Greek temples were not just religious buildings - they were sculptural monuments. Every major temple featured elaborate sculptural decoration that proclaimed the wealth, piety, and identity of the community that built it.
This topic focuses on the three main areas of temple sculpture: pediments, metopes, and friezes. The primary prescribed source is the Parthenon, with additional reference to the Temple of Zeus at Olympia.
Why Temple Sculpture Matters
Architectural sculpture served multiple functions:
Religious: Honoured the deity; depicted myths relevant to that god
Political: Proclaimed civic power and identity
Artistic: Showcased the finest sculptors' skills
Narrative: Told stories visible to all who approached the temple
Greek temple architecture developed three main "orders" - systems of proportion and decoration:
Doric Order
Oldest and simplest. Heavy columns without bases, plain capitals. The entablature includes a frieze of alternating triglyphs and metopes. Used for the Parthenon (exterior) and Temple of Zeus at Olympia.
Ionic Order
More slender, elegant columns with bases and scroll (volute) capitals. Continuous sculptured frieze rather than metopes. Used for the Parthenon's interior frieze and the Erechtheion.
Corinthian Order
Latest development. Elaborate acanthus-leaf capitals. Became popular in the Hellenistic period and was widely adopted by the Romans.
The Parthenon's Innovation
The Parthenon uniquely combines Doric and Ionic elements: a Doric exterior with metopes, but an Ionic continuous frieze running around the inner building (the cella).
Where Sculpture Appeared
Diagram showing the location of pediment, metopes, and triglyphs on a Doric temple.
Pediments
Triangular spaces at each end of the temple roof. Filled with freestanding or high-relief sculptures. The triangular shape posed compositional challenges - figures had to fit the sloping frame. Depicted major mythological scenes.
Metopes
Square panels alternating with triglyphs in the Doric frieze. Each metope typically showed a single combat or scene. On the Parthenon, 92 metopes depicted four mythological battles.
Frieze
Continuous band of sculpture. In Ionic temples, this replaces the metope/triglyph system. The Parthenon's Ionic frieze ran around the cella (inner building), depicting the Panathenaic procession.
Cult Statue
Inside the temple, a monumental statue of the deity. The Parthenon housed Pheidias' chryselephantine (gold and ivory) Athena Parthenos - over 11 metres tall.
The Parthenon: Overview
The Parthenon on the Athenian Acropolis - temple of Athena Parthenos (the Virgin). Image: Wikimedia Commons
The Parthenon (447-432 BCE) was the centerpiece of Pericles' building programme on the Athenian Acropolis. Designed by the architects Iktinos and Kallikrates, its sculptural programme was overseen by Pheidias, the greatest sculptor of Classical Athens.
Sculptural Programme
East Pediment: Birth of Athena West Pediment: Contest of Athena and Poseidon 92 Metopes: Four mythological battles (Centauromachy, Amazonomachy, Gigantomachy, Trojan War) Ionic Frieze: Panathenaic procession (160m continuous relief)
Today, the Parthenon sculptures are divided between the Acropolis Museum in Athens and the British Museum in London (the "Elgin Marbles"), with fragments in other European museums.
Historical Context
The Parthenon was built during the height of Athenian power:
Funded partly by tribute from the Delian League (Athenian empire)
Built on the site destroyed by the Persians in 480 BCE
Celebrated Athenian victory over Persia and imperial greatness
Cost equivalent to hundreds of warships - a statement of wealth
The sculptural programme connected mythological battles (gods vs giants, Greeks vs Amazons) to contemporary Athenian triumph over the Persian "barbarians."
