Athena Parthenos Monument

Athena Parthenos was the monumental chryselephantine (gold-and-ivory) statue of the goddess Athena created by the sculptor Phidias and installed in the Parthenon on the Acropolis of Athens in the mid 5th century BCE. It was one of the principal cult images of classical Athens.

The statue was richly decorated, stood around 11.5 metres tall according to ancient descriptions and contemporary scholarly reconstruction, and combined painted, gilded and ivory surfaces. It played a central role in the religious life of the Acropolis until it was lost in antiquity.

Made under the direction of Phidias during the Periclean building programme, the statue and its setting in the Parthenon symbolised Athens’ civic and religious identity in the classical period. No verified physical remains of the original statue survive.

The original statue stood within the Parthenon on the Acropolis in Athens; the site is in the Attica region and is managed as part of the Acropolis archaeological area and its museums.

• Size and materials: The original chryselephantine statue by the sculptor Phidias from the mid 5th century BCE is commonly estimated at about 11.5 metres in height and was made of gold and ivory.

What to See#

• Parthenon location: The Parthenon on the Acropolis, where the original statue stood in the cella of the temple.

Within Athens: the Acropolis hill is close to the Acropolis metro station (Line 2). The Acropolis Museum and the Parthenon are walkable from the Plaka neighbourhood.

• This is a replica statue (Pheidias' original lost); check museums such as the National Archaeological Museum in Athens for related artifacts.
• If visiting the Acropolis Museum, note the connections between modern reconstructions and ancient descriptions of Athena Parthenos.