MARBLE Block XXXIII: Parthenon NOrth frieze

Marble relief (Block XXXIII) from the North frieze of the Parthenon. The frieze shows the procession of the Panathenaic festival, the commemoration of the birthday of the goddess Athena.

This block shows parts of three riders. The heads are sadly missing. The surface of the block is badly corroded by micro-organisms, which is a feature of much of the North frieze cavalcade. One rider wears body armour over a short tunic. The other rider wears a tunic belted at the waist. The horsemen of the cavalcade on the North frieze are composed of a series of phalanxes overlapping one on another in an unequal division. There is among the riders of the North frieze great variation in composition and in dress. Some are heavily draped in mantle and tunic, while others are all but naked. Some ride bareheaded, while others wear a distinctive form of cap. Metal reins, which are now lost, were inserted in drill-holes.