Phidias
Parthenon Marbles
5th century BC
These marble sculptures, carved in the 5th century BC under the direction of Pheidias, once adorned the Parthenon on the Athenian Acropolis during the age of Pericles. They comprise a long continuous Ionic frieze depicting the Panathenaic procession, ninety-two high-relief metopes with mythological combats, and the great pedimental statues of the east and west gables. Removed by Lord Elgin with Ottoman permission in the early 19th century, they remain one of the most contested cultural properties in the world — the subject of Greece's long-standing request for their return.
Exhibition Venue
Image source: Added by operations team