Research paper I was talking about in Chap 3

*waits 5 years for the document to open*

What is more interesting than an ancient statue of three Greek goddesses lounging around? Well, a lot of things are but you have to admit, you're curious now. Female Figures from the Parthenon is a statue built by someone, whom we do not know. Experts have concluded that Alkamenes or Pheidias sculpted the image of the three goddesses, however, there is always the possibility they are wrong. Built between 438 and 432 BC in Athens, Greece, Female Figures from the Parthenon was sculpted for the Parthenon, a Greek temple dedicated to Athena, the goddess of wisdom, battle strategy, and crafts. However, this intricate piece of art has been taken from its home and now resides in the British Museum, where it is on permanent display. So, without further ado, let's hop on this rollercoaster as I tell you what my extensive research has taught me about this mysterious piece. It didn't teach me much either. Not much is known about Alkamenes' (or Pheidias') statue for the Parthenon, Female Figures from the Parthenon. Most knowledge we have on the statue is made off of assumptions. We don't even know if Alkamenes sculpted this masterpiece!

Female Figures from the Parthenon depicts three women, assumed to be three goddesses, lounging around. These goddesses are believed to be Hestia, Dione, and Aphrodite. This does not make sense though, as Aphrodite and Athena were said to hate each other, in mythology, and why would a statue of a goddess be in a temple dedicated to a goddess that hated her? It makes sense that Dione is in Athena's temple, because Dione was Athena's mother, according to mythology. The British Museum does state that Dione was Aphrodite's mother instead of Athena’s, but other sources of mythology state otherwise. Another theory is that two of the figures are Gaia and Thalassa, an image depicting the sea lounging in the earth's lap. The three figures appear to adorned with girdled chitons. One figure is lounging in another's lap, her shoulder bare as though she cannot fix her sleeve. Although, she probably can't fix it because none of them have hands, feet, or heads. The lady acting as a chair for the first appears to be sitting on a step made of stone to support herself and the other figure reclining in her lap. The last female figure appears to be crouching as though she is in the midst of standing up. She has her foot positioned as though to support and push her body upwards.

There are several mediums that sculptors can use for a project, such as clay or marble. The Female Figures from the Parthenon was sculpted with marble. The sculpture has a dimension of 123 centimeters (about 4 feet) in height and 233 centimeters ( about 7.5 feet) in length. The sculptor most likely used a carving technique, where they cautiously chipped away piece by piece of the marble to make the sculpture. This technique takes a lot of skill, patience, and a steady hand because one wrong move will ruin the whole piece.

The sculpture is made of many lines and shapes. Being composed of many curved lines is part of what gives it the realistic look it has. The statue doesn't have a color except for the regular gray of the marble it was sculpted from. The artist accurately proportionized the figures to realistically depict their size. They also perfectly balanced the sculpture so that it didn't fall in on itself from the weight and also looks perfect! There seems to be a symmetrical pattern to the piece as well.

During this period, the Parthenon was being built in ancient Greece, the Athena Parthenos, a statue of ivory and gold is made for the Parthenon, the city of Capua was attacked and fell in Italy, wars between the Athenians and other countries break out, Greek colony Heraclea is founded in Italy, and the Chinese Marquis Yi of Zeng was buried. However, it is difficult to say what the artist was trying to say with this piece because there is not much known about it. In ancient Greece, there was a polytheistic religion where the Greeks worshipped many gods such as Athena, the goddess of wisdom, battle strategy, and crafts, and Hades, the god of the underworld, the one who punished the damned and rewarded the good. Women, children, and slaves were not citizens and women couldn't even go outside without their husband's permission. Men were free, unless they were slaves, and were the only ones who could write and read. Children went to school until they were 18 and helped with the household chores. There was one different city-state, Sparta. In Sparta, men and women were practically equal. Women were warriors, they didn't need their husband's approval (actually often men had to get their wives' approval for certain things), and they ran businesses as well! The significance of this artwork is the art itself. It is a mystery that no one can find the answers for. Even with clues from everyday life.

As you can see, the aura of mystery surrounding Female Figures from the Parthenon makes it intriguing. The ideas of possible theories being made is thrilling as well. It gives one all the more reason to research about Female Figures from the Parthenon and ancient Greece.

Works Cited:

“432 BC.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 23 June 2020, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/432_BC.

“438 BC.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 15 Feb. 2016, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/438_BC.

“Greece: Parthenon.” The British Museum, www.britishmuseum.org/collection/galleries/greece-parthenon.

“Meet the Greeks!Daily Life in Ancient Greece.” Daily Life in Ancient Greece for Kids and Teachers - Ancient Greece for Kids, greece.mrdonn.org/dailylife.html.

“The Parthenon (Article) | Ancient Greece.” Khan Academy, Khan Academy, www.khanacademy.org/humanities/ap-art-history/ancient-mediterranean-ap/greece-etruria-rome/a/the-parthenon.