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The Temple of Athena Nike

The Temple of Athena Nike[1] (Greek: Ναός Αθηνάς Νίκης) is the tetrastyle amphiprostyle Ionic Greek temple that stands on the southeast edge of the acropolis plateau above the steep bastion adjacent to the Propylaia. Dedicated to Athena in her aspect as bringer of victories[2][3], it was built circa 426-421 BCE. The Classical temple, designed by architect Kallikrates, is the successor of earlier shrines on the site also dedicated to Athena Nike. In 1686 the Ottoman power in Athens demolished the temple in order to use its marbles to fortify the Propylaia to counter the attacks of the Venetians under Morosini. The temple underwent its first anastolysis by Ross, Hansen and Schaubert in 1835-1836.[4] A second reconstruction, under N. Balanos begun in 1935, corrected the errors of the original work and saved the monument from potential collapse[5].

History

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Niche at the foot of the Nike bastion, cyclopean Mycenean masonry visible within[6].

During the dismantling of the classical ashlar wall of the bastion by Balanos it was revealed for the first time that the core was a massive Mycenaean bastion of Cyclopean masonry which, together with the gate and the Pelasgic wall, had been built to fortify the entrance to the Acropolis. Subsequent development on this bastion crown can be delineated into four stages. Stage I represents the first post-Mycenaean construction on the promontory when a poros altar and base were installed,[7] along with a stone base for what would have been the cult statue of Athena, and, most significantly, the fragment of a second poros altar with an inscription. This inscription, which reads “Altar of Athena Nike, Erected by Patrokles”, and is dated to circa 566 BCE,[8] shows that a cult of Athena Nike had been established on the site by the mid-sixth century. Immediately below the statue base was a repository of terracotta figurines which have not been preserved[9]. Stage II, suggested by a photograph of an excavation trench, may have been the levelling of the bastion crown to the height of the euthynteria of the naiskos in the proceeding stage. There is no evidence of building during this phase of the sanctuary, which corresponds with the Persian sack of Athens and its aftermath[10].

The development of the site did not resume until the mid-fifth century when a π-shaped naiskos was built. This building was walled on three sides, open to the east, made of poros stone and measured 3.12 x 2.47 m.[11]. Five blocks of its euthynteria were found in situ. The naïskos had 2 altars connected to it, a rectangular altar on an axis to the east, and a possible square altar toward the northern edge of the bastion[12]. The date of this phase is between 465 and 435 BCE[13]

The final phase of construction, designated IV, saw the sheathing of the bastion with ashlar blocks of Piraeus limestone that is visible today. This covered the cyclopean masonry of the Mycenaean period but purposefully left two apertures through which the original structure can be glimpsed: the double niche at the foot of the bastion and a polygonal hole on the north face. The wall was decorated with the shields of defeated Spartans in the late 5th century[14]. The level of the bastion was raised to meet the southwest wing of the Propylaia, which itself was curtailed to accommodate the new marble Ionic temple. The stage III square altar was replaced with a marble one and a parapet was erected around the edge of the sanctuary. The form of the temple, amphiprostyle, is unusual; the only other Attic example is that of the Temple at Ilissos[15]. This latter building of c. 435-430 is similar enough to the Nike temple to raise the question of whether it was either an influence on the later building or by the same architect[16]. The stylistic dating of the Nike sculptures and the Atiic capitals and the acropolis temple's relationship to the Ilissos temple make up the argument for a later completion date of c. 420-418.

 
Propylaea, Athens, 30 May 1838, James Skene.

The later history of the temple was one of reuse, destruction and eventual reconstruction. The Nike Temple was adapted into a powder magazine with the installation of cannons on the Akropolis in the 16th century[17]. Jacob Spon and George Wheler were the only early travellers to have seen this stage of the Nike Temple when it was still relatively intact. The temple was later destroyed during the attack by the Venetians in 1687 and overbuilt with a major battery. Work on the site yielded major archaeological discoveries including the π-shaped naiskos, the terracotta depository and the 6th c inscribed altar stone[18].

