| Description: |
Figure 'O', east pediment of the Parthenon. London, British Museum. L. 0.32m. Horse's head, one of a team drawing Selene's chariot over into Ocean. If compared to the horses of Helios' chariot, Selene's horse is exhausted and labouring after its night's work. Its eyes bulge out, the ears are flicked back, the nostrils flare, and the veins stand out on its face. Its mouth hangs open as it gasps for breath. |
| Discussion: |
The east pediment of the Parthenon is very fragmentary, making identifications uncertain, although it is definite that the group shows the birth of Athena. In the centre stood Hera, Zeus and Hephaistos, surrounded by chariot groups and divinities attending the scene. At either side of the pediment, Helios and Selene with their chariots represent the edges of the cosmos over which the gods hold sway, bound by Ocean. See Robertson 1981: 96-7; Stewart 1990: 150-60; 353 (ill.). |
