A few words on ancient shipwrecks: the Artemision wreck

Benaki Museum ^ | 2016 | editors / unattributed

[SunkenCiv]

Summary

Ever since the early years of the twentieth century, with the largely accidental discovery and subsequent raising (mostly from the Aegean sea bed) of a significant number of wrecks whose main cargo was works of art, researchers in the field of Greco-Roman archaeology have concentrated their most enthusiastic efforts on stylistic studies of these artefacts, while at the same time attempting to establish exactly when the ships transporting them sank. That these shipments of beautifully crafted masterpieces (mainly bronzes), coming from the Eastern Aegean, were destined for Rome, a city rapidly emerging into the historical spotlight, has always been and remains obvious.

The spoils of an unprecedented and programmatic venture to plunder the Greek civilization and artistic tradition of the Hellenistic world, only a small part of this fabulous treasure was the result of purchases (i.e. commissions) by wealthy officials in senatorial circles. The majority of the works of art, which ended up in the new capital of the world and areas within its sphere of influence, represented the loot from the pillaging of historic cities and flourishing Hellenistic kingdoms in Greece and Asia Minor...

Indeed, the documentary sources from the period of the Late Republic provide vivid descriptions of the frenzy which drove the nascent art connoisseurs of Latium and the ruling classes to acquire works of art (preferably famous ones) for what were often fabulous sums. In recent years, research has been focused on determining, inter alia, the identity of the individual cosmopolitan centres from which the works of art were looted, only to end up being deposited on the sea bed of the Mediterranean, and the routes followed by their means of transportation, usually shipping.

---

TOPICS: History; Science; Travel
KEYWORDS: artemisionwreck; godsgravesglyphs; romanempire; shipwreck; ttiuwp

[SunkenCiv]

The Artemision shipwreck is an ancient vessel that sank off Cape Artemision in northern Euboea, Greece, likely transporting looted Greek art to Rome during the 2nd century BCE. It is famous for containing the Artemision Bronze, a monumental c. 460 BCE statue of a striding male deity (most commonly identified as Zeus, though some scholars argue for Poseidon), and the Jockey of Artemision, a bronze statue of a racehorse and rider.

Discovered between 1926 and 1928 by fishermen and subsequently recovered by Greek archaeologists, the wreck provided critical evidence for the transport of Greek masterpieces to Italy after the sack of Corinth in 146 BCE. The shipwreck remains a significant archaeological site, with the National Archaeological Museum in Athens housing the recovered bronzes, which were preserved from being melted down by later generations.

Key details about the wreck and its cargo include:

Discovery: The left arm of the statue was found in 1926, followed by the main body and right arm in 1928 during a raid on illicit divers.

Cargo: The ship carried large-scale bronzes, including the Zeus/Poseidon and the Jockey, along with pottery and ballast.

Origin Theories: While the exact origin is debated, the cargo likely originated from sanctuaries in Boeotia, Chios, or Pergamon, possibly seized as war booty.

Archaeological Impact: The recovery of these rare, large-scale bronzes marked a pivotal moment in marine archaeology and the study of the Early Classical period.

AI-generated answer. Please verify critical facts.

artemision wreck [Brave search AI results]

[SunkenCiv]

[Larry Lucido]

Did they ever find the wreck of the Cat Stevens?