The third and final anastylosis took place between 2000 and 2010, which saw the complete dismantling and rebuilding of the temple, strengthening of the cella foundation and a resolution of the damage caused by previous restoration work[19]

Dating controversy

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Temple of Athena Nike Decree, IG I3 35, EM 8116

In 1897 a stele was discovered on the north slope of the Acropolis detailing the appointment of a priestess to the cult of Athena Nike and commissioning the building of a temple designed by Kallikrates.[20] An initial consensus formed around the dating of this decree to the early 440s, implying that the inception of the building was during the Periclean Building Programme but that actual construction was delayed until the 420s.[21] The date of the inscription was so early partly due to the epigraphic form of the sigma; this was composed of three bars, then understood to be not used after 446, rather than the later four-bar form. H.B Mattingly questioned this orthodoxy in a series of papers. In particular, he pointed to the application of photogrammetry to the Egesta-Athens Treaty, which was more securely dated to 418/7, which revealed that the use of the three-bar sigma persisted late into the century.[22] This allowed for a revision of the date of the Athena Nike Decree to the 420s, though this has by no means been widely accepted. The dating of the decree is further complicated by the presence of a 'delayed rider' on the back of the stele detailing the conditions of payment to the priestess. Mattingly notes that this form of amendment is similar to that of the Chalkis Decree[23] and that the dates of both decrees could therefore be roughly similar.[24] Stephen Tracey's demonstration that IG I3 35/36 was inscribed by the same sculptor as the Promachos accounts, IG I3 435, makes a substantial case for the traditional dating of the decree[25].

If the decree dates to the 440s then it might be the case that Kallikrates was only responsible for phase III of the Nike shrine and not the later classical temple that exists today. His authorship of the final temple could be asserted more confidently if the Nike decree can be ascribed to the 420s.[26] Furthermore, a later date of inception would place the building in the historical context of the period between the Peace of Kallias and the revolt on Lesbos.[27]

Architecture

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Temple of Athena Nike topological map, from Die Ausgrabung der Akropolis, vom jahre 1885 bis zum jahre 1890 von P. Cavvadias und G. Kawerau, 1908.
 
Temple of Nike (Athena), Acropolis. Brooklyn Museum Archives, Goodyear Archival Collection, c.1894.

The evolution of the Ionic capital can be traced in the treatment of the fillets and the corner palmettes which on the Nike capitals are of the flame type[28].

Sculpture

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Scene of the Battle of Plataea, from the south frieze of the Temple of Athena Nike, British Museum, BM 422.
 
Stele of the accounts of the Parthenon treasury: Sacred olive tree flanked by Athena and an allegory of the people. Athens Acropolis. 409-405 BC. Louvre Ma 831.
 
The 'sandal-binder' from the Nike balustrade which shows a Nike fixing her sandal. Acropolis Museum, Akr. Mus. 973.

The orientation of the temple is set up so that the East Frieze sits above the entrance of the temple on the porch side. The north frieze is poorly conserved, but perhaps depicts a battle between Greeks entailing cavalry[29]. The south frieze showed the decisive victory over the Persians at the battle of Plataea[30]. The east frieze showed an assembly of the gods Athena, Zeus and Poseidon, rendering Athenian religious beliefs and reverence for the gods bound up in the social and political climate of 5th Century Athens[31]. The west frieze has a good amount of the original sculpting preserved. Similar to the east frieze it is most likely telling the story of a battle, or more specifically a victory. There are multiple corpses depicted (more than any of the other three friezes) and imagery of one about to be killed with some figures wearing helmets[32]. Pemberton argues that the battle is that of Marathon depicted for propaganda purposes[33].

Of particular note is the so-called Sandal-binder, a Nike balancing on one foot while adjusting (or removing) her sandal[34]. Its precarious balancing of masses and freedom of treatment of the drapery folds make it a paradigmatic example of the Rich Style and justly regarded as a masterpiece[35].

The main body of the central statue that made up the akroteria was composed of bronze, not marble. There is evidence of gold foiling and gold wiring through the main bronze core. Researchers have hypothesized about the form of the statue, but there is no trace of the original sculpture to indicate what the central akroteria really looked like. The same can be said for the statues that would make up the east and west akroteria. Both were made of bronze and it is impossible to know what the figures could have been. Theories around the figure of the central statue include the winged horse Pegasus or the monster Chimera[36]. However, these theories may be unlikely as the proportions of these animals’ bodies would not match where their feet would be placed in the akroteria's base block[37]. Alternative theories of the arkoteria sculpture include: a bronze tripod, a trophy, and an alighting Nike[38].

