Britannica Sources used in this answer

What materials were used to make Phidias’s statue of Athena Parthenos?

Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

The Parthenon temple in Athens, Greece, is illuminated at night, showing its iconic Doric columns and partially ruined structure atop the Acropolis. — Parthenon Night view of the Parthenon, Athens.

Phidias’s colossal statue of the Athena Parthenos, which was completed for the Parthenon in 438 BCE, was a chryselephantine sculpture. This technique involved using ivory for the flesh portions of the figure and gold for the drapery.12