Artemision Bronze

Interesting facts

The first piece to surface was the left forearm, hauled up in fishermen's nets in 1926, two years before the body was recovered.

In September 1928 the right arm was seized from an illegal salvage operation, prompting the official recovery of the rest of the statue.

The wreck that carried the statue has never been found again, despite searches including those of Jacques Cousteau in 1976 and 1982.

No amphorae or ordinary trade cargo were recorded from the wreck, so its nature and exact date remain a puzzle.

One theory links the cargo to Roman plunder from Corinth in 146 BC; another to the sack of Chalkis in 86 BC.

The rear half of the bronze horse from the same wreck turned up separately in 1936, again in fishing nets, several kilometres away.

Kalamis, Onatas, Myron and Kritios have all been proposed as the sculptor, but none of the attributions has won general acceptance.

A full-size replica, given by the Greek government in 1953, stands in the General Assembly lobby of the United Nations in New York.

The figure appeared on a Greek 500-drachma stamp issued in 1954 and on the 1,000-drachma banknote first issued in 1970.

Why it is worth it

The Artemision Bronze, known as the God from the Sea, is one of the few large Greek bronzes of the classical period to survive, and it is one of the highlights of the National Archaeological Museum in Athens. The figure, slightly over life size at 2.09 m, was recovered from an ancient shipwreck off Cape Artemision in northern Euboea: it was first found in 1926 and raised in further work in 1928, when exploration of the wreck was abandoned after a diver died. The ship sank no earlier than the mid-2nd century BC, and may have been carrying Greek art as loot, though that is not certain. A bronze racehorse with its jockey came from the same wreck.

The god stands with his legs wide apart and his arms spread, the right drawn back to hurl something that has since been lost. If it was a thunderbolt he is Zeus; if a trident, Poseidon. Most scholars now favour Zeus, because the pose matches many small bronze figurines of Zeus throwing his bolt, and because a trident would have crossed in front of the face in the side view that was plainly meant to be the main one. The sculptor is unknown. The work is dated to around 460 BC, in the Severe Style that preceded the high classical, and is often compared with the Charioteer of Delphi.

Look at the balance of the body, poised at the moment before the throw. The eyes, now empty sockets, were originally inlaid, probably with bone, and the eyebrows, lips and nipples were set in silver or copper. The head has become an icon of Greek culture and appeared on a Greek stamp and on the 1,000-drachma banknote.

Getting there

The statue is in the National Archaeological Museum on Patission Street in central Athens (Room 15), near Victoria and Omonia metro stations. Athens International Airport (ATH) is about 20 km away.

From the encyclopaedia

The Artemision Bronze is an ancient Greek sculpture that was recovered from the sea off Cape Artemision, in northern Euboea, Greece. According to most scholars, the bronze represents Zeus, the thunder-god and king of gods, though it has also been suggested it might represent Poseidon. The statue is slightly over lifesize at 2.09 meters, and would have held either a thunderbolt, if Zeus, or a trident if Poseidon. The empty eye sockets were originally inset, probably with bone, as well as the eyebrows, the lips, and the nipples. The sculptor is unknown. The statue is a highlight of the collections in the National Archaeological Museum of Athens.

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Artemision Bronze

Interesting facts

Why it is worth it

Getting there

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From the encyclopaedia