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Neil Mullings
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Golden Age of Athens Paper #1
What Purpose Does the Birth of Pandora Serves on the Statue of Athena Parthenos?
The monumental statue of Athena Parthenos created by sculptor Phedies, is a topic of scholarly debate due to the content Pheidies decided to use on the base. As the statue stood tall in the Parthenon it provided a glorious scene. At eye level to its audience on the frieze of the base is depicted the birth of Pandora. Though there is somewhat a connecKon between both Pandora and Athena, the purpose of the frieze has not been figured out and is sKll debated. This debate has lead to various opinions of why the birth of Pandora was used on the base of this specific statue and what is its purpose to the Athenian. Many scholars believe that the content of the statue serves only a poliKcal purpose while others may believe that content could also represent various things such as gender in the Athenian society or even sexuality. To beNer understand the possible purpose of the frieze, one must beNer understand the role that both Athena and Pandora played in the Athenian society. In ancient Greece culture and mythology, Pandora is argued to be the first woman created. In their arKcle, “The creaKon of Pandora”, Mark Morford and Robert Lenardon explain the Greek myth of how and why Pandora was created. The arKcle explains that Zeus ordered Pandora’s creaKon to punish man. The arKcle informs the readers that out of anger and retaliaKon towards Prometheus for the theW of fire, Zeus commanded the creaKon of Pandora as pay back to men for receiving fire. The arKcle highlight the different contribuKons various 1
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gods and goddess’ made in the creaKon of Pandora, and highlights that Athena clothes her and taught her the art of weaving. Although Pandora was created to punish man, the Gods portrayed Pandora as a giW to men, a decepKve giW. GiW giving played a huge part in the Athenian culture as they believed that it was what connected people in terms of friendship and social bonds. Sue Blundel illustrates in her arKcle “From Women in Ancient Greece” the connecKon between giW giving in the Athenian society and the giW of Pandora from the Gods. Blundel points out the work of sociologist Mouss who believed that “because of the obligaKon to repay which is created, a giW can be means which the giver gains power over the receiver.” The myth of Pandora depicts the story of giW giving and giW taking between the Gods and men, which ended with the giW of Pandora. This was said to have leW man indebted or subordinate to the Gods. Blundel states that through Pandora’s myth we are presented “with a complex but logical sequence of decepKve giW, giW withheld, theW, and decepKve counter-­‐
giWs.” Though women are believed to bring only trouble, the giW of Pandora is essenKal to men as they must accept it and its troubles to reproduce. This leaves room for the myth associated with the giW of Pandora to be accepted as a curse or blessing from the Gods. According to the informaKon provided by Bludel, one may conclude that the frieze may serve a purpose of informing or even reminding the polis of the relaKonship between God and man, giW giving and taking. Unlike modern day religion, the Athenians did not believe in serving their Gods but believed their relaKonship with Gods and Goddess’ were based on a system of giving and receiving. 2
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In the arKcle “BeauKful evil”, Jeffrey Hurwit goes into details about both Athena and Pandora in an aNempt to figure out the purpose of the frieze that illustrates Pandora’s creaKon and make a connecKon to the statue of Athena Parthenos. The first thing that is notable in Hurwit’s arKcle was the connecKon he made between the story of Pandora’s creaKon and the gender roles of the Athenian society. One thing that is evident throughout this period is that women had liNle rights as they were not part of the democracy, which Huwit highlights by saying “Though the women of Athens were the mothers, daughter, and sisters of ciKzens, they were not ciKzens themselves. As the mythology of Athens is always connected to their ideology, the myth of Pandora’s creaKon can be as a jusKficaKon to the treatment of women in the Athenian society. Huwit also points out that the Athenian society is one that emphasizes patriarchy, and points out that both myths concerning the creaKon of Pandora and Athena adds further emphasis on patriarchy. Both Pandora and Athena according to myths had extraordinary births that involved a mother giving child birth. Huwits points out that these myths “reduces, even renounces, the natural role of women, and so elevates masculine.” The Athenian society believed that women were just mere vessels for carrying children, and that they had no affect on the children in terms of geneKcs. This belief was important to the Athenian ideology as Athenian men proudly saw themselves as a total different race from women and all others who occupied Greece.
