Lecture 13: Archaic architectural sculpture on the Athenian acropolis.

From the sixth century BC survives a series of architectural sculptures from the Athenian acropolis. For the most part, we know nothing of the buildings to which these sculptures belonged, due to the later Persian sack of Athens and the subsequent rebuilding of the acropolis monuments. Many of the sculptures come from small buildings, perhaps treasuries, though one or two major temples are represented. In the case of the smaller buildings, the material used for the sculpted pediments is limestone, a relatively soft stone, indicating the early experimental nature of the work.

Herakles and the Hydra pediment, limestone, max. height: 79 centimetres, circa 575-550 BC, Athens Acropolis Museum.

Herakles fights the Hydra of Lerna, while Iolaos waits with Herakles' chariot. In the left-hand corner can be seen the Hydra's friend, a large crab. The technique used in this early pediment is that of relief sculpture. Note the preserved paint on the chariot and horses.

The apotheosis of Herakles pediment, limestone, max. height: 94 centimetres, circa 575-550 BC, Athens Acropolis Museum.

Another of the small scale pediments shows the introduction of Herakles to Olympos. Herakles (right) can be seen approaching the enthroned Zeus (left). 

The 'Bluebeard' pediment, limestone, max. height: 90 centimetres, circa 575-550 BC, Athens Acropolis Museum.

On the left-hand side of the pediment Herakles struggles with Triton. On the right-hand side is the three-headed monster, nicknamed by scholars 'Bluebeard' after the preserved paint on the pointed beards. With three upper bodies and heads in human form, the monster possesses a snaky lower body. Now executed in large part as freestanding sculptures, some traces of the early relief sculpture technique remains in the 'Bluebeard' figure. Note the well-preserved paint on the figures - reddish flesh, blue-black hair and beards and snaky tails in red/blue/green.

Lion attacking a bull, max. height: 1.6 metres, circa 575-550 BC, Athens Acropolis Museum.

It is possible that this animal group of a lion attacking a bull formed the central group of the 'Bluebeard' pediment. If this is correct, the pediment would have decorated a temple of considerable size, approximately 16 metres wide. However, no archaeological evidence survives to suggest where on the acropolis this temple originally stood, and even the identity of the building is in doubt. Note that in this early large-scale pediment no single narrative unites the various figure groups.

Athena from the Gigantomachy scene decorating the Old Temple of Athena, circa 510-500 BC, Athens Acropolis Museum.

Figures from another large pediment can most likely be attributed to the Old Temple of Athena (the Archaic predecessor of the Erechtheion) on the north central side of the Acropolis. Dating probably to the last decade of the sixth century BC, the temple was a large limestone construction. The architectural sculpture was, however, executed in marble. One of the pediments, measuring 19.7 metres long and standing 2.5 metres high at the centre, depicted a Gigantomachy with Athena fighting prominently at the centre. Though sadly fragmentary, we can see that the pediment is now treated as a single narrative unit, with the whole space being used to develop a single narrative theme.

Detail from the continuous Ionic frieze from the Old Temple of Athena: charioteer mounting chariot. Max. height: 1.2 metres. Circa 510-500 BC, Athens Acropolis Museum.

The Old Temple of Athena provides our first example of a continuous Ionic frieze being incorporated on a Doric building on the Athenian Acropolis. The relief frieze depicts a procession of the gods, and may have sat above the porches or run right around the cella.