Misplaced Pages

#145854

60-595: Organised in fourteen rooms on two levels, the museum mainly displays statues, including the famous Charioteer of Delphi , architectural elements, like the frieze of the Siphnian Treasury and ex votos dedicated to the sanctuary of Pythian Apollo , like the Sphinx of Naxos . The exhibition floor space is more than 2270 m², while the storage and conservation rooms (mosaics, ceramics and metals) take up 558 m². Visitors are also catered to by an entrance hall,

120-710: A chariot driver was found in 1896 at the Sanctuary of Apollo in Delphi . It is now in the Delphi Archaeological Museum . The statue was set up at Delphi, Greece to commemorate one of two victories of the tyrant Polyzalus of Gela in Sicily and his chariot in the Pythian Games of either 478 or 474 BC, which were held at Delphi in honor of Pythean Apollo. It has also been suggested that

180-538: A cafeteria and a gift shop. A first, rather small museum was inaugurated on 2 May 1903 to celebrate the end of the first great archaeological campaign of French excavations and to exhibit the findings. The building was designed by the French architect Albert Tournaire , financed by a trust established by the Greek banker and philanthropist Andreas Syngros . Two wings framed a small central building. The arrangement of

240-422: A chronological order, listed and labelled. However, this arrangement was only briefly in use. The outbreak of World War II constituted a major threat to the antiquities which were put into storage. Part was kept at Delphi in the ancient Roman tombs or in specially dug pits in front of the museum. The most precious objects (the chryselephantine objects, the silver Statue of a Bull discovered three months before

300-522: A finely pleated silk dress that he named the Delphos gown after the statue, whose robes it closely resembled. These gowns are considered important pieces of early 20th century fashion and art objects in their own right. A Delphos gown was, in 2003, the only fashion garment in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art , New York. Alexandros Tombazis Too Many Requests If you report this error to

360-541: A folding mirror decorated with the head of the same goddess. Finally, some Late antique exhibits such as oil-lamps and a leopard made of mother-of-pearl offer a glimpse into the city of Delphi in Late Antiquity . Charioteer of Delphi The Charioteer of Delphi , also known as Heniokhos ( Greek : Ἡνίοχος , the rein -holder), is a statue surviving from Ancient Greece , and an example of ancient bronze sculpture . The life-size (1.8m) statue of

420-569: A group of pottery from the so-called "Corinthian house" dated to 625–600 BCE. In the next case are displayed seals and scarabs of Egyptian style. In a free standing case in the middle of the room is displayed a bronze hydria with depiction in relief, a rather rare vessel of a workshop located in the north Peloponnese. Burial votive offerings are exhibited in the next case, including belt buckles, aryballoi , and incense bottles. Classical period pottery follows. A large clay bust of Demeter or Persephone along with several other clay vessels come from

480-401: A larger complex including the chariot, the horses, and possibly a stable boy. This last room is devoted to the final years of the sanctuary. There are displayed three marble heads: A head of Heracles dated possibly to the 1st century AD, the head of a philosopher of Late Antiquity, dated to the 4th century AD and a head of a priest or philosopher dated to the 2nd century AD. In

540-523: A lower status than his master Polyzalos, and Honour and Fleming have speculated that he may have been a household slave whom it was not appropriate to depict in the nude. Stylistically, the Charioteer is classed as "Early Classical" or "Severe" (see Greek art ). The statue is more naturalistic than the kouroi of the Archaic period, but the pose is still very rigid when compared with later works of

600-408: A precursor of the later tripods. The majority of the exhibits, however, are bronze votive offerings, dating to the 8th and 7th centuries BCE, including bronze tripods and cauldrons with decorative elements inspired by mythical creatures, such as griffins , as well as bronze figurines of warriors. The items displayed date to the late Geometric and early Archaic periods. Room 3 is dominated by

660-529: A round altar made of Pentelic marble and coming from the Sanctuary of Athena Pronaia. It is decorated in three bands with cyma recta and astragalus patterns and twelve female figures. It dates to the 2nd century BCE. Another important exhibit is the pedestal with the frieze in relief constituting the Monument of Aemilius Paullus . Along the south side of the room are displayed parts of the Roman frieze decorating

SECTION 10

#1732772368146

720-465: A victory (Nike) running with her knee lifted up in the air. The two side acroteria depicted Sphinxes. The western pediment sculptures depicted a Gigantomachy . Both pediments are attributed to the Athenian sculptor Antenor . The sculptures of the pediments of the 4th century temple were made of Pentelic marble . On the eastern pediment Apollo was seated on a tripod, flanked by Leto, Artemis, and

