What mythological battle is depicted on the south metopes of the Parthenon?

The south metopes of the Parthenon depict the Centauromachy, the mythological battle between the Lapiths and the Centaurs. The best-known version occurs at the wedding feast of the Lapith king Pirithous and Hippodamia.

According to the myth, the Centaurs became drunk during the celebration and attempted to carry off the bride and other women. The Lapiths resisted, and the quarrel erupted into a violent battle. Theseus, the Athenian hero and close ally of Pirithous, was traditionally present and helped the Lapiths.

The subject contrasts civilized order with uncontrolled violence and is part of the Parthenon’s broader visual language. The east metopes represented the Gigantomachy, the west likely showed the Amazonomachy, and the north was associated with the sack of Troy. The south series is especially important because many surviving scenes clearly show Lapiths fighting Centaurs, although several central metopes remain debated or survive only in seventeenth-century drawings.