Statue of Athena
The Statue of Athena, also known as the Athena Promachos,[1] was a colossal bronze sculpture of Athena, the patron goddess of Athens, which stood outside the Parthenon on the Akropolis in Athens, Greece, during the 5th century BCE.
Description[edit | edit source]
The statue showed the goddess clothed in a chiton, with the golden aegis, adorned with scales and the likeness of Medusa, on top of it. On her head she wears a grand helmet topped with a Pegasos on either side of a griffin. On her right hand she holds a spear, while her left rests on a shield adorned with meander and an owl.[2] As the statue was almost ten meters tall, it was claimed by the geographer and historian Pausanias that the tip of the spear and the helmet could be seen even from Cape Sounion, despite the sixty kilometer distance between the two.[3][1]
History[edit | edit source]
Made by the renowned Athenian sculptor Phidias, the statue was commissioned and created in memory of the Battle of Marathon of 490 BCE.[3] Though Phidias was in charge of the work, the metalsmith Mys engraved the shield of the statue.[1] Taking nine years to make, the statue ended up costing close to half a million drachmae.[1]
During the Peloponnesian War, the Spartan misthios Kassandra visited the statue at the request of Artaxerxes I of Persia, the former King of Persia who was exiled.[4] Around the same time, Kassandra met the Athenian general Demosthenes, who requested she eliminate and collect seals from Spartan polemarchs throughout Greece.[5]
Behind the scenes[edit | edit source]
The colossal statue depicted the goddess as Athena Promachos (ancient Greek: Ἀθηνᾶ Πρόμαχος), meaning "Athena who fights on the front lines; fighting in the first rank".[6][1]
In Assassin's Creed: Odyssey, the statue of Athena is partially based on a statue of Athena in Vienna, instead of the lost Athena Promachos.
Gallery[edit | edit source]
-
A close-up of the statue's chestpiece in-game -
Close-up of the statue's helmet in-game -
Close-up of the statue's shield in-game -
3D Models of the statue -
3D sculpt of the statue -
Concept art
Appearances[edit | edit source]
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Discovery Tour: Ancient Greece – Akropolis Sanctuary: "Athena Promachos"
- ↑ Assassin's Creed: Odyssey
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Assassin's Creed: Odyssey – Attika: Statue of Athena
- ↑ Assassin's Creed: Odyssey – Prince of Persia
- ↑ Assassin's Creed: Odyssey – Creating Opportunity
- ↑ πρόμᾰχος on Wiktionary