780-529: Is the sphinx . It is an enormous statue which crowned an ionic column and capital, totaling 12 meters in height. The column stood close to the Halos . The sphinx was dedicated by the city of Naxos , a wealthy island of the Aegean in its prime time, i.e. between 575 and 560 BCE. An inscription at the base of the column renews the right of " promanteia " for Naxos in the 4th century BCE . This room contains

840-421: Is almost intact except that his left forearm and some details on the head are missing including the copper inlays on the lips and most of the silver eyelashes and headband. The statue is one of the few Greek bronzes to preserve the inlaid glass eyes. Greek bronzes were cast in sections and then assembled. When discovered, the statue was in three pieces—head and upper torso, lower torso, and right arm. The figure

900-519: Is dedicated to the very precious offerings found in an pit on the Sacred Way: the silver statue of a bull and the chryselephantine statues which are thought to represent the Apollonian triad, namely Apollo , Artemis and their mother, Leto . The room is reminiscent of a safe where visitors are let in to admire the precious objects. This room displays the Sphinx of Naxos and the friezes of

960-553: Is of a very young man, as is shown by his soft side-curls. Like modern jockeys, chariot racers were chosen for their lightness, but also needed to be tall, so they were frequently teenagers. It seems that it represents a teenager from a noble family of his time; aristocratic chariot racers selected their drivers from glorious noble families in the Panhellenic Games . The Charioteer wears the customary long tunic (the xystís ), reaching down to his ankles. A wide belt tightens

1020-492: Is reconstructed to read "Polyzalus dedicated me. ... Make him prosper, honoured Apollo." Most bronze statues from ancient times have long been melted down for their raw materials or were naturally corroded, but the Charioteer survived because it was buried under a rock-fall at Delphi, which probably destroyed the site in 373 B.C.. Some freestanding bronze statues, however, including the charioteer, have been rediscovered in

1080-558: The Asclepeion of Epidaurus . Several of them had been damaged in Late Antiquity. The room contains Late Classical and early Hellenistic objects, among which the Dancers of Delphi and the ex voto of Daochos . Daochos II was the tetrarch of Thessaly between 336 and 332 BCE. The ex voto consisted of a rectangular base 11 meters long which bore openings for supporting nine statues, discovered around it. Eight of

1140-537: The Dioskouroi abducting the oxen of Arkadias aided by their cousins, Idas and Lyngeus, some scenes from the hunt of the Calydonian boar and, finally, the scene of the abduction of Europe by Zeus transformed into a bull. Some bronze figurines of the 6th century BCE are also displayed in the same room, of which notable is a figurine of Apollo, made by a Laconian workshop. On one of the cases fastened against

1200-580: The Judgement of Paris (western frieze) and the abduction of a woman (southern frieze), identified either with the abduction of Hippodameia by Pelops or with that of the daughters of Leukippos by the Dioskouroi. The sculptures of the pediment of the treasury are also extant, depicting the fief between Heracles and Apollo for the possession of the Delphic tripod. The most impressive exhibit, however,

1260-627: The Kouroi of Delphi , archaic male statues known also as Cleobis and Biton , which were produced at Argos between 610 and 580 BCE. It also contains the metopes of the Treasury of the Sicyonians . The latter include four metopes made of yellowish porous stone from Sicyon , coming from the so-called "monopteros". They depict scenes from the Argonautic expedition, a scene from the myth of

SECTION 20

#1732772368146

1320-460: The Siphnian Treasury . The parts of the treasury displayed include one of the two Korae , i.e. the elegant female figures supporting the vestibule of the treasury, one of the capitals and parts of the frieze. The eastern part of the frieze presents scenes related to the Trojan war, such as the convention of the gods, a battle scene in front of Troy (eastern frieze), a Gigantomachy (northern frieze),

1380-552: The Temple of Apollo . The museum opened its doors once more for its centenary. The collections of the Delphi Archaeological Museum are arranged chronologically in fourteen rooms. The first two rooms are devoted to the most ancient objects. The exhibition starts with Mycenaean finds , particularly clay figurines, among which a significant female figure seated on a three-legged chair, which has been viewed as

1440-610: The Temple of Athena Pronaia . Among them stand out sculptures from the Treasury of the Massaliots and the Doric Treasury. Two acroteria in the form of running female figures have been attributed to the temple of Athena. Architectural members on the north wall of the room such as simae, gutters in the form of lion-head and acroteria in the form of anthemia, as well as parts of Nike acroteria belong also to various buildings of

