The “metopes” were the rectangular slabs that adorned the outside of Doric temples, just above the exterior colonnade. The Parthenon was the only ancient Greek temple to feature sculpted reliefs on all ninety-two of its metopes.

The Parthenon’s metopes were carved between 445 and 440 BC – the first architectural members bearing sculpted decoration to be installed on the building. As they were carved by various craftsmen, they differ slightly in their style. 

Each metope depicts a self-contained mythical scene, usually involving two figures. The metopes on each side of the temple, however, portrayed a different mythical story. On the east side was the Gigantomachy – the battle between the Olympian gods and the Giants; on the west, the Amazonomachy – the battle between the Athenians and the Amazons; on the south, the Centauromachy – the battle between the Lapiths and the Centaurs; and on the north, the defeat of the city of Troy by the Greeks. These mythical conflicts won by Greeks were displayed as allusions to the Greeks’ recent real-life victories over the Persians.