Helios Rising: The Sun, the Moon, and the Sea in the Sculptures of the Parthenon

The figure of Helios driving his chariot into the heavens in the south angle of the east pediment of the Parthenon is underappreciated. After brief reviews of the role of the god in myth, religion, and culture, and of his appearance in Attic vase painting, the article surveys the four (possibly five) Helioi in the Parthenon’s sculptural program. The focus is on the pedimental figure, whose rising marks the dawn of the day of Athena’s birth and who is shown emerging from the sea in a rare and remarkable classical fusion of figure and nature that has not received the attention it deserves.