Atena a Hierapolis

In the Sanctuary of Apollo, the most important sacred area of Hierapolis of Phrygia, the excavations of the Italian Archaeological Mission (MAIER) have brought to light more than 60 fragments of white marble related to a statue of Athena larger than life-size. The statue was reconstructed with the help of digital technologies. It is analysed here from the typological and iconographic point of view, and compared with the colossal Athena Parthenos discovered in 1880 on the acropolis of Pergamum. In this paper it is also emphasized the important role played by the statue of Athena in the Sanctuary of Apollo in imperial age, rich in sculptures and reproductions of masterpieces of ancient art. It was to look like an open-air museum where the magnificent statue of the elmated goddess - visible from all angles - could be admired as an emblem of wisdom, as patron of arts and crafts and as a symbol of the relationships with the Pergamene dynasty that mark the origins of the city.