Athena Promachos: Dominated Athenian Lives Poem by Terence George Craddock

Athena did she give her name
to the city state Athenians
did she dominate their lives?

as Athena Promachos
meaning Athena who fights
in the front line the most
honoured prestigious place in battles
place of the bravest most skilled
she stood over the Athenians
as the great bronze Athena
a colossal bronze statue 30 feet 9.1 m tall

sculpted by Pheidias
a giant bronze statute
which stood between
the Propylaea and Parthenon
on the Acropolis of Athens
the Athena Promachos

took near 9 years to construct
a famous Athenian landmark
for almost a thousand years
the top of Athena's helmet
the tip of her spear could
be seen from far away by sailors
anyone approaching Athens
from Attica at Sounion

the Athena Promachos
was erected around
456 BCE to memorialize
the Battle of Marathon
or the Persian Wars
trophies won in the Persian

War were once placed
around the pedestal
of bronze Athena statue

Athena goddess
of war wisdom
and handcrafts
a three fold mystery
had three statues
sculptured by Pheidias
on the Acropolis
a huge 11.5 metre high gold
and ivory chryselephantine

statue cult image of Athena Parthenos
in the Parthenon and the Lemnian Athena
were the three Athena Acropolis statues

the most important festival
on the Athenian calendar
the main festival in Athens
was the Panathenaia celebrated
during the month of Hekatombaion
in midsummer a multi-day ancient
Greek festival held annually in Athens
that concluded on 28 Hekatombaion

the first month of the Attic calendar
the main purpose of the festival
was for Athenians and non-Athenians
to celebrate powerful goddess Athena
who could doubt Athena ranked first
in Athena's honour the Parthenon was built


Terence George Craddock (Afterglows Echoes Of Starlight)
Copyright © Terence George Craddock