Beschreibung
The analysis of the Parthenon frieze presented in the present study is
based on the assumption that the pictorial narrative scenes of the
Classical period were conceived with the intention of exemplifying
comprehensive patterns of action, which were related to ethical values and
social status. In this way, it can be shown that on the west, north and
south side of the frieze the pictorial narration, in several “chapters”,
demonstrates how the young male Athenians become qualified members of the
citizenry through a multi-stage process of civic education carried out by
the democratic polis; the stages of female socialization are visualized on
the east side, the goal being the status and responsibilities of a married
woman who raises and educates her offspring in an Athenian oikos, as
represented in the central scene of the east frieze. The messages of the
other Parthenon sculptures as well as of the colossal statue of Athena in
the centre of this sacred building are closely related to this frame of
reference. One could claim that the pictorial narrative of the Parthenon
frieze is the first comprehensive discourse on democracy known to us.
