courage, inspiration, civilization, warfare, strength, strategy, the arts, crafts, justice, and skill. Minerva, Athena's Roman incarnation, embodies similar attributes. Athena is...
sculpted by Pheidias, which stood between the Propylaea
Propylaea
A Propylaea, Propylea or Propylaia is any monumental gateway based on the original Propylaea that serves as the entrance to the Acropolis in Athens...
and the Parthenon
Parthenon
The Parthenon is a temple on the Athenian Acropolis, Greece, dedicated to the Greek goddess Athena, whom the people of Athens considered their virgin patron. Its construction began in 447 BC when the Athenian Empire was at the height of its power. It was completed in 438 BC, although...
on the Acropolis
Acropolis
Acropolis means "high city" in Greek, literally city on the extremity and is usually translated into English as Citadel . For purposes of defense, early people naturally chose elevated ground to build a new settlement, frequently a hill with precipitous sides...
of Athens. Athena was the goddess of wisdom and warriors and the protectress of Athens. Pheidias also sculpted two other figures of Athena on the Acropolis, the huge gold and ivory ("chryselephantine
Chryselephantine
Chryselephantine is a term that refers to the sculptural medium of gold and ivory...
") cult image
Cult image
In the practice of religion, a cult image is a human-made object that is venerated for the deity, spirit or daemon that it embodies or represents...
of Athena Parthenos
Athena Parthenos
Athena Parthenos was the title of a massive chryselephantine sculpture of the Greek goddess Athena made by Phidias and housed in the Parthenon in Athens. Its epithet was an essential character of the goddess herself...
in the Parthenon
Parthenon
The Parthenon is a temple on the Athenian Acropolis, Greece, dedicated to the Greek goddess Athena, whom the people of Athens considered their virgin patron. Its construction began in 447 BC when the Athenian Empire was at the height of its power. It was completed in 438 BC, although...
and the Lemnian Athena
Lemnian Athena
The Lemnian Athena or Athena Lemnia, was a classical Greek statue of the goddess Athena. According to Pausanias , the original bronze was created by Phidias circa 450-440 BCE, for Athenians living on Lemnos to dedicate on the Acropolis in Athens, Greece.It is unclear whether any copies remain...
. The designation Athena Promachos is not attested before a dedicatory inscription of the early fourth century CE: Pausanias
Pausanias (geographer)
Pausanias was a Greek traveler and geographer of the 2nd century AD, who lived in the times of Hadrian, Antoninus Pius and Marcus Aurelius. He is famous for his Description of Greece , a lengthy work that describes ancient Greece from firsthand observations, and is a crucial link between classical...
(1.28.2), for one, referred to it as "the great bronze Athena" on the Acropolis.
History
The Athena PromachosPromachos
In ancient Greece and during the Byzantine era, the Promachoi were the men fighting in the first rank of the phalanx...
was one of Pheidias' earliest recorded works: it was placed in about 456 BCE. It was made with the Persian spoils of the Battle of Marathon
Battle of Marathon
The Battle of Marathon took place in 490 BC, during the first Persian invasion of Greece. It was fought between the citizens of Athens, aided by Plataea, and a Persian force commanded by Datis and Artaphernes. It was the culmination of the first attempt by Persia, under King Darius I, to subjugate...
, won some years earlier. Parts of the marble base remain; according to the preserved inscription, it measured about 30 feet (9 m) high. It showed Athena standing with her shield resting upright against her leg, and a spear in her right hand. The statue was so big it was possible to see the tip of the spear and her helmet crest at sea off Cape Sounion.
Surviving accounts for the sculpture cover nine years, but the dates are not identifiable, because the names of officials are missing (Stewart; Lundgreen 1997:191). The sculpture may have commemorated Kimon's defeat of the Persians at the Eurymedon in 467 or the peace of Kallias
Peace of Callias
The Peace of Callias is a purported treaty established around 449 BC between the Delian League and Persia, ending the Persian Wars. The peace was agreed as the first compromise treaty between Achaemenid Persia and a Greek city....
in about 450/49 (Walsh 1981).
The appearance of the Athena Promachos can only be certainly identified on a few Attic coins minted in Roman times, in the first and second centuries CE, providing clues to identifying versions in surviving sculptures, with varying confidence. They show that she wore a belted garment and stretched forward her right hand on which a winged object can be seen. A spear leans against one shoulder and her shield, which we know was made separately, by different artists, rests on the ground. Sometimes the plinth is indicated. Her crested helmet is sometimes rendered as Attic in type, sometimes Corinthian.
Athena Promachos stood overlooking her city for about 1000 years until shortly after 465 CE, when she was transported to Constantinople
Constantinople
Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...
(capital of the Eastern Roman Empire), as a trophy in the "Oval Forum", the last bastion and safe haven for many surviving Greek bronze sculptures, under the protection of the Eastern Empire's Imperial court.
The Athena Promachos was finally destroyed in 1203 by a superstitious Christian mob who thought she was beckoning the crusaders who had besieged the city (Jenkins 1947).
Of surviving models thought to represent the type, the two outstanding are the Athena Elgin, a small bronze statuette in the Metropolitan Museum of Art
Metropolitan Museum of Art
The Metropolitan Museum of Art is a renowned art museum in New York City. Its permanent collection contains more than two million works, divided into nineteen curatorial departments. The main building, located on the eastern edge of Central Park along Manhattan's Museum Mile, is one of the...
, who bears an owl in her outstretched hand (like some coin types), and the Athena Medici torso in the Musée du Louvre, of which there are a number of replicas.