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The Erechtheion: Deciphering the Fragments of the Ionic Frieze

The Erechtheion, the temple dedicated to Athena Polias on the Athenian Acropolis, was an extraordinary structure. The temple was situated on three different levels and had at least six cults worshipped in the complex. Little is known about the interior of the building or the purpose each room served, but the Ionic frieze that would have adorned the temple is the avenue in which this thesis will explore.
The Ionic frieze is believed to be the sole figural decoration on the Erechtheion other than the Porch of the Karyatids, and there is no evidence of pedimental sculpture or statuary akroteria adorning the roof of the building. However, the only extant remains of the frieze are mere fragments of figures and groups of figures. My thesis will explore the possible interpretations of the frieze by first examining the political climate in which the temple and its frieze were created. The myths associated with the gods and heroes included in the sanctuary of the Erechtheion will be considered in my analysis. Lastly, the Erechtheions frieze will be regarded in relationship to other fifth century buildings and sculpture in order to determine the friezes content and context.

Identiferoai:union.ndltd.org:LSU/oai:etd.lsu.edu:etd-04272010-151828
Date28 April 2010
CreatorsSmoke, Shannon Jenae
ContributorsWalsh, Justin, Camerlenghi, Nick, Major, Wilfred
PublisherLSU
Source SetsLouisiana State University
LanguageEnglish
Detected LanguageEnglish
Typetext
Formatapplication/pdf
Sourcehttp://etd.lsu.edu/docs/available/etd-04272010-151828/
Rightsunrestricted, I hereby certify that, if appropriate, I have obtained and attached herein a written permission statement from the owner(s) of each third party copyrighted matter to be included in my thesis, dissertation, or project report, allowing distribution as specified below. I certify that the version I submitted is the same as that approved by my advisory committee. I hereby grant to LSU or its agents the non-exclusive license to archive and make accessible, under the conditions specified below and in appropriate University policies, my thesis, dissertation, or project report in whole or in part in all forms of media, now or hereafter known. I retain all other ownership rights to the copyright of the thesis, dissertation or project report. I also retain the right to use in future works (such as articles or books) all or part of this thesis, dissertation, or project report.

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