South frieze of horsemen
- Audio guide stop: 255
- Gallery: Room 18
- Maker: Pheidias
- Culture: Classical Greek
- Made in: Athens
- Date: 438BC-432BC
- Object type: temple-relief
- Materials: marble
- Museum number: 1816,0610.81
- 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
Before you is "The Parthenon Sculptures," specifically the South frieze of horsemen. This marble relief comes from the Parthenon’s grand South frieze, created in Athens between 438 and 432 BC. It shows a dramatic moment from a procession celebrating the goddess Athena.
Look closely at the action in the scene: a chariot is pulled by four galloping horses, their manes flowing like flames. Inside the chariot, a foot soldier wears a wind-blown cloak and a helmet with a fiery crest. The charioteer, partly visible on the left, uses his body to balance the powerful forward motion of the horses, pulling them to an urgent stop.
The sculpture is remarkable for the energy and realism of its movement, captured in cold marble. The original metal reins are lost, but you can see the drill-holes where they once attached. This block, like the rest of the frieze, was severely damaged when the Parthenon exploded in 1687.
This piece helps us picture the lively, dynamic scenes that once decorated the birthplace of Classical Greek art.
See it in person
South frieze of horsemen 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, 255, 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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