East frieze of girls in procession
- Audio guide stop: 256
- Gallery: Room 18
- Maker: Pheidias
- Culture: Classical Greek
- Made in: Athens
- Date: 438BC-432BC
- Object type: temple-relief
- Materials: marble
- Museum number: 1816,0610.24
- Museum: The British Museum
- Collection record: British Museum website
- Image © The Trustees of the British Museum, shared under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 licence.
Listen to the free audio guide
About this object
This is a fragment of the East frieze of the Parthenon, titled "The Parthenon Sculptures." Designed by the famous Classical Greek sculptor Pheidias, it dates to between 438 and 432 BC and was created in Athens. The marble relief shows five girls in a procession, dressed in flowing drapery that resembles carved columns. The girl at the front carries an incense stand, while others hold jugs and bowls, likely used in a religious ceremony for Athena. This frieze once formed part of the temple’s grand celebration scene during Athens’ Panathenaic festival.
Some pieces that once belonged here can be found in the Acropolis Museum in Athens, while other fragments remain in the Louvre in Paris. This relief gives a glimpse into the elaborate rituals and artistic style that defined Classical Greek temple decoration.
See it in person
East frieze of girls in procession is on display in Room 18 at the British Museum on Great Russell Street, Bloomsbury, London — free to enter. Choose British Museum on audioguide.london and type its audio guide stop number, 256, from the gallery label, or take a photo of it, to hear this free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
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