The late fifth century BC was the golden age of ancient Athens. Under the leadership of the renowned soldier-statesman Perikles, Athenians began rebuilding the Akropolis, where they created the still awe-inspiring Parthenon. Athenians also reached a zenith of artistic achievement in sculpture, vase painting, and architecture, which provided continuing inspiration for many succeeding generations.

The specially commissioned essays in this volume offer a fresh, innovative panorama of the art, architecture, history, culture, and influence of Periklean Athens. Written by leading experts in the field, the articles cover a wide range of topics, including:

• An evaluation of Perikles' military leadership during the early stages of the Peloponnesian War.


• Iconographical and iconological studies of vase paintings, wall paintings, and sculpture.


• Explorations of the Parthenon and other monuments of the Athenian Akropolis.


• The legacy of Periklean Athens and its influence upon later art.


• Assessments of the modern reception of the Akropolis.

As a whole, this collection of essays proves that even a well-explored field such as Periklean Athens can yield new treasures when mined by perceptive and seasoned investigators.

Judith M. Barringer is Professor of Greek Art and Archaeology at the University of Edinburgh.

Jeffrey M. Hurwit is Professor of Art History and Classics at the University of Oregon.

• Note on Abbreviations
• Jerome Jordan Pollitt: A Bibliography
• Introduction
• Acknowledgments
• 1. Perikles as General (Donald Kagan)
• The Art of Classical and Periklean Athens
  • 2. Bail Oinochoai (John H. Oakley)
  • 3. A Farewell with Arms: Departing Warriors on Athenian Vases (Susan B. Matheson)
  • 4. The Girl in the Pithos: Hesiod's Elpis (Jenifer Neils)
  • 5. The Judgment of Helen in Athenian Art (H. A. Shapiro)
  • 6. Composition and Content on Classical Murals and Vases (John Boardman)
  • 7. The Painting Program in the Stoa Poikile (Mark D. Stansbury-O'Donnell)
  • 8. Feminizing the Barbarian and Barbarizing the Feminine: Amazons, Trojans, and Persians in the Stoa Poikile (David Castriota)
  • 9. Notes of the Subject of the Ilissos Temple Frieze (Randall L. B. McNeill)
  • 10. "Periklean" Cult Images and Their Media (Brunilde Sismondo Ridgway)
  • 11. Athena at Pallene and in the Agora of Athens (Evelyn B. Harrison)
• The Periklean Akropolis
  • 12. The Parthenon and the Temple of Zeus at Olympia (Jeffrey M. Hurwit)
  • 13. The Parthenon Frieze and Perikles' Cavalry of a Thousand (Ian Jenkins)
  • 14. Alkamenes' Prokne and Itys in Context (Judith M. Barringer)
  • 15. Interpretations of Two Athenian Friezes: The Temple on the Ilissos and the Temple of Athena Nike (Olga Palagia)
• The Legacy of Periklean Athens
  • 16. Alpheos to the Orontes: An Unusual Echo of the Pheidian Zeus at the Syrian Port of Seleukia Pieria (Cornelius C. Vermeule III)
  • 17. Kosmetai, the Second Sophistic, and Portraiture in the Second Century (Eve D'Ambra)
  • 18. A Rhetorical Perikles (W. Martin Bloomer)
  • 19. On Some Motives Supposed Present in Self-Portraits in Pheidias and Others (Creighton Gilbert)
  • 20. Early Photography and the Reception of Classical Antiquity: The Case of the Temple of Athena Nike (Peter J. Holliday)
• The Legacy of Jerome J. Pollitt
  • 21. Greek Art and Culture since Art and Experience in Classical Greece (Elizabeth A. Meyer and J. E. Lendon)
• Works Cited
• About the Contributors
• Subject Index