The Chania Ephorate of Antiquities will present an important archaeological discovery on Wednesday, July 24, at the island’s Archaeological Museum in Crete, Greece.
It is a group of small-size sculptures depicting Artemis and Apollo, that, according to a communiqué issued by the Chania Ephorate of Antiquities, was discovered in the framework of a systematic excavation carried out by the Ephorate at a Roman home of the ancient Aptera under the direction of archaeologist Vanna Niniou-Kindeli which was funded by the Region of Crete.
According to the announcement: “Artemis, the protector goddess of Aptera, has been made of copper, while her twin brother Apollo, is made of marble. The goddess stands on an elaborate box-shaped copper base and is depicted in intense stride, wearing a short, slender chiton and she is ready to shoot. Although Apollo is depicted in a more modest way, his attitude conveys internal tension”.
The two statues, works of exquisite artistic quality, will be exhibited for the first time in their place of origin and will be part of the Chania Archaeological Museum’s permanent collection.
They were probably imported from artistic centers outside Crete in order to become the home sanctuary of the Roman luxury home they adorned. They are dated back in the second half of the 1st to the beginning of the 2nd century AD.
Source: Tornos News
