Jewel__A_Celebration_of_Earth_s_Treasures

ARTEMISION BRONZE 051

T

he Artemision

Bronze is an ancient

Greek sculpture found in

a shipwreck off the north

coast of the Greek island Euboea,

in the Mediterranean. It represents

either the Greek god Zeus, king of

the gods, or Poseidon, god of the

sea. Most ancient bronze statues

have since been lost or melted

down, making this one all the

more precious.

Dating from 460–c.450 BCE,

the nude bronze figure stands at 2.09m (6ft

10in). It shows the realistic anatomy of the

Greek Classical period, though the arms

are disproportionately long, exaggerating

the dramatic pose. The wide stance and

extended arms – one poised to hurl a

weapon and the other taking aim – suggest

great power about to be unleashed. An

object missing from

the right hand, either

a thunderbolt for Zeus or a trident for

Poseidon, makes the god’s identity

debatable, although most scholars

now think the sculpture represents

Zeus. Ancient Greek pottery shows

him holding his thunderbolt aloft

in a similar stance, whereas

Poseidon is normally depicted

wielding his trident downwards.

The shipwreck that

contained the statue was

first discovered by sponge divers in 1926,

and a subsequent salvage operation by

the Greek navy recovered the Artemision

Bronze in two pieces, along with various

other treasures. However, the exploration

was called off in 1928 after a diver died,

and it was never resumed, despite the

wreck lying only 40m (130ft) below the

surface. It is thought that the ship may

have been of Roman origin, bringing

back looted treasures from Greece to

Italy. Ironically, the statue was saved and

preserved for future generations after it

ended up on the bottom of the sea.

Artemision

Bronze

Key dates

460 BCE–2015

500 BCE

250 BCE

0

1900

1950

1975

2000

1925

Sponge diver in the

early 20th century

△ Head of the statue showing finely rendered hair

Front view of the

bronze statue

460–450 BCE

The statue is made

in ancient Greece

using a hollow bronze

cast technique

150 BCE The statue

sinks aboard a ship

in the Mediterranean

2015 The Artemision

Bronze continues to

reside at the National

Archaeological Museum

of Athens where it is

one of the highlights

of the museum

1928 The Greek navy

abandons the salvage

after a diver dies from

the bends; the object

held by the statue is

never recovered

1926 Sponge divers

accidentally find the

shipwreck at Cape

Artemision and the

statue is retrieved

The bearded god once hurled a

weapon held in his right hand,

probably a thunderbolt, in which

case he is Zeus

Fred S. Kleiner

Author

Pottery figure of the Greek god Zeus, thought to be from

around 500 BCE, depicted holding a spear or javelin in place

of his customary thunderbolt

050-051_STO_Artemision_Bronze.indd 51 18/05/2016 10:57