What does Centauromachy mean?
noun In art and archaeology, a contest in which centaurs take part; especially, a fight between centaurs and men; in Greek myth, a battle between Hercules and the centaurs, or between the Lapithæ, aided by the Athenians, and the centaurs.
What does the Parthenon metopes represent?
This general theme is considered to be a metaphor for the Median wars and thus the triumph of the city of Athens. The majority of metopes were systematically destroyed by Christians at the time of the transformation of the Parthenon into a church towards the sixth or the seventh century AD.
Does the Parthenon have metopes?
The sculpted decoration of the Parthenon included ninety-two metopes showing scenes of mythical battle. Those on the south flank of the temple included a series featuring human Lapiths in mortal combat with Centaurs. The Centaurs were part-man and part-horse, thus having a civil and a savage side to their nature.
What are the names of the architects of the Parthenon?
The architecture Work on the Parthenon began in 447 bceunder the architects Ictinus and Callicrates with the supervision of the sculptor Phidias.
What was the myth of the Centauromachy used to Symbolise?
The Greek sculptors of the school of Pheidias depicted the battle of the Lapiths and Centaurs as a symbolic struggle between the civilized Greeks and “barbarians” on the Parthenon and on Zeus’ temple at Olympia (Pausanias, v. 10.8).
Why is the Centauromachy important?
Half-men, half-horses, the Centaurs were a race of violent and brutish creatures who lived in the forests of Thessaly. Often portrayed as a metaphor for the struggle between civilization and barbarism, this fight is now remembered as the Centauromachy. …
What did the Metopes show?
At the east (or front) of the temple the metopes depicted the Gigantomachy, or the battle between the gods and the giants. The west metopes depicted fights between Greeks and the Amazons (or Persians), while the north and south metopes included scenes from the Trojan War and the Cenauromachy respectively.
Why is the Parthenon important in art history?
The Parthenon, executed between 447 and 432 BCE and dedicated in 438 BCE, initiated the Periclean building program on the Athenian Acropolis. It was meant to be the jewel of Athens. The Parthenon thus lives on as a symbol of classical Athens and the Greek people.
What are triglyphs and metopes?
Triglyph is an architectural term for the vertically channeled tablets of the Doric frieze in classical architecture, so called because of the angular channels in them. The rectangular recessed spaces between the triglyphs on a Doric frieze are called metopes.
Who were some famous Greek architects?
Famous Greek Architects
- El Greco. 215. Famous As: Painter. Birthdate: October 1, 1541. Sun Sign: Libra. Birthplace: Heraklion, Crete.
- Callicrates. 83. Famous As: Architect. Birthdate: 0470 BC. Birthplace: Classical Athens. Died: 0420 BC.
- Dinocrates. 72. Famous As: Architect. Birthdate: 0000 AD. Birthplace: Rhodes.
- Ictinus.
Who was the most famous architect in ancient Greece?
Ictinus, also spelled Iktinos, (flourished 5th century bc), Greek architect, one of the most celebrated of Athens, known for his work on the Parthenon on the Acropolis, the Temple of the Mysteries at Eleusis, and the Temple of Apollo Epicurius at Bassae.