Piraeus Artemis
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Piraeus Artemis refers to two bronze statues of Artemis excavated in Piraeus, Athens in 1959, along with a large theatrical mask (possibly in honor of Dionysus) and three pieces of marble sculptures. Two other statues were found in the buried cache as well: a larger-than-lifesize bronze Late Archaic Apollo (Piraeus Apollo) and a similarly sized bronze fourth century-style Athena (Piraeus Athena).[1] Both statues are now exhibited in the Archaeological Museum of Piraeus in Athens.
Piraeus possessed a primary seaport, Cantharus, and, due to the foreign influence of trade and the mercenary garrison on Munychia hill, the city was also entry point for new cults in Attica.[2] It has been theorized that this cache was a shipment that may have been overtaken when the Roman general, Sulla, sacked Piraeus in 86 BCE. However, since the various statues date from a time span of approximately five centuries, it could not have been shipped on private commission. It is possible that these bronze cult statues all come from one sanctuary that had been dedicated over the centuries before the collection was removed in the first century BCE. The cache could have been transported to Piraeus from almost anywhere, though as there are two representations of Artemis and one of Apollo, it's thought that the cache may be from Delos, the divine twins' birthplace.[3]
Both Artemis statues are thought to be Hellenistic due to the hairstyle and stance, and both show a full-bodied Artemis with a long skirt that covers her legs.[4] While the Artemis A figure is similar to the others in the collection and larger than life, the Artemis B statue is somewhat smaller than life-size.