It’s crazy to imagine that the Parthenon Athena statue was still standing 800 years ago in the 1200s since the 400s B.C. It almooost reached renaissance time!! I wonder if anyone in the 1200s drew her? There might be actual paintings of how she truly looked somewhere out there!
It's always a thrill to witness the legacy of ancient artists like Phidias, especially when their work has largely been lost to time. The exhibit's immersive approach, including original locations, offers a unique time-travel experience.
I am wondering - never having heard that a ton was gold used in making Ms. Athena Parthenos! Her current metal value would be $65 million dollars. That's my not particularly reliable figuring of today's value of a ton of the stuff. Surely what with gold's qualities, water gilding could offer virtually the same affect - enough to fool most ancient observers at any rate. I can't help being astonished that an image of that size, tying up so much wealth, would have remained unplundered for so very, very long. Many thanks for a fine vid on Phidias!
I recommend John Romer’s “Seven Wonders…” He shows how the Olympian Zeus was taken to Constantinople, and the head was copied for the image of Jesus, in the new Christianity brand. They chose it because it was a famous recognisable face. Nobody really knows what Jesus looked like, so they modelled him on an ancient wonder, designed by the best artisan of all time.
