The Puzzle of the Parthenon Artwork

The restoration in progress on the Parthenon in Athens.

Whether it's the food, the culture in general, or history, there is no doubt that traveling allows you to see the world from a new perspective. This year, two trips allowed me to piece together newly-learned fragments of history like a puzzle, with an "aha" moment when I saw where things "fit." After recent visits to the British Museum in London and the Acropolis Museum in Athens, I could literally see what completing the puzzle of the Parthenon artwork might entail.

Of course, the individual museums were just fun and awe-inspiring, each in their own way.

The British Museum

Acropolis Museum

Both museums house sections of the renowned Parthenon sculptural artifacts, and in particular parts of the frieze (also called the "Elgin Marbles" by many in the UK, although I suspect not by the Greeks). The experience of seeing both museum's exhibits had me contemplating the contemporary debate over the rightful ownership of art collections. It also drove home why traveling is so cool.

The issue of where art rightfully belongs (and all the controvery that comes with it) is not normally something we'd write about here on MiBrava. BUT, we do blog about unique experiences, and "seeing" this controversy firsthand is definitely a singular experience. How We Stumbled Into The Reality of the Elgin Marbles Controversy

During the end of February 2024, we traveled to London. One of the highlights of our trip was exploring the British Museum, where we encountered an impressive array of art and historical artifacts from various cultures and periods. Our journey began with the awe-inspiring sight of the Rosetta Stone and just kept going from there.

We made only a small dent into what we could see there (a return trip is planned), but knowing we were heading toward Athens in the spring, I honed in on learning what I could about the various parts of the Parthenon. The Parthenon is the iconic Athenian temple located on top of the fortified hill we know as the Acropolis; several other ancient structures are also located there.

On display at the British museum were parts of tableaus from the pediments of the Parthenon, plus sections of the metotopes and the frieze. To delve deeper into how the Parthenon is structured, see here.

The short version is that the pediments are the statues in the triangular east and west facade of the structure. The metetopes ran around the outside perimeter, above the columns. The frieze is the sculptural relief tableau that ran around all four sides of the structure, situated between the outer collonade and the inner structure.

Notably in the video above is the color change as one scans the frieze. The darker colored pieces are original, taken by Thomas Bruce, the 7th Earl of Elgin in 1806 from Athens (hence the name "Elgin Marbles"). The lighter colors are replicas to fill in the length of what is missing.

The Acropolis Museum Embraces The Original Form

The Acropolis Museum lays out what it has of the remaining pieces of the frieze and metatopes in a spectacular way, giving one a sense of what a long and detailed piece of art it is (and was). One floor of the museum is laid out to the dimensions of the Parthenon, allowing one to walk around all sides, with either originals or some replicas in the place they should be. It certainly gives you the sense of the immense size. It also gives you a true sense of what the frieze was depicting.

Unlike most of the rest of the Parthenon's artifacts which consist of primarily Greek gods, the frieze depicts the Panathenaic procession, a festival that celebrated the birthday of the goddess Athena. It shows Athenian citizens, military units, musicians, animals, Gods, and heros processing to the Parthenon. Since we also visited the Agora in Athens--the ruins of the actual avenue used for processions--this had special meaning.

• It's an important note that the original frieze was about 160 meters long (about 175 yards for those on this side of the pond), running the entire perimeter of the exterior of the inner building. About 80 meters of it reside in the British Museum and about 50 meters are contained in the Acropolis Museum.

A view of one side of the Acropolis Museum's interpretation of the Parthenon, to scale and with original and replica artifacts.

I really enjoyed this particular side of the frieze which shows the very beginning of the worship procession. I'm no art or history expert but I believe that's supposed to be Athena to the left, followed by the beginning of the entourage honoring her.

The frieze from the west wall, showing where the artifacts transition from the authentic ones to replicas.

What's nice is that you can also see the actual Acropolis out the windows.

Fitting All The Pieces of the Parthenon Puzzle

A perusal of the above photos shows that in the Acropolis Museum the frieze changes color based on original pieces of the marble and the crisper, white replica pieces.

As I was readying a blog post on Athens, I reviewed my photos and found this one, which if you look a few photos back is the beginning of the frieze and the procession:

It looked familiar, but not from Athens. I pulled up my photos from The British Museum and low and behold, the original as displayed there.

A section of the original Acropolis frieze, as exhibited in The British Museum.

I have no idea what led me to take this above photo, but when you see the Acropolis Museum photo of the one side of the frieze, it's about the only thing missing. It's like discovering a missing puzzle piece.

A closeup of one section of the Parthenon frieze, showing where the original tableau switches to a replica.

A view of the full west panel of the Parthenon frieze, showing where it changes from the original to a replica.This is the beginning of the procession depicted and what Athenians would have first seen upon viewing the outside of the inner building.

Huh.

Seeing, first-hand, a missing piece of art and heritage certainly brings home the issue of repatriation of art. The challenge of where art belongs is not always easily resolved and is one facing many museums around the world. Often, the items being returned were stolen. Sometimes the artifacts were bought or taken (with permission) at a time when there was little care for preserving culture.

From the start, Lord Elgin's booty has been controversial. He himself faced an inquiry in the early 1800s. He WAS an authorized representative of the British, dealing with the power in charge at the time in Greece. The problem was the authority of the time in Athens was the Ottoman Empire, which had little concern for preserving Hellenistic culture. To top that off, the international stage saw Napoleon leading the French to conquer Ottoman Egypt, and the Sultan knew the British could be allies in potentially overcoming the French. Why not let them take what they wanted?

For one perspective on how the Elgin marbles ended up in London, see this article.

The ongoing debate continues, with passionate arguments from both perspectives. The Acropolis Museum in Greece now provides a safeguarded setting, surrounded by the UNESCO-recognized ancient remains that enhance its significance and honor the Hellenistic heritage. Meanwhile, the British Museum places Greek artifacts within the broader context of global cultures, offering visitors insights into the periods preceding and following the Parthenon era, exploring its potential influence on other civilizations and the influences it may have undergone. Despite the controversy, I found value in exploring both viewpoints and have pledged to take a more insightful look at artifacts I view at museums in all parts of the world.

That said, I do wish to see at least one side of the Parthenon frieze exhibit in Athens be as complete as it can be, particularly that west side since it's the side Athenians would have first seen upon entering the Parthenon. It may be wishful thinking.