A Reappraisal of the Athena Promachos Accounts from the Acropolis (IG I3 435)

Abstract:We present here a new edition of IG I3 435, an Athenian inscription of the 5th century B.C. traditionally identified as the accounts recording the creation of the great bronze statue of Athena Promachos on the Acropolis, a work of Pheidias. We provide a revised text, translation, notes on readings, and commentary, together with a discussion of the physical reconstruction of the original stele, the arrangement of the fragments, the date of the inscription, and the duration and estimated cost of the project. A review of the literary, epigraphical, and archaeological evidence for the statue of Athena Promachos suggests that the arguments for associating IG I3 435 with this statue are not persuasive and that another identification must be sought.