Isabel Melton

Professor Doherty

ART101

October 14, 2020

Athena Attacking the Giants. Artist unknown. White marble.

175-150 BCE
 Athena Attacking the Giants is one of several detailed sections of a marble

frieze located on the altar at Pergamon’s east front, created around 175-150 BCE. The

artist remains unknown, however, the era from which the art was made provides clues

about what the artist’s intent was and what they may have been trying to portray. The

altar itself was created during the Hellenistic period which took place from 200-150 BCE

in Pergamon, which is now modern-day Turkey. The frieze is 7’7” tall and currently

resides in the Berlin State Museum (Staatliche Museen zu Berlin). This analysis will

focus mainly on the individual frieze, but information about the altar as a whole is

necessary for a full analysis.

The relief portrays Athena, also known as Athena gigantoleteria (giant-slayer),

victorious in battle against the giant Alcyoneus (or Alkyoneous), who is being attacked

by the goddesses’ snakes. To the right of the giant is his mother Gaea, who looks on in

distress. Finally, there is the winged Nike, who presents Athena with a crown from

behind as a symbol of victory over the giant. Viewers are only able to see the complete

bodies of Athena and the goddess of victory, Nike. This suggests that they are the

more important characters compared to Alcyoneus and Gaea, whose bodies are both

cut-off at the bottom of the frieze. The giant and his mother are also positioned at the

bottom or near the bottom, whereas Athena and Nike’s bodies are roughly the same

height as the frieze, further demonstrating that they are the protagonists and

highlighting their importance in the narrative.

Due to the piece’s age the relief is no longer complete, as there are several

missing pieces that have chipped off over time. Most prominently are the face of

Athena, and the whole of Nike’s head. There are pieces missing from each character in
the relief, but not enough that scholars were unable to name who is pictured and what is

portrayed. Aside from these chips, the relief is otherwise in decent shape given its age.

Helenistic era sculpture is quite different from the styles of Greek sculpture that

had previously been in style. A notable difference is the portrayal of emotions and the

overall feelings the artwork evoked. Artists began creating sculptures that showed a

wider range of emotions and portrayed subjects other than heroes or those in power. As

we can see in the relief, both Alcyoneus and Gaea’s faces are showing a great deal of

emotion. Although only Gaea’s eyes and forehead remain, we are still able to see that

she is in distress because of the way the artist utilized lighting around the eyebrows.

Both sets of eyebrows are in an upward, slanted position with heavy shadowing

underneath, highlighting the eyelid, creating the drooped appearance. It is likely that the

faces of Athena and Nike would have a similar level of emotion to showcase their pride

in the triumph over enemies.

The way the artist chose to pose the bodies is also characteristic of Hellenistic

era sculpture. There is a wider range of movement compared to more classical

sculpture, where there might be slight indications of movement to portray realism. In the

details of the relief, we can see one of Gaea’s arms reaching up towards Athena’s

robes. Alcyoneus can also be seen grabbing at Athena’s arm while being attacked by

the goddess’ snakes, as if begging for help. The artist incorporated several textures into

the relief, adhering to the Hellenistic realist style of sculpting. The characters’ skin

appears smooth and soft, with light shadowing to illuminate the shape of their muscles.

Although Alcyoneus is the villain in this narrative, the artist still exaggerated his

muscles in possible effort to further dramatize his struggle against Athena. He also
appears to be nude, which could be symbolic of strength and masculinity. However, due

to the nature of the frieze, it could also be symbolic of his vulnerability, as he is losing

the fight.

An interesting aspect of this piece is the variety of textures that are present in the

relief. The characters have smooth, soft skin and heads full of curls. Alcyoneus and

Nike both have wings which add feathers and plumage, and Athena’s snakes which

have scales.

As part of an altar, the frieze was likely created as a way of paying respects to

their deities, in this case, Athena. It shows the mighty strength of the gods and reinstills

belief in their power. The scene also symbolizes the Greek gods’ dominance over

threats and enemies. At the same time, it also represents the strength and power of the

Greeks. The piece draws from Greek mythology, specifically the gigantomachy, or, the

struggle between gods and gigantes. The gigantomachy is a popular part of Greek

mythology where the 12 Olympians enlisted the help of Zeus’ illegitimate child Heracles

to fight a battle against the gigantes. With the help of Heracles, they are able to emerge

victorious.

During the reign of Alexander the Great, the emperor worked to spread

theHellenistic (Greek) influence throughout his conquered territories. Upon the

emperor’s death, each of his four generals inherited parts of his lands. One of the

generals appeared to favor a hilltop space from which the city of Pergamon was built.

Because the Greeks believed in divine worship, making an altar necessary for the new

city. In ancient Pergamon, the altar would likely have been in close proximity to a king’s
palace and a library, placing the altar with other buildings of great importance. However,

altar was never completed due to an invasion by King Prusias in 156 BCE

This piece is very eye-catching, with prominent shadows and display of

emotions. I believe that the artist did an excellent job portraying Athena in battle. She

appears strong and confident, with shield in hand. While we are unable to see the outer

side of Athena’s shield, it is likely that it contains the head of Medusa. The shield, called

Aegis, was a gift to her from the hero Perseus and was often used by Athena in battle.

Aegis was used to instill fear in anyone who looked upon it, adding to Athena’s power.

Those versed in the mythology would be aware of this, and it adds another layer of

meaning and symbolism to the relief.

The artist also paid much attention to how fabrics are positioned in the relief.

Instead of draping down, they move with the characters’ bodies. Body movement might

be easier to portray while characters are nude, but this artist did a fantastic job showing

movement while underneath fabric. The way that Gaea is portrayed and the

exaggerated emotions one can see in her face and the way she reaches upwards leads

one to sympathize with her, as her pain is visible. This attention to detail and display of

emotion is what draws the viewer's attention and is why I am fond of this particular

section of the altar at Pergamon.

Alternative view of Athena Attacking the Giants

Marble, 175-150 BCE

 Sources:

Bauer, Amanda. Archaeologies of the Greek Past, Joukowsky Institute for Archaeology

& the Ancient World,

https://www.brown.edu/Departments/Joukowsky_Institute/courses/greekpast/481

6.html.

Khan Academy Video: https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/art-history/ancient-art-

civilizations/greek-art/hellenistic/v/the-pergamon-altar-c-200-150-b-c-e

Lahanas, Michael. “The Pergamon Zeus Altar and the Gigantomachy.” Hellenica

World, http://www.hellenicaworld.com/Greece/Art/Ancient/en/ZeusAltarE.html.