1500-467: The 20th century. On discovery the figure exhibited a bluish appearance which correlates with Plutarch 's description of the Spartan Monument from Delphi having an "unusual blue and glossy patina, due to peculiarities of the air inside the sanctuary." After a century of indoor exposure the Charioteer has turned greenish, although the lower torso still preserves a bluish coloration. The statue

1560-517: The Classical period. One departure from the Archaic style is that the head is inclined slightly to one side. The naturalistic rendering of his feet was greatly admired in ancient times. The introverted expression does away with the old 'Archaic smile'. In about 1907, some ten years after the discovery of the Charioteer , Mariano Fortuny y Madrazo , a Spanish artist-designer based in Venice, created

1620-525: The Corycian cave, such as two vessels of the late Neolithic period, some human clay figurines, obsidian blades , and some of the knucklebones discovered there. Some figurines depict korae (young women) and animals. The most impressive exhibit, however, is a chorus of the Muses around Pan. In the rest of the cases are displayed black-figured lekythoi, clay figurines, a rather large figurine of Aphrodite, and

1680-558: The Muses. On the western pediment was depicted Dionysus, surrounded by female figures, the Thyades. Both pediments are attributed to the sculptors Praxias and Androsthenes. These two rooms contain objects from the Treasury of the Athenians ; the first room contains the metopes , the second contains acroteria, pedimental sculpture and inscriptions. The two pediments of the Treasury of the Athenians are fragmentary and depict, apparently,

1740-501: The National Archaeological Museum of Athens in the same period (325,000 visitors). Between 1999 and 2003, the museum underwent yet another phase of renovations, carried out by the Greek architect Alexandros Tombazis . These included the construction of a new facade in a contemporary style and a new hall for the charioteer. The rest of the museum was redesigned in a modern style and adjusted to facilitate

1800-456: The absence of it) and the plaster restorations were being increasingly criticized. Finally, its entire appearance was criticized as a little too "French" in a period which insisted on "Greekness." The construction of a new building was launched in 1935. The new museum was representative of the architectural trends of the Interwar period and was accomplished in 1939, including a new arrangement of

1860-413: The archaic and classical facades of the Temple of Apollo . The archaic sculptures, made of Parian marble, include a carriage with four horses, carrying Apollo. To the left of the carriage stood three female figures, possibly the daughters of Kekrops , king of Athens, and to the right three male figures. The scene is identified as the advent of Apollo to Delphi. The central acroterion of the temple depicted

Delphi Archaeological Museum - Misplaced Pages Continue

1920-411: The arrangement that had been envisioned in 1939. However, the museum proved insufficient and it was necessary to undertake a new phase of construction, completed in 1958. The renovation of the museum was entrusted to the architect Patroklos Karantinos and the archaeologist Christos Karouzos was sent from the National Archaeological Museum of Athens to rearrange the collection, under the supervision of

1980-415: The circulation of visitors. A new lobby, a large cafeteria and a gift shop were also created. The collection was rearranged in order to reconcile the need to display the main attractions of the museum effectively and the wish to present the latest theories and discoveries of archaeological and historical scholarships. An effort was also made to illustrate hitherto neglected exhibits like the classical facade of

2040-472: The collection, designed by the director of the archaeological expedition, Théophile Homolle , was inspired by the view that the architectural parts and sculptures should be put "in context". Thus, parts of the main monuments of the site were reconstructed with plaster. Yet, the exhibits took every inch of available space, making the exhibition look pretty crammed. Furthermore, the museographic approach lacked any chronological or thematic arrangement. The quality of

2100-556: The complex was actually commemorating the victory of Polyzalos' brother, Hieron, at the same games in analogy to his ex voto after his victory at the Olympic Games . It was originally part of a larger group of statuary, including the chariot, at least four horses and possibly two grooms. Some fragments of the horses were found with the statue. The masterpiece has been associated with the sculptor Pythagoras of Rhegion who lived and worked in Sicily, Magna Graeci , as well as with

2160-478: The entrance; they bear depictions of the deceased in relief. The first case contains Mycenaean stirrup jars and the next one various types of Mycenaean pottery from the Mycenaean settlement. Hand-made and wheel-made pottery ( 11th–9th century BCE ) are also extant, coming from a chamber tomb discovered at the site of the museum. In the case at the opposite side of the room is displayed pottery, of which stands out

