How many metopes decorate the Parthenon?

The Parthenon was decorated with 92 metopes. These square marble panels formed part of the temple’s outer entablature, positioned above the columns of the peristyle, and were carved in unusually high relief for their time.

The panels were arranged on all four sides: 14 on the east, 14 on the west, and 32 each on the north and south. Their mythological battle scenes presented the struggle between order and chaos. Subjects included the Gigantomachy, the Amazonomachy, the Trojan War, and the battle between Lapiths and Centaurs.

The metopes were made from Pentelic marble and were carved during the fifth century BCE, broadly around the period of the temple’s construction. Many were damaged or destroyed after the Parthenon was converted into a Christian church, when pagan imagery was attacked or removed. The 1687 explosion caused further destruction, especially to the northern side.

The number 92 refers to the original set of metope spaces and sculptures, not to the number surviving intact today. Several surviving southern metopes are held in museums, while others remain in Athens or on the building.