South Frieze (east end) of the Parthenon

Drawing of frieze

John Boardman, Greek Sculpture Classical Period, fig.93a (Marion Cox)

This frieze depicts part of the Panathenaic procession, which, at the Great Panathenaea every four years, escorted the new peplos robe to the Acropolis for dedication to the statue of Athena. The procession is shown starting at the south-west corner of the Parthenon, running in two streams on the long sides of the temple and converging at the centre-east above the main entrance. Here at the head of the column we see men with sacrificial cattle followed by a tray-carrier, men carrying citharas, and, finally, a group of elders. The following procession consists of a cavalcade led by four-horse chariots (not seen in this drawing) with riders bunched in ranks, roughly ten on each of the north and south friezes, and each shown differently dressed to emphasise their different tribes in Athens.