THE LOST STATUE OF ATHENE PARTHENOS

Object of the Week | Carly Hall

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Recently I’ve been thinking about the objects that are no longer accessible to us, and whether or not this has impacted how we understand the stories and meanings which surround specific objects. One object, in particular, I’ve been thinking about is the ancient Athene Parthenos statue, which was completed by Pheidias and his assistants in the 5th century BCE. Housed in the Parthenon, the colossal figure of Athene disappeared from the historical record during the 5th century CE; historians believe that the cult statue was transported to Constantinople to be destroyed as a symbol of pagan idolatry.

Fortunately, we do have written records and smaller marble copies of the sculpture to help us envision what Athene Parthenos would have looked like. The ancient historian Pausanias gives a description of the goddess crafted in ivory and gold, holding a statue of Nike in one hand and her spear in the other. At her feet is her shield and a snake, and the birth of Pandora is shown in relief on the statue’s pedestal. The 9-11-meter-tall statue was housed in the cella, the inner section of the Parthenon and was said to be situated behind a shallow pool of oil or water, which would have served to compliment the sheer height and grandeur of the statue.

Replica of Athene Parthenos at the Royal Ontario Museum. Source.

Since I love imagery, Pandora's presence on the cult statue is interesting to me, as Athene and Pandora seem to represent very different ideas. Born from the head of Zeus, she is the masculine-feminine; uncorrupted by the flaws of her gender (according to ancient belief), resolved dutifully to strategic war and resourcefulness, technology and craftsmanship, and rational thinking. She was the goddess invoked by kings and heroes seeking swift victories or sound counsel. That a giant statue in her honour was erected is not surprising due to her importance in Greek life. What I do find interesting is that Pandora’s birth is shown at the base of the sculpture.

Pandora is known in Greek myth as the first mortal woman, created by Hephaestus upon Zeus' commission. Pandora's unwitting purpose was to be mankind's punishment for Prometheus stealing fire from the gods. She is primarily known for opening a jar that unleashed all the evils and troubles of the world and is cursed as the bane of man.

Pandora by Pierre Loison (1861). Source.

Pandora represents everything Athene is not, and I can't help but wonder why Pheidias chose to depict her birth instead of an Athenian military victory, or perhaps a scene of Athene's victory over Poseidon in their contest for patronage of Athens. The more I think about it, it seems simple: Athene towers over the base, human instinct Pandora symbolizes. She stands victorious over thoughtless actions (i.e. opening the jar), ensuring the perseverance of justice and rational thinking.

However, I think this just scratches the surface of all the possible symbolisms this scene has, especially in its context of being on the cult statue of Athene Parthenos. Jefferey Hurwit gives a more cynical reading of this imagery: despite all the divine gifts mortals may be given and the resourcefulness and technology Athene embodies, and despite Athene's patronage, mankind will always face evil (if you're a Classic nerd like me and interested in this kind of thing, you should read Hurwit's article on the topic - he goes into more detail in the history and myths of Athene and Pandora). Other possible meanings that may be tangled up in this imagery is that both Athene and Pandora are motherless and miraculously born full-grown, but act upon two opposite agencies: that of Zeus and that of imperfect mortality.

That's what I love about objects. They are repositories of a seemingly infinite amount of facts and stories, and one's experiences will determine which meanings are more significant.