Greece: Bassae sculptures (Room 16)
420 – 400 BC
Closed until further notice
Access to the gallery may be arranged by prior appointment with
the Department of Greece and Rome. Please email greekandroman@britishmuseum.org
The Temple of Apollo Epikourios ('Apollo the
Helper') was built high on a rocky ridge of Mount Kotylion at
Bassae in south-west Arcadia, a region of the Greek Peloponnese.
The Greek historian Pausanias wrote, in the second century AD, that
the name 'Helper' was given to Apollo by citizens of nearby
Phigaleia, as thanks for their deliverance from the plague of
429-427 BC. He also wrote that the temple was designed by Iktinos,
one of the architects of the Parthenon.
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Marble block from the frieze of the Temple of Apollo Epikourios about 420-400 BC
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Marble block from the frieze of the Temple of Apollo Epikourios about 420-400 BC
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Extra-large image
Marble block from the frieze of the Temple of Apollo Epikourios about 420-400 BC
More information
Marble block from the frieze of the Temple of Apollo Epikourios about 420-400 BC
The twenty three blocks of the frieze that ran around the
interior of the building show the battle between the Greeks and
Amazons and the Lapiths and Centaurs.
This frieze is displayed on the upper level of Room 16. The
remains of some of the twelve sculptured metopes that decorated the
Doric frieze of the north and south porches can be seen on the
lower level.