UOUS
MMPTION
EAST PEDIMENT OF THE SIPHNIAN TREASURY,
SHOWING APOLLO AND HERACLES FIGHTING FOR
THE TRIPOD. DELPHI ARCHAEOLOGICAL MUSEUMACCORDING TO HERODOTUS, the ancient Greek histo-
rian, the tiny island of Siphnos in the Aegean Sea,
with a population of only about two to three thousand
people, literally struck gold—and silver—in the sixth
century b.c. Its newfound bounty was initially distrib-
uted among the islanders, but they found that they
wanted their neighbors to be aware of their wealth.
And there was no better place to materialize their
boast than Delphi. By 525 b.c. they created a com-
munity fund to build the largest and most magnifi-
cent treasury in the sanctuary. They used the finest
marble available and commissioned exquisite reliefs
and caryatids (female-shaped columns). A number
of blocks of the frieze were found before the Big Dig,
but in April 1894 Homolle discovered the foundations,
the rest of the frieze—showing a battle between the
Olympian gods and giants, as well as scenes from
the Trojan War—and the east pediment, which de-
picts Heracles and Apollo competing for the Delphic
tripod of the Pythia. Homolle initially believed it was
the Cnidian Treasury but soon realized his mistake.