The relief frieze depicts the Procession of the Panathenaea, the most
formal
religious festival of ancient Athens. The scene runs along all the four
sides
of the building and includes the figures of gods, beasts and of some
360
humans. The two pediments of the temple are decorated with mythological
scenes:
the east, above the building's main entrance, shows the birth of
Athena,
and the west, the fight between Athena and Poseidon for the name of the
city
of Athens.
