What is the name of the sculpted band that runs around the Parthenon's cella?

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The sculpted band running around the Parthenon’s cella is the Parthenon frieze.

Unlike the building’s exterior Doric frieze, which uses separate metopes and triglyphs, this continuous sculpted band follows the upper part of the cella walls. It is an Ionic feature incorporated into an otherwise predominantly Doric temple, making the Parthenon’s design unusually hybrid.

The relief was carved in Pentelic marble during the 5th century BC, probably between about 443 and 438 BC. Much of it is interpreted as an idealized Panathenaic procession honoring Athena, although some scholars have proposed mythological readings. The surviving work includes horsemen, chariots, citizens, animals, and divine figures.

The terms in the wrong options are related but different. Triglyphs are grooved blocks in a Doric frieze; metopes are the panels between them; and pediments are the triangular gables at the temple’s ends. The Parthenon frieze is distinguished by its continuous form and location around the cella.

Source: Wikipedia · fact-checked Sept. 2026

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