This paper aims to analyze the meaning of the Parthenon frieze against the backdrop of the votive culture on the Acropolis. The composition of the Parthenon frieze could be summed up as a procession of the mortals to the seated gods who receive their offerings. The gods and men face each other, and so the theme and iconographical type accord well with the characteristics of a votive relief. The frieze relief shows remarkable similarities with the so-called adoration reliefs. Parallel examples are the votive reliefs Acropolis Museum no. 581 (ca. 490 BCE) and no. 577 (ca. 480-70 BCE). In the genre of the adoration reliefs the difference in the height of the gods and mortals is always clearly expressed, while on the other hand the closeness of these two groups is also vividly rendered by their gestures or direct body contact. The rendering of this god-protege relationship seems important when we interpret the mes- sage of the Parthenon frieze. Compared to the votive reliefs, the Parthenon frieze is however in one point very different: namely, in that most of the former monuments were dedicated privately, seldom by the public. It becomes therefore significant to investigate the development of the public votive monuments on the Acropolis. So far as we know, most of the votive monuments on the Acropolis of the sixth and fifth centuries BCE were dedicated by private citizens or groups. Before the construction of the Parthenon only a few public monuments were set up on the hill, e. g. the Bronze Athena, and the bronze chariot group commemorating the Athenian victory over Boeotia and Chalkis. Many private monuments stood around them. On the other hand, under the democratic regime in Athens official documents began to be inscribed on a stele and dedicated on the Acropolis. In this respect the first Athenian tribute list was of special importance because it resembled the Parthenon sculpture. From the sociological point of view, both could have functioned as a showcase for the Athenian Empire. The Parthenon frieze seems to have demonstrated that Athens was, as the Olympian gods' protege, in a particularly privileged position. It becomes clear that the type of a votive relief was intentionally chosen when designing the frieze. It was supposed to send a message to the viewer: it is the polls that placates the gods and enjoys a special relationship with them, not an individual citizen. The action of the offering itself remained, but the individual demonstration of honor was removed from the relief. The fine art produced under the Periclean democracy seems to have emphasized the predominance of the community over the domestic, while showing to the outside world that Athens enjoyed a special status of the gods' protege.