Scholarship and conservation

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Painting of the Temple of Athena Nike, by Carl Werner, 1877

Notes

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  1. ^ The earliest reference to the temple is in Pausanias 1.22.4-5 where he refers to the 'Temple of Apteros'. He further elaborates in 3.15.7 "The idea the Lacedaemonians express by this image (Enyalius in fetters) is the same as the Athenians express by their Wingless Victory; the former think that Enyalius will never run away from them, being bound in the fetters, while the Athenians think that Victory, having no wings, will always remain where she is."
  2. ^ The epithet Athena Nike appears to have originated in the mid-sixth century and to have been associated more with victory in the games rather than war. The personification of Nike as a separate entity was later. See Robert Parker, Athenian Religion: A History, Oxford, 1997, p.90.
  3. ^ Other cults are known to have existed on the bastion: the shrine of the Graces (Pausanias I, 22, 8 and IX, 35, 7; Schol. Aristophanes, Clouds 773) and the shrine of Artemis Epipyrgidia (Pausanias II, 30, 2).
  4. ^ Ross, L., Schaubert, E., Hansen, C. 1839. Die Akropolis von Athen nach den neuesten Ausgrabungen, I, Der Tempel der Nike Apteros. Berlin.
  5. ^ J. Travlos, Pictorial Dictionary of Ancient Athens, Thames and Hudson, 1971, p.148
  6. ^ Two niches on the west side of the later tower of Victory have been identified by research with the sanctuary of the chthonic cult of Aegeus, who according to tradition committed suicide by falling from this point. Pausanias heroon of Aigeus Lolling p.88.
  7. ^ Which G. Welter had discovered in a preliminary excavation in 1923.
  8. ^ Welter, 10­12; Raubitschek, DAA 329.
  9. ^ Oikonomos interpreted these as belonging to an eschara or ground altar of the first cult at the site, Oikonomos, 1948, p.105.
  10. ^ Mark, 1993, p.128
  11. ^ Lembidaki, E. 2007. “On the occasion of the new restoration of the temple of Athena Nike. Looking back at the history of the cult statue of Athena Nike”. ARN 7. p.24.
  12. ^ Mark, 1993, pp.53-56
  13. ^ Mark, 1993, pp.58-67. Whether the archaic cult statue survived the sack to be installed in the early classical naiskos and later temple remains an open question, see Mark, 1993, pp.123-125, who argues that it did.
  14. ^ M. Scott, Viewing Sparta through Athenian engagement with Art and Architecture, in P. Cartledge, A. Powell (2018) The Greek Superpower: Sparta in the Self-Definitions of Athenians, Classical Press of Wales, p.94.
  15. ^ Or Temple of Artemis Agrotera, now lost, the building is recorded in Stuart, Revett, The Antiquities of Athens, 1764.
  16. ^ T.L. Shear Jr., Trophies of Victory, Princeton, 2016, p.336.
  17. ^ Mark, 1993, p.9
  18. ^ Balanos,N. (1956), "H νέα aναστήλωσις του ναού της Αθηνάς Νίκης" (1935-1939), Αρχαιολογική Εφηµερίς, 1937, Part 3, pp. 776-807. Orlandos, (1947-1948), "Nouvelles observations sur la construction du temple d'Athena Nike," BCH 71-72, pp. 1-38.
  19. ^ Giraud, D. 1994. "Study for the restoration of the temple of Athena Nike", Volumes 1a and 1b. Athens. Giraud, D. 2003. “The restoration project of the temple of Athena Nike”. RAA. pp. 134-137. Michalopoulou, D. 2004. “Technical issues and constructions in the restoration of the temple of Athena Nike”. ARN 4. pp. 18-20. Bouras, C. 2002. “The work of the Acropolis Restoration Service during the year 2001”. ARN 2. pp. 12-19.
  20. ^ IG I3 35. [1]. See R. Meiggs, D. Lewis, A Selection of Greek Historical Inscriptions, Oxford, 1969, pp.107-111. Also J. Blok, The priestess of Athena Nike A new reading of IG I3 35 and 36, Kernos, 27, 2014.
  21. ^ D.W.J Gill, The Decision to Build the Temple of Athena Nike (IG I3 35), Historia: Zeitschrift für Alte Geschichte, Bd. 50, H. 3, 2001, pp.257-278, n.1 lists reference to the orthodox dating convention.
  22. ^ See H.B. Mattingly, The Athenian Empire Restored, Michigan, 1996, pp.1-5
  23. ^ IG I3 40
  24. ^ Mattingly proposes a date of 424/3 for the Chalkis Decree. Mattingly, The Athenian Empire Restored, p.465
  25. ^ S. Tracey, Studies Presented to Sterling Dow, K.J. Rigsky (ed), 1985, pp.277-282. See also H.B. Mattingly, The Athena Nike dossier: IG I 35/36 and 64 A–B, The Classical Quarterly, 50:2, 2000, pp.604-606 for Mattingly's answer.
  26. ^ Hurwit, 1999, p.161
  27. ^ Mattingly aer, pp.113-114. This might bring into question whether the Temple frieze is making reference to the war with Persia, see R. Meiggs, "The Dating of Fifth-centuryAttic Inscriptions", JHS 86 (1966) 86-98.
  28. ^ Mark, 1993, p.83.
  29. ^ F. Felten 1984, 126
  30. ^ A. Furtwangler, Meisterwerke der griechischen Plastik: Kunstgeschichtliche Untersuchungen, Leipzig, 1893, p.214. Or Marathon, E. B. Harrison, The South Frieze of the Nike Temple and the Marathon Painting in the Painted Stoa, AJA, 76, 1972:4, pp.353-378. Hölscher 1973, 91–98, argues for a generic battle between Greeks and Persians.
  31. ^ K. Jeppesen suggests that the gods are grouped by their pro- or anti-Trojan sentiments, "Bild und Mythus an dem Parthenon", ActaA 35, 1963. Pemberton, 1972 repudiates this.
  32. ^ O. Palagia, Interpretations of Two Athenian Friezes, in Barringer, Hurwit (eds.), Periklean Athens and its Legacy, Texas, 2005, pp.184-189.
  33. ^ Pemberton, E.G.(1972), The East and West Friezes of the Temple of Athena Nike, American Journal of Archaeology, 76:3, pp.303–310.
  34. ^ Young, 2015, pp.2-9.
  35. ^ William A. P. Childs, Greek Art and Aesthetics in the Fourth Century B.C., Princeton, 2018, p.105.
  36. ^ Stewart, AF. (1985). "History, Myth, and Allegory in the Program of the Temple of Athena Nike, Athens". Studies in the History of Art. 16: 53–73.
  37. ^ Schultz, Peter. “The Akroteria of the Temple of Athena Nike.” Hesperia: The Journal of the American School of Classical Studies at Athens 70, no. 1 (2001): 1–47
  38. ^ Scultz, 2002.

