A ''sphyrelaton'' ( for "hammer-elongated", plural: ''sphyrelata'', σφυρήλατα) were a type of large

archaic Greek Ancient Greek (, ; ) includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Dark Ages (), the Archai ...

bronze votive statues.

Features

The ''sphyrelata'' were obtained by hammering a thin sheet of bronze around a core of wood previously carved up to take the desired shape. The technique seems to be of Oriental origin, probably imported from north-Syrian workers arrived in Greece around the seventh century BC. In ancient Greece the ''sphyrelaton'' type (along with many other inventions, such as the ''

xoanon A xoanon (, ; plural: , from the verb , , to carve or scrape ood was a wooden cult image from Archaic Greece. Classical Greeks associated such cult objects, whether aniconic or effigy, with the legendary Daedalus. Many such cult images were p ...

'') were attributed to the mythical figure of

Daedalus In Greek mythology, Daedalus (, ; Greek language, Greek: Δαίδαλος; Latin language, Latin: ''Daedalus''; Etruscan language, Etruscan: ''Taitale'') was a skillful architect and craftsman, seen as a symbol of wisdom, knowledge and power. H ...

, and it is indeed significant that the most important testimonies of similar votive objects come from excavations on the island of

Crete Crete ( ; , Modern Greek, Modern: , Ancient Greek, Ancient: ) is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the List of islands by area, 88th largest island in the world and the List of islands in the Mediterranean#By area, fifth la ...

Archaeological evidence

Archaeological evidence relating to ''sphyrelata'' is scarce. This kind of votive statues, in fact, was produced with materials that are highly perishable and delicate. The technique of realization of ''sphyrelata'' was not particularly long-lasting, as it was completely replaced by

hollow casting Permanent mold casting is a metal casting process that employs reusable molds ("permanent molds"), usually made from metal. The most common process uses gravity to fill the mold, however gas pressure or a vacuum are also used. A variation on the ...

(early sixth century BC), which was used to achieve superior standards of quality with less effort. The most substantial evidence, however, comes from Crete, where, e.g. in the Temple of Apollo Delphinios at

Dreros Dreros (), also (representing Modern Greek pronunciation) Driros, near Neapoli in the regional unit of Lasithi, Crete, is a post-Minoan archaeological site, northwest of Agios Nikolaos. Known only by a chance remark of the 9th-century Byzanti ...

three votive statuettes have been found in an excellent state of preservation, "in the first orientalizing style of the late eighth century" John Boardman, ''Greek Sculpture: Function, Materials, and Techniques in the Archaic and Classical Periods'', edited by Olga Palagia,

Cambridge University Press Cambridge University Press was the university press of the University of Cambridge. Granted a letters patent by King Henry VIII in 1534, it was the oldest university press in the world. Cambridge University Press merged with Cambridge Assessme ...

, 2006
estratto on line dal capitolo I
. (the so-called Triad of Dreros, now in the

Archaeological Museum of Heraklion The Heraklion Archaeological Museum is a museum located in Heraklion on Crete. It is one of the largest museums in Greece, and the best in the world for Minoan art, as it contains by far the most important and complete collection of artefacts of t ...

). Two of the three ''sphyrelata'' are supposed to represent

Artemis In ancient Greek religion and Greek mythology, mythology, Artemis (; ) is the goddess of the hunting, hunt, the wilderness, wild animals, transitions, nature, vegetation, childbirth, Kourotrophos, care of children, and chastity. In later tim ...

and

Leto In ancient Greek mythology and Ancient Greek religion, religion, Leto (; ) is a childhood goddess, the daughter of the Titans Coeus and Phoebe (Titaness), Phoebe, the sister of Asteria, and the mother of Apollo and Artemis.Hesiod, ''Theogony' ...

, as they are equipped with a ''polos'', a long decorated garment and a mantle. The two are in static positions, while the third, which is hypothesized to depict Apollo, is in motion, and the position of the arm of god (leaning forward) suggests that it held a bow.

Bibliography

* *John Griffiths Pedley, ''Greek Art and Archeology''- Roma:

Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato The Italian (; State Mint and Polygraphic Institute), founded in 1928, is situated at the via Salaria 691 in Rome. As well as producing coins, passports, and postage stamps for Italy, it serves the micro-states of the Vatican City, San Marino, ...

, Libreria dello Stato, 2005 (400 p.: ill.;

Notes

External links

*{{Commonscatinline, Sphyrelata Archaic Greek sculpture Bronze sculptures in Greece Sculptures in Olympia Ancient Greek metalwork