Mounted Cavalrymen

This Parthenon frieze panel (447–438 BC) shows Athenian horsemen riding in formation, their overlapping bodies conveying speed and movement. The riders wear tunics and cloaks rather than armor, reflecting the citizen-cavalry’s civic function. Their horses add momentum and force. They are part of the Panathenaic procession, where mounted citizens displayed horsemanship as devotion to Athena.