THE PARTHENON AND ITS SCULPTURES. 83 supreme direction of Phidias. We hear of Ictinus again as having, according to Pausanias, built the temple of Apollo at Bassae, and the Great Hall at Eleusis. The work at Bassae seems consider- ably later than the Parthenon, and it seems open to question whether we may not suppose that Callicrates was the first master at the Parthenon, and Ictinus a younger man. Plutarch, who is the best authority, says : " Phidias was appointed by Pericles the super- intendent of all public edifices, although there were other eminent architects and excellent workmen amongst the Athenians.* The Parthenon, which had been 100 feet long, was rebuilt by Calli- crates and Ictinus. The Long Wall was also built by Callicrates. The golden statue of the goddess was the work of Phidias. Through the friend- ship of Pericles he had the direction of everything, and all the artists received his orders." " Works of great magnitude and inimitable per- fection were raised, while every architect was striving to sur- pass the magnificence of the design by the beauty of the execu- tion. But the most wonderful circumstance was the speed with which they were completed, for edifices which might seem to have required the labour of generations were finished during the administration of one man. While it is generally true that time expended in labour is paid for by the duration of the work, yet the structures of Pericles built in so short a time were yet built for ages. Each, as soon as it was finished, had the venerable air of antiquity, so now that they are old they have the freshness of a modern building, as if they were animated by the spirit of eternal youth." Fig. 69. — Painting on Cymatium : after Vulliamy.
- This seems to mean to the office of city architect. Ictinus may have
swallowed up the fame of Callicrates as he wrote a book on the Parthenon.
