A Dictionary of Greek and Roman biography and mythology. By various writers. Ed. by William Smith. Illustrated by numerous engravings on wood.

PHEIDIAS. PHEIDIAS. 249
where, speaking of the commencement of the war, from official records, namely the archonship of Pyhe says:- thodorus, or B. C. 432. The death of Pheidias hapInpS(i-a oEv -ydp'p7EV aTqS Etlas'rp &'as cetaKws a pened about the time of the completion of the last
TieTa olIscKAl1s i o8lOsls iu)i rEdayXOs 71r 7 of those great works which he superintended,'Era E (uiet PcSv Be KFlcaL 7OE avXrooa TrpoU7ov, se namely, the Propylaea, which had been commenced
irplv iracev'ri oeLVbo, OaIrS de(eASESE -v -roAivl about the time when he went to Elis, B. c. 437.
rfpca0cElv orL Eijpa Lepo'v Meyapncsd' 1Ei' E roe0 s, It will be useful to give a synopsis of the events
eK 1SAdos 7rv aO(e:roi AV M KOY o K.'rTlo. Aqv, of the life of Pheidias, according to their actual or
VmcEA, IC.rT. A. probable dates.
From this passage we learn, not only that Pheidias 01
suffered some extreme calamity at the hands of the. 3 Battle of Marathon.
Athenians, but that the attack upon him was of 40 7. 1 Pheidias born about this time.
such a nature as to make Pericles tremble for his 468 77. 4 Cimon commences th temple of
own safety, and to hurry the city into war by the Theseus.
passing of the decree against Megara, which decree
464 79. I Pheidias studies under Ageladas,
was made not later than the beginning of B. c. 432.
It is clear that Pericles was at that period ex- probably about this time, having
tremely unpopular with a large party in Athens, previously been instructed 25.
w1ho, thinking him too powerful to be overthrownegias. Ae t 25.
460 80. ] Pheidias begins to flourish about this
by a direct attack, aimed at him in the persons of time. Aet. 29.
his most cherished friends, Pheidias, Anaxagoras, 457 80 3 The general restoration of the temples
and Aspasia. This explanation is precisely that destroyed by the Persians cons
given by Plutarch (Peric. 31), who furnishes us with roenced about this time.
particulars of tile accusation against Pheidias. At
444 84. 1 Sole administration of Periclesthe instigation of the enemies of Pericles, a certain Pheidias overseer of all the pblic
Menon, who had been employed under Pheidias, works. Aet. 44.
laid an information against him for peculation, a 438 85. 3 The Parthenon, with the chryscharge which was at once refuted, as, by the advice el4phantine statue of Athena,
of Pericles, the gold had been affixed to the statue finished and dedicated. Aet. 50.
in such a manner that it could be removed and the 43 85. 4 Pheidias goes to lis.-The Propyweight of it examined (comp. Thuc. ii. 13). The laea commenced.
accusers then charged Pheidias with impiety, in 436 86. 1 Pantarces Olympic victor.
having introduced into the battle of the Amazons, 433 86. 4 The statue of Zeus at Olympia coinon the shield of the goddess, his own likeness and pleted.
that of Pericles, the former as a bald old man*, 432 87. 1 Accusation and death of Pheidias.
hurling a stone with both his hands, and the latter
as a very handsome warrior, fighting with an The disciples of Pheidias were Agoracritus,
Amazon, his face being partially concealed by the Alcamenes, and Colotes (see the articles).
hand which held his uplifted spear, so that the II. His Whomrks.-The subjects of the art of
likeness was only visible on a side view. On this Pheidias were for the most part sacred, and the
latter charge Pheidias was thrown into prison, following list will show how favourite a subject
where he died from disease, or, as the less scrupu- with him was the tutelary goddess of Athens. In
lous partizans of Pericles maintained, from poison. describing them, it is of great importance to ohThe people voted to his accuser Melon, on the serve, not only the connection of their subjects,
proposal of Glycon, exemption from taxes, and but, as far as possible, their chronological order.
charged the generals to watch over his safety. The classification according to materials, which is
Plutarch then proceeds (c. 32) to narrate, as parts adopted by Sillig, besides being arbitrary, is rather
of the same train of events, and as occurring about a hindrance than a help to the historical study of
the same time, the attacks upon Aspasia and Anax- the works of Pheidias.
agoras, and concludes by distinctly affirming that 1. The Athena at Pellene in Achaia, of ivory
the attack on Pheidias inspired Pericles with a and gold, must be placed among his earliest works,
fear, which induced him to blow into a flame the if we accept the tradition preserved by Pausanias,
smouldering sparks of the coming war ('tMs be &d U that Pheidias made it before he made the statues
Ieafiosv arpooE'sresaoe r- E.uo, cpoCfs0els To- &Kao'- of Athena in the Acropolis at Athens, and at'rs7piov, AiAXsv'ra T'o rrd'AeuoV KGa mTroTvpOi,UVEOV Plataeae. (Paus. vii. 27. ~ 1.) If thisbe true, we
etEcCvoreiV, ihX7r(CwSv aao-KEMco-e- Tad T YKc-itqUara, have an important indication of the early period at
Kal Ta7re1vd'remvo -rvi pOO'vov). To complete the evi- which he devoted his attention to chryselephandence, Philochorus, though he (or the scholiasts who tine statuary. This is one of several instances in
quote him) has made a confusion of the facts, may which we know that Pheidias worked for other
be relied on for the date, which he doubtless took states besides his native city and Elis, but unfortunately we have no safe grounds to determine the
" This is another piece of circumstantial evi- dates of such visits.
dence respecting the age of Pheidias; and Thiersch 2. It cannot be doubted that those statues which
regards it as the hinge on which the whole question were made, or believed to have been made, out of
turns! But very little can be inferred from it. It the spoils of the Persian wars, were among his
may even be doubted whether Pheidias really was earliest works, and perhaps the very first of his
bald, or whether the baldness of the figure was not great works (at least as to the time when it was
all intentional disguise, like the uplifted hand and undertaken, for it would necessarily take long to
spear of Pericles. But, suppose the fact to be complete), was the group of statues in bronze,
taken literally, can it alone decide whether he was which the Athenians dedicated at Delphi, as a
fifty or seventy? votive oifelilsn, out of the tithe of their share of