![]() Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, p. Mylonas, "The Bronze Statue from Artemision", American Journal of Archaeology 48.2 (April 1944), pp. ^ A cogent summary of technical and iconographic arguments for Zeus was presented by George E.Greece and the Hellenistic World ( Oxford History of the Classical World, vol. John Boardman, "Greek art and architecture", in John Boardman, J. The sculpture's head, now an icon of Hellenic culture, formed the subject of a Greek 500 drachma postage stamp (in use 1954–1977) and a 1000 drachma banknote (first issue 1970, replaced in 1987). The Jockey of Artemision – a bronze statue of a racehorse and its jockey – was recovered from the same shipwreck, and Seán Hemingway has suggested that the jockey and horse may have been looted from Corinth in 146 BC by the Roman general Mummius in the Achaean War and was on its way to Pergamon when lost. Many such shipwrecks are of Roman date and were of vessels looting Greek art to Italy, but it is unclear whether the Artemision wreck is one of these. Unfortunately, not much is known about the wreck, because exploration was abandoned when a diver died, in 1928, and was never resumed. The sculpture was first discovered in 1926 and further excavated in 1928, at the site of a shipwreck that occurred no earlier than the middle of the second century BC. A comparison can be made with the Charioteer of Delphi, a roughly contemporaneous bronze.īeach at Cape Artemisium where the statue was found. The god is caught at the moment of pause in the full potentiality of his coming movement, described by Carol Mattusch: "the figure has the potential for violence, is concentrating, poised to throw, but the action is just beginning, and we are left to contemplate the coming demonstration of strength." It is an original work of great strength in the Severe style that preceded the fifth-century classical style, dated to c. 550 BC which is a black-figured Chalcidian hydria). ![]() The iconography of Ancient Greek pottery portrays Poseidon wielding the trident, when in combat, in more of a stabbing motion (similar to a fencing stance or an 'advance-lunge') Zeus is depicted fighting with his arm raised, holding the lightning bolt overhead, in the same position as the Artemision Bronze (see 'Poseidon and the Giant Polybotes', an Attic red-figure stamnos attributed to the Trolios Painter, as well as 'Zeus hurling his lightning at Typhon' c. On the basis of this and other iconographic parallels with vase-painting, most scholars presently think it is a Zeus. On the other hand, the statue is essentially a larger version of an extensive series of smaller solid bronze figurines extending back into the late 7th century, all of which strike the same pose and represent Zeus. However, the trident may have been unusually short, avoiding the problem. Iconographic parallels with coins and vase painting from the same time period show that this obscuring pose is extremely unlikely. Others cite the example of the Poseidonia coins, overlooking the much weightier evidence presented by the numerous surviving statuettes of Zeus launching his thunderbolt in a pose matching that of the Artemision figure." Ī major additional problem with that hypothesis is that a trident would obscure the face, especially from the profile view, which most scholars (even those who have supported an identification as Poseidon) have held to be the most, or even the only, important view. But like other statues of totally different subjects, this one went into the sea simply because it was on board a ship that sank. Those who would do so have been known to argue that the image must be that of the great sea god since the statue was found in the Mediterranean. As Caroline Houser writes, "Sometimes the Artemision protector is called 'Poseidon'. The debate over whether the statue represents Poseidon or Zeus hinges on the lost attribute held in the figure's right hand.
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