Anyone know about the cult statue of Athena Parthenos (original or Nashville)?

Question:

Anyone know about the cult statue of Athena Parthenos (original or Nashville)?

What beast is in the center of Athena??s helmet?

What are the eleven snakes on Athena a symbol of?

What is on the Athena Parthenos?? shield?

What does the base of the statue of Athena Parthenos depict?

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker:

1. Sphinx
2. Ericthonios, a legendary defied king of early Athens or the people of Athens
3. On the exterior in high relief is a depiction of Greek heroes and Amazons savagely contesting over an unnamed Greek city. In the Greek mind the amazons were symbolic of other cultures especially the Persians whom the Greeks considered barbarians. In Greek myth the amazons lived in the area of eastern Anatolia, and the long robes and effeminate manners of the Persians were likened to those of the legendary women warriors. In the center of the shield is the grotesque image of Medusa, slain by Perseus with the help of Athena. As a thank offering for her help Perseus gave the gorgon's head to the goddess who put it on her shield as a protective device.
4. Athena's sandals are decorated with a scene depicting the slaying of the Centaurs, a reflection of the scenes carved on the metopoes of the Parthenon's Doric friezes