2220-571: The ephor of Delphi, Ioanna Constantinou. Karatinos created two new exhibition halls and modified the structure to allow more natural light into the building. The arrangement of the collection remained chronological, but a greater focus was placed on the sculpture, with statues increasingly separated from their architectural contexts. The museum reopened its doors in 1961. and soon became one of the most visited tourist attractions in Greece: in 1998, it received more than 300,200 visitors, almost as many as

2280-406: The exhibits themselves was thought to be self-explanatory. The first exhibition was thus destined more to the pleasure of the eyes than to any educational purpose. Despite the admiration it inspired to the Greek and international community, already in the 1930s the museum was becoming too small to accommodate new findings or the increasing number of tourists. In addition, its arrangement (or, rather,

2340-468: The external side and the row with the smaller figures belonged to the internal side of the pteron. The sculpted decoration was complete with acroteria in the form of women dressed in floating peplos. The outer metopes depicted an Amazonomachy and a Centauromachy. The sculptures of the Tholos date to 380–370 BCE and constitute magnificent specimens of late Classical sculpture, reminding of the sculptures of

2400-476: The form of a "peplophoros", a female figure holding above her head a cauldron for burning the incense. All three figurines were found in the pit of the Sacred Way along with the chryselephantine statues and several other finds. Along the western side there is a case displaying bronze figurines dated to the first half of the 5th century BCE, as well as parts of larger bronze statues. Among the latter stand out

2460-549: The hero with the goddess Athena, the fight against the bandit Cercyon and against Skiron. On the north side are depicted nine heroic deeds of Heracles, such as the fight against Geryones , in four consequent metopes, in an unusual "narrative" style. The room contains the fragments of the Delphic Hymns and the Attic white-ground kylix with the depiction of Apollo playing the lyre. The objects in these two rooms come from

Delphi Archaeological Museum - Misplaced Pages Continue

2520-403: The hips, chest and head to end up at its gaze. The hands are spread out holding the reins, with the long and thin fingers tightening – together with the reins – a cylindrical object, the riding crop. The Charioteer is not portrayed during the race, as in this case his movement would be more intense, but in the end of the race, after his victory, when – being calm and full of happiness – he makes

2580-475: The meeting of Theseus and Peirithus (eastern pediment) and Heracles in a battle scene (western pediment). Twenty-seven out of the thirty metopes of the treasury are also preserved. They bear representations in deep relief. The east side metopes depict an Amazonomachy. The south side metopes depict the heroic deeds of Theseus, such as the killing of the Minotaur, the bull of Marathon, the hero with an amazon,

2640-579: The objects by the Professor of Archaeology at Thessaloniki , Constantinos Romaios . The reorganisation of the Archaic collections was entrusted to the French archaeologist Pierre de La Coste-Messelière , who discarded the plaster restorations of significant artefacts, including that of the Siphnian Treasury, which had become one of the principal attractions. The antiquities were presented in

2700-415: The other hand, is a column identified due to the inscription of its base. It was dedicated by the Athenians, made of Pentelic marble. The column ended in a composition consisting of acanthus leaves out of which sprang three female figures with their hands lifted, as if dancing. They probably held a tripod (not extant) crowned by the omphalos displayed also in the same room. Among the other important exhibits of

2760-595: The outbreak of war, and the Charioteer were sent to Athens in order to be stored in the vaults of the Bank of Greece . They remained there for ten years. The charioteer was on display in the National Archaeological Museum of Athens until 1951. The region of Delphi was at the heart of the combat zone in the Greek civil war and the museum was not reopened until 1952. For six years, visitors could view

2820-456: The part of a crane and the part of a himation decorated with maeander motifs with inlay copper. Room 10, on the other hand, contains parts of the Tholos of Delphi , the round building standing out in the sanctuary of Athena Pronaia, dated to the first quarter of the 4th century BCE. Two rows of simae with lion-heads and two rows of metopes have been found. The first row of metopes decorated

2880-483: The past it had been identified as a head of Plutarch. A hermaic stele nearby bears an dedicatory inscription to Plutarch and it probably held a head statue of the ancient author, but the latter has not been preserved. The ground floor room contains finds from the necropolis of Delphi, from houses, from the Corycian cave , as well as several other finds of unidentified origin. Three funerary stelae stand right next to

