Pedestal (Monument) of Agrippa

The Pedestal of Agrippa is located on the Acropolis, to the west of the Propylaia, directly opposite the northern wing and the so-called Pinakothiki, and at the same height as the Temple of Athena Nike to the south. The Pedestal of Agrippa is located on the Acropolis, to the west of the Propylaea, directly opposite the northern wing and the so-called Pinakothiki, and at the same height as the Temple of Athena Nike to the south. The rectangular, slightly tapered base is made of grey-blue Hymetus marble, with Pentelic marble at the base and crown, using pseudo-isodomic masonry, which was particularly popular in the Hellenistic period, and stands on a stepped base of stone and tufa, 3.80 metres long, 3.31 metres wide and 4.50 metres high. The pedestal is 8.91 metres high. Its shape resembles that of other Hellenistic pedestals dedicated to great sanctuaries, such as Delphi.

The monument was originally erected in honour of Eumenes II of Pergamon in 178 BC to commemorate his victory in the chariot race of the Panathenaic Games, and at the top of the pedestal was a bronze quadriga (four-horse chariot) driven by Eumenes and his brother Attalos. This chariot was replaced in about 27 BC by another one dedicated by the city of Athens to Marcus Agrippa, Augustus’ son-in-law, in gratitude for the Odeon he had built in the Agora. The pedestal is the only part of the monument that has survived.