company of aged men bearing branches of the sacred olive.

The peplos was not borne by hands, but was suspended from the mast of a
ship, upon wheels, which some writers say was moved by machinery placed
underground. When the temple was reached the splendid garment was placed
upon the sacred statue, which was believed to have fallen from heaven.
During the festival of the Panathenaea prisoners were permitted to enjoy
their freedom, men whose services to the public merited recognition
received gifts of gold crowns, and their names were announced by heralds
in public places, and many interesting ceremonies filled up the time. We
do not know the exact order in which all these things happened; but it
is believed that the procession of the peplos was the crowning glory of
it all, and was celebrated on the final day.

The plan of the Parthenon frieze which represented this great procession
was as follows: On the eastern side above the main entrance to the
temple there were two groups of the most important and powerful of the
many gods of the Greek religion. Each of these groups had six gods and
an attendant, so that there were seven figures in each of these groups,
as you will see by the illustration (Fig. 27).

[Illustration: FIG. 27.]

There has been much study of these sculptures, and many scholars have
written about them. There is still a difference of opinion as to which
gods are here represented, but I shall give you the most generally
accepted opinion, which calls _a_, Hermes, or Mercury, the messenger of
the gods; _b_, Apollo; _c_, Artemis, or Diana; _d_, Ares, or Mars; _e_,
Iris, who is attending upon _f_, Hera, or Juno; _g_, Zeus, or Jupiter;
h__, Athena, Minerva, or Pallas; _i_, Hephaestus, or Vulcan; _j_,
Poseidon, or Neptune; _k_, Dionysus, or Bacchus; _l_, _m_, _n_ are more
doubtful, but are probably Aphrodite, or Venus, Demeter, or Ceres, and
Triptolemus, the boy who was a favorite with Ceres, who invented the
plough and first sowed corn.

Now, these two groups of divinities were divided by a very singular
group containing five figures (Fig. 28).

There has been much controversy as to these figures and what they are
doing. They seem to be unconscious of the great gods who are near to
them on either side. The greater number of critics consider that the two
maidens, _e_ and _d_, are of the number who have embroidered the
peplos; the central figure, _c_, a priestess of Athena; _a_, the Archon
Basileus; and _b