2020 IB Extended Essays

12

Fragment of Athena at ‘The Altar of Zeus and Athena at Pergamon’ by Eumenes II (197-

159BCE)

Figure 9: Athena’s fragment of frieze along ‘The Altar of Zeus and Athena at Pergamon’ by Eumenes II (197-159 BCE). Reconstructed, Berlin Collection of Classical Antiquities.

Athena, pictured at the centre of this frieze, like Zeus – seems in total control in her

battle with two giants. The two giants depicted in this frieze are Alcyoneus (left) and his

mother (right). The composition of the frieze almost encourages the following of events

in an anti-clockwise direction, reinforced by the circularity nature of her shield.

Beginning with Athena herself, attention is drawn down from her faceless head, along

her arm, to the grasp on Alcyoneus’s hair. Following his body and down his leg we are

met with Alcyoneus’s mother who struggles and looks on to her disempowered son,

unable to help. Going up from her body and arm, we are met once again with Athena, up

along the left side of her body and through her arm we reach Nike . Depicted here as

‘crowning Athena’ amidst the fight. Following Nike’s arm, we are led back to Athena’s

head, where the cycle begins anew.