Huwit highlights that if one purpose of the frieze and Acropolis was to address gender in the Athenian society, it also can be said to serve a purpose in terms of autochthony. In the shield of Athena Parthenos is the figure of Erechtheus/Erichthonios, who Huwit menKons 3
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serves as a paradigm for autochthony. Erichtheus was said to be spontaneously generated from the earth as the virgin Athena wiped off the sperm of Hephaistsos and threw it to the ground. Similar to Erichtheus extraordinary birth, the first kings of Athens were also said to be created from the earth which directly Ked the Athenians to the land they lived on. The Athenians pride themselves on being autochthonous as there mythology leads them to believe that they were created from the earth and were the only true Greeks, while all others were mere immigrants to the land of Greece. The purpose of the frieze can possibly be explained by the similariKes and contrasts of both Athena and Pandora. As stated by Huwit “the fiWh-­‐century Athenian saw or constructed in terms of polariKes and opposiKon.” This is evident in the art of the Parthenon, as images and sculptors illustrate the baNle of Lapiths and centaurs, and also Theseus’s victory over the Amazons. These images are believed to be portraying the fight between civilized humanity and animalisKc behaviors, the victory of patriarchy over matriarchy, and also the victory of civilizaKon over barbarity. As pointed out by Huwit these contrasts can help explain why Phedius may have decided to place Pandora the “first mortal woman and mother” at the base of Athena Parthenos, a “motherless virgin goddess”. Huwit concludes that due to the contrasts that exist between Athena Parthenos and Pandora the statue and frieze serve a purpose of illustraKng fricKon and dissonance, the fricKon between patriarchy and matriarchy, women and goddess, and creator and created. In the arKcle Huwit states that the statues represent the “existence of evil and possibility of catastrophe even in a patrioKc, ever victorious, and patriarchic paradise such as the one the Acropolis and Parthenon otherwise presents.” 4
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The opinions provided in the source are all relevant due to the connecKons they have made with the Athenian society and the possible purpose of the Athena Parthenos. The point Blundel made about giW giving is highly relevant as Pandora is argued to mean “all giWs”. The meaning of Pandora is sKll debated by some which makes it even harder to analyze the frieze’s connecKon to Athena Parthenos. Blundel highlights that a reason Pandora (“allgiWs”) received such a name is because “she is presented as a giW by the gods.” While it is not clear if the giW of Pandora was a hidden blessing or outright curse, it is clear in the mythology that Pandora was given to men by Gods. One conclusion I made based on the sources and specifically what Blundel highlights, is that the frieze could serve as a reminder of the capabiliKes of the Gods and their mythological connecKons. As Athena is credited for dressing Pandora and teaching her skills, the connecKon between them is very visible in their mythology. The connecKon and relaKonship between Athena and Pandora is highly relevant to the Athenian society as Athena is the Goddess of Athens. Athena’s involvement in the creaKon of Pandora can be seen as a direct link to humans and Athena.
Another conclusion I arrived at, is that the purpose of the frieze is to address gender issues in the Athenian society. The Pandora myth reveals the aftude towards women in the Athenian society. The myth states that all the decepKve qualiKes of women are factors of Zeus’ revenge on men. As shown by Mark Morford and Robert Lenardon, like Eve, Pandora is created aWer men and is responsible for his troubles. It is evident that women had no equality to men in the Athenian society and that the myth of Pandora was used to jusKfy men’s beliefs about women. 5
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The contrast between Athena and Pandora in the Parthenon could be an aNempt to highlight the difference between man and God, woman and goddess. I believe that the frieze could have possibly been used to further jusKfy the gender role of Athenian society. I found it hard to believe that Athenian men walked around full of pride due to the myths, while women did not at least appreciate that their patron God who is indeed a Goddess. In my eyes, Athena could have been more appreciated by women than men, as women had less connecKon to the mythology and heroes of Athens. With the gender role and percepKons highly important to Athenians, I would not find it highly surprising if the frieze was created for poliKcal reasons. As Athena Parthenos stands glorious and tall, represenKng a respected female goddess, the base points out the curse of women; illustraKng a clear difference between women and Goddesses. The frieze leaves no room for women to interpret or believe that there is a connecKon between female women and female Goddess’. The image of the birth of Pandora can be said to emphasize the autochthony of Athenian men as Pandora and women enKrely are a different race. We also see imagery of autochthony in the statue of Athena Parhtenos as erichtheus is depicted in the shield Athena is holding. Like most art in the Parthenon and Athens overalls, the Athena Parthenos appeals to Athenian Pride. It is very hard to deny any opinion of what purpose the frieze serves as all make relevant points and connecKons. It is possible that all opinions are valid, and each possible purpose is added to convey one main message. It is even possible that Pheidies may have used this to sKmulate the intellectuals of the society and those who view the statue. I am leaning towards the conclusion that the purpose of the frieze was to highlight the difference between Athena 6
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and Pandora, to illustrate what women mean to men and the Athenian society as a whole. Like most of the art in and around the Parthenon, the Athena Pathenos illustrates scenes of contrast or baNles of some sort. The birth of Pandora jusKfies the treatment of women in the Athenian society. I believe that the statue illustrates a contrast between masculine, virgin Athena and the feminine, highly sexual Pandora; the contrast between good and bad. Works Cited
Blunden, Sue. "From Women If Ancient Greece.". Harvard UP. Web. 14 Feb. 2012. Hurwit, Jeffrey. "BeauKful Evil: Pandora and Athena Parthenos." American Journal of Archaeology 99.2 (1995): 171-­‐86. Jstor. Web. 02 Sept. 11.
Morford, Mark Percy Owen., and Robert J. Lenardon. "The CreaKon of Pandpra." Classical Mythology. New York: Oxford UP, 2007. 58-­‐61. Print.
Nagy, Joseph. "The DecepKve GiWs in Greek Mythology." Arethusa 14.2 (1981): 191-­‐204. Print.
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PolliN, J. J., and J. J. PolliN. "Sculptor: The High Classical Period." The Art of Ancient Greece: Sources and Documents. Cambridge [England: Cambridge UP, 1995. 53-­‐63. Print.
Stewart, Andrew. "The Parthenos." Greek Sculpture: An Explora@on. Vol. 1. New Haven, CT: Published with the Assistance of the GeNy Grant Program by Yale UP, 1990. 157-­‐60. Print
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