The treasures of Artemis and Athena in Piraeus

The treasures of Artemis and Athena in Piraeus

In 1959 workers in Piraeus Greece discovered a treasure trove of bronze statues dating back to the 4th century BC. The statues were accidentally found during construction in Piraeus buried in the rubble Piraeus a city connecting the capital to the entire Greek archipelago, is located southwest of Athens Masterpieces of the goddesses Athena and Artemis lifelike and nearly life-sized were unearthed at the site. The advanced casting techniques and rare traditional Greek artistic skill from the late Classical period are evident. A bronze statue of Apollo is also believed to have been hidden from Roman occupation

The First Mithridatic War 89–85 BC. the Roman occupation and the subsequent Roman conflict in Anatolia and ancient Greece destroyed the fortifications and important structures of Piraeus the ancient port of Athens leading to a significant decline after its period of prosperity under ancient Greek rule The city was rebuilt in the 19th century.

These statues were buried under the rubble. It is believed that the fire that destroyed the warehouse storing these statues resulted in their destruction. The statues found include a large statue of Athena one of the most powerful Olympian gods and a statue of Artemis the most widely worshipped Greek goddess comparable to the Roman Diana but on a smaller scale. This discovery is considered one of the rare masterpieces of ancient Greek bronze sculpture believed to have been buried sometime in the 1st century BC.