The Parthenon has long been regarded as one of the great architectural and artistic products of the High Classical Period. Yet, scholars have struggled to reach a consensus interpretation for the meaning of the Parthenon frieze. The study of this particular sculptural element of the Parthenon, a continuous band of sculpture that ran round the top of the building’s temple-chamber, has proven quite difficult.

Today only 423 feet of the original 524 survive, and of those, 247 feet are housed in the British Museum in London. Another large section is now in the Acropolis Museum in Athens, and still other pieces reside in exhibits throughout Europe, making it a difficult task to discuss, let alone experience the unified whole the designers wished the audience to witness.

Denied the opportunity to study the frieze as it existed in antiquity, scholars are faced with the burden of reconstructing the visual experience of the monument before interpreting it. To do so, an inventory is taken of characters and figure-types represented on the frieze and their arrangement. Considering the various fragments of the Parthenon frieze as a whole and comparing it to other Greek artworks, one unique aspect of the arrangement immediately strikes the informed viewer: mortals are depicted for the first time in the history of Greek art, leading some scholars to the conclusion that what is depicted is a specific event that actually took place at a particular time and place.

In the context in which it appears, the word “informed” most nearly means

A. ​assiduous
B. ​artistic
C. ​unique ​
D. erudite ​
E. scientific



Which of the following would be the best title for the above passage? ​

a. The Parthenon Frieze: An Indecipherable Sculptural Mystery ​
B. The Parthenon Frieze and Methods of Artistic Interpretation ​
C. The Parthenon Frieze: Distinctive Stonework ​
D. Mortals in Greek Art ​
E. The Parthenon Frieze: Continuity of Character



According to the passage, each of the following is true about the Parthenon EXCEPT: ​

A. It was constructed in the High Classical Period. ​
B. It has been seen as a great work of art. ​
C. It featured a temple-chamber. ​
D. More than half of its original frieze is housed within the British Museum of London ​
E. It contained a one-of-a-kind sculptural element.