2940-399: The pleats are wavy, diagonal or curved. This contrast in the garment representation is also followed by the body’s contrapuntal posture, so that the statue does not show any rigidity, but looks perfectly mobile and almost real. The entire statue is as if it is animated by a gradual shift to the right starting from the solid stance of the feet and progressing sequentially through the body passing

3000-498: The room counts a statue of Apollo in the Patroos type and the statue of a man wearing the himation, dated to the 5th century BCE as well as the statue of an aged man with a himation leaving the right shoulder and the breast uncovered, identified as a priest of Apollo or as a philosopher and dated to 280 BCE. Room 12 contains Late Hellenistic and Roman objects, including a famous statue of Antinous . The main exhibit of

3060-417: The sanctuary, date to the late archaic and classical periods and preserve traces of their initial colours. In the middle of the room there are free-standing cases, in which are displayed three bronze figurines, namely a Corinthian figurine of a man playing the double flute (460–450 BCE), two naked athletes dated to the same period and coming from an Attic workshop, and a magnificent bronze incense-burner in

SECTION 50

#1732772368146

3120-501: The sculptor Calamis . The Sicilian cities were very wealthy compared with most of the cities of mainland Greece, and their rulers could afford the most magnificent offerings to the gods, as well as the best horses and drivers. It is unlikely, however, the statue itself comes from Sicily. The name of the sculptor is unknown, but for stylistic reasons it is believed that the statue was cast in Athens . It has certain similarities of detail to

3180-426: The so-called "grave of the priest". In the next case are exhibited grave goods from a grave located around the museum, dated to the first half of the 4th century BCE. Two attic lekythoi with depictions in relief, clay figurines of Aphrodite, a dancer, Cassandra, a comic actor as well as a doll with movable hands and legs count among the most important exhibits. The long case along the narrow wall contains finds from

3240-527: The statue known as the Piraeus Apollo , which is known to be of Athenian origin. An inscription on the limestone base of the statue shows that it was dedicated by Polyzalus, the tyrant of Gela , a Greek colony in Sicily , as a tribute to Apollo for helping him win the chariot race . The inscription, which is written in hexameter , reads: [...Π]ολύζαλος μ'ἀνέθηκ[ε... τ]ὸν ἄεξ εὐόνυμ'Ἀπόλλ[ον], which

3300-474: The statue of Antinous , favorite of the emperor Hadrian ; it is probably one of the best specimens of the depictions of the young man which were erected all over the Roman Empire after his untimely death under order of the emperor. Close to Antinous stands a head of a man probably depicting Titus Quinctius Flamininus , the Roman general who conquered Delphi in 198 BCE. In the middle of the room stands

3360-421: The statues were identified by inscriptions. From right to left were depicted possibly a seated Apollo, next to him Acnonios, former tetrarch of Thessaly, with his three sons, Agias, Telemachus, and Agelaus, victors in various athletic games, then Daochos I, Daochos II and finally Sisyphus II, the latter's son. Some of the figures, at least, have been attributed to Lysippus . The Dancers of Delphi on

3420-472: The theatre. They consist of depictions of scenes from the life and deeds of Heracles, such as the garden of the Hesperides , Cerberus , the lion of Nemea , a centaur, Antaeus , the belt of Hippolyte , the horses of Diomedes , etc. This is the room of the Charioteer . The statue constituted one of the finest specimens of 5th century bronze sculpture, of the so-called austere style. It belonged to

3480-470: The tunic high above the waist, while two other bands pass as suspenders over the shoulders, under the arms and criss-cross in the back. This is the analavos which keeps the garment from billowing in the wind during the race. The deep vertical pleats in the lower part of the tunic emphasize the Charioteer’s solid posture, resembling also the fluting of an Ionic column . On the upper part of the body, however,

3540-513: The victory lap in the hippodrome. His attractive gemstone eyes evoke what Classical period Greeks called ethos and greatness. His motion is instantaneous, but also eternal. In spite of the great victory, there are no shouts, but a inner power. The face and the body do not have any instability; those have a great self-confidence. Unusually for this era, the Charioteer is clothed head to foot. Most athletes at this time would have competed, and been depicted nude. The young man would certainly have been of

3600-559: The wall is displayed a bronze tile depicting a scene from the Odyssey: A man, probably Odysseus , tied under the belly of a ram is possibly escaping from the cave of Polyphemus; another tile depicts Heracles carrying the Erymanthian boar to king Eurystheus , who hides in a jar, terrified. Finally, simae from two archaic treasuries are also displayed; they are made of terracotta and are decorated with rosettes and spiral motifs. This

#145854