The marble for this stunning octastyle, peripteral, Doric temple (with Ionic architectural elements), came from nearby Mount Pentelikon. It was designed to house a huge statue of Athena Parthenos ( 26 cubits tall, or just over 36 feet in height) which Phidias sculpted in ivory and gold. Indeed, the statue of Athena wore enough removable gold plate to operate as something of a bank. As Neils points out in The Parthenon Frieze, “Given all this gold (44 talents) this statue was the symbolic if not physical embodiment of the Delian Treasury.”
To pay sufficient homage to Athena, a Panathenaic festival took place every four years, with smaller ones occurring annually. This festival of games also commemorated the war between the gods and giants and culminated with a procession through the city of Athens, ending up on the Acropolis. The precise days the festival took place are not certain, but according to Neils in Goddess and Polis: The Panathenaic Festival in Athens, (1992), it lasted from the 23 to 30 Hekatombaion, (the first month of the Athenian calendar) which would place it in late July or the beginning of August. The Panathenaic Procession occurred on the 28 Hekatombaion, traditionally believed to be Athena’s birthday. Not only did the procession include the athletes participating in games, but, among others, it involved women—usually aristocratic ones. Female participants had woven a peplos, a saffron-colored tunic, 5 feet by 6 feet in size, which was mounted on a float, like a sail on a ship, and carted through Athens. In addition to the peplos, the Panathenaic Procession included animals (such as a hecatomb or 100 heifers) for sacrifice.
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