The Sculptures of the Parthenon
Metopes
Metopes are the rectangular slabs which alternate with triglyphs on the entablature. On the Parthenon, all the metopes were either carved in relief or painted, and they ran around the entire exterior of the building without a break. There were fourteen metopes on each end, and thirty-two on each of the long sides, coming to a grand total of ninety-two. This made the Parthenon stand out among all the other temples, which had only twelve or eighteen. Alhough the whole temple now has no color due to the wear and tear from the passage of time, originally, the metopes were painted bright colors like red and blue.
Each wall of metopes were carved with illustrations of a single subject:
west front: Greeks vs. Amazons
east front: Gods vs. Giants
south front: Lapiths vs. Centaurs
north front: Greeks vs. Trojans (sack of Troy).
The metopes of the Parthenon all illustrated various instances of the struggle between two opposing forces, where order and justice (depicted by the Greeks, Gods, and Lapiths) triumphed over disorder and irrational chaos (Amazons, Giants, Centaurs, and Trojans). Of the four sets, the metopes of the south front were the best preserved.
detail. SW metope. Lapith vs. Centaur
Frieze
The Ionic frieze of the Parthenon, one of the largest relief
sculptures of the ancient world, ran all the way around the
exterior of the cella. Its relatively small size (one meter high
and 160 meters long) and placement inside from the metopes made
it hard to see from the ground. In order to aid viewers standing
below, the relief of the upper portions were carved deeper than
the lower portions. The frieze on all four walls illustrated a
single subject of the Panathenaic
procession. Where most subjects for sculpture involved the
Gods and heroes, the depiction of Athenians on the Parthenon
frieze made it an unusually mortal decoration. This illustrated
the extremely confident spirit of the Athenians who dared to
depict themselves with the Gods. The procession started on the
southwest corner and separated into two paths running parallel to
each other along the north and south walls. Horsemen, musicians,
citizens carrying offerings and other figures were depicted in
the procession. An assembly of Olympian Gods sitting and watching
the procession were also depicted, easily identifiable by their
larger stature. 
The procession converged at the center of the east side, over the entrance leading to the statue of Athena. Here, the ceremony of the handing over of the goddess' sacred peplos was depicted.
Pediments
These relief sculptures occupied the triangular space formed by the roof of the Parthenon. Much of the sculpture was destroyed, however, when the Parthenon was hit by a Venetian shell in 1687 and the powder magazine inside exploded. The surviving sculptures are dispersed throughout the world, the majority being in the British Museum.
The West pediment showed the contest between Athena and Poseidon for patronage of the city. Athena obviously won the contest (hence the city Athens) when her gift of an olive tree was chosen over Poseidon's gift of a spring. The better preserved East pediment over the front of the entrance of the Parthenon portrayed the birth of Athena.
Cult-statue of Athena Parthenos
The forty-foot high statue of Athena Parthenos was Pheidias' masterpiece. It was located in the cella of the temple but nothing survived of the statue itself. Only the position where the statue stood is still visible on the temple floor. However, from elaborate descriptions of ancient writers and Roman replicas, the reconstruction of the statue in its original architectural setting was made possible. The statue of Athena Parthenos consisted of a frame made of wood, metal, clay, and plaster. The face, arms, and feet were of ivory, and the clothing and armour were covered with gold plates, which were able to be removed if necessary. The weight of the gold was reported to be over 1,000 kilograms. In addition, her eyes were made of precious jewels. The descriptions indicated that the statue was a standing figure, wearing a long garment with a Medusa's head of ivory on the breast, and a helmet on the head adorned by a sphinx between a pair of griffins. The right hand was extended and bore a Nike, a symbol of victory, with a gold wreath in her hair. The left hand held a spear and touched a shield resting against the left foot. A serpent lay close to the spear. The birth of Pandora, which was attended by twenty gods and goddesses, was depicted on the pedestal. The shield at her feet portrayed a battle scene with the Amazons on the outer surface and the Giants on the inner surface. Also, the battle between the lapiths and centaurs was depicted on the sandals.