ARCHEOLOGICAL MUSEUM, Poseidon Room 15

What you see before you is one of the best-known masterpieces of the museum: the Artemision Bronze, believed to represent either Poseidon, the god of the sea, or Zeus, the king of the gods, in the act of throwing something. It dates to around 460 BC, and may have been sculpted by Kalamis. It was found in the sea near Cape Artemision.

When the Romans conquered Greece, they were fascinated by the magnificent artworks they found there, which were systematically plundered and taken to Rome by sea. This was how many marvelous statues, created like this one to honor a god, ended up in the villas of wealthy Romans, who would show them off to their guests when entertaining. The sea was however fraught with danger: storms, winds, rocks, and pirates ready to take possession of the ships and their precious cargos. Many of these perilous journeys ended with shipwrecks, some of which were fortunately found. This masterpiece was discovered by fishermen who brought up the arm in 1926, and two years later a team of deep-sea divers recovered the rest of the statue....