Bibliography

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  • Balanos, N. (1956). "Η νεα αναστηλωσις του ναου της Αθηνας Νικης (1935-1939)". Arch. Ephm. Part.3: 776–807.
  • Blok, J. (2014). "The priestess of Athena Nike. A new reading of IG I3 35 and 36". Kernos. 27: 99–126. doi:10.4000/kernos.2274.
  • Gill, D.W.J. (2001). "The Decision to Build the Temple of Athena Nike ("IG" I3 35)". Historia: Zeitschrift für Alte Geschichte. 50 (3): 257–78. JSTOR 4436618.
  • Hurwit, Jeffrey M. (1999). The Athenian Acropolis: history, mythology, and archaeology from the Neolithic era to the present. Cambridge.
  • Korres, M. (2000). "Athenian Classical Architecture". In Bouras, K (ed.). Athens : from the Classical period to the present day.
  • Mark, I.S. (1993). "The sanctuary of Athena Nike in Athens: Architectural stages and chronology". Hesperia Supplements Vol. 26. 26. doi:10.2307/1354000. JSTOR 1354000.
  • Orlandos, A.K. (1915). "Zum Tempel der Athena Nike". Ath mit (40): 27–44.
  • Palagia, O. (2005). "Interpretations of Two Athenian Friezes: The Temple on the Ilissos and the Temple of Athena Nike". In Barringer, J.M. (ed.). Periklean Athens and Its Legacy. Texas.
  • Rhodes, Robin Francis (1995). Architecture and Meaning on the Athenian Acropolis. Cambridge.
  • Shear Jr., T. Leslie (2016). Trophies of Victory: Public Building in Periklean Athens. Princeton.
  • Stewart, A.F. (1985). "History, Myth, and Allegory in the Program of the Temple of Athena Nike". Studies in the History of Art. 16: 53–73. JSTOR 42617835.
  • Young, Y. (2015). "Loosening, Or Adjusting Her Sandal?: On Nike From The Parapet Of The Athena Nike Temple". Notes in the History of Art. 34: 2–9. doi:10.1086/686280. S2CID 190844675.

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Category:5th-century BC religious buildings and structures Category:Temples in ancient Athens Category:Ancient Greek buildings and structures in Athens Category:Acropolis of Athens Nike

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