The goddess Athena at the Archaeological Museum of Venice

Athena, the Greek goddess of war and protector of cities, embodied the art of military strategy whilst symbolising reason and wisdom, and was the daughter of Zeus.

Athena Attica And not just any girl, since she was born from her father’s skull, even though he had no trouble at all fathering children here and there!

Her unusual birth meant that she was regarded as the one who assisted Zeus in his deeds.

As the protector of cities, she protected Athens above all others, which honoured and celebrated her in the magnificent Parthenon dedicated to her on the Acropolis.

Athena is honoured at the Archaeological Museum of Venice with three statues depicting her.

“Athena Attica”

Sculpture – Marble (Height 169 cm). Body from 410 BC, head from the 2nd century.

Athena, clad in the elegant feminine peplos, is always wearing the warrior’s helmet of ancient Greece and carries on her chest the aegis, adorned with a Medusa’s head (of the Gorgon) at its centre.

This Athena from the Venice Museum resembles the famous Athena Parthenos, a smaller copy of which is on display at the Borghese Gallery in Rome.

Athena Attica

“Head of Athena wearing a Corinthian helmet”

Sculpture – Pentelic marble (Height 41 cm) 350 BC

Athena with helmet Athena’s curly hair is parted into two symmetrical fringes across her forehead and falls down to the nape of her neck.

This is the characteristic portrayal of the goddess of war, wearing a helmet, as depicted here.

Her helmet resembles a mask, with two eyes on either side of a long nose.

The Corinthian helmet was in fact a bronze helmet that completely covered the head, with two large eye slits and a nose guard that extended quite low down the front of the helmet.

The sides of the helmet reached almost down to the neck and the front of the helmet was split under the nose, as on the helmet here covering Athena’s head.

“Head of Athena”

Head of Athena Sculpture – Marble (Height 43 cm) 4th century BC

This exquisite head of Athena depicts a very young girl who makes us forget her role as the goddess of war.

It is femininity that is celebrated here through her simple, pure features.

Her long hair falls down her neck, although the fact that it lies flat against her skull seems to suggest that it was originally covered by her helmet.

Although it is a sculpture dating back 2,400 years, one is struck by the modernity of the depiction of this face, which could well have been sculpted in the last century.

Head of Athena