Jockey of Artemision

The Jockey of Artemision is a bronze statue of a boy riding a horse, dated to around 150 BC. It is a rare original bronze statue from Ancient Greece.

It is also unique because most ancient Greek bronzes were melted down for their raw materials during periods of warfare and strife.

This Greek masterpiece was saved from destruction because it was lost in a shipwreck sometime in antiquity, before being discovered in the modern era.

It was probably dedicated to the Greek gods to honor victories in horse racing competitions.

The statue was discovered in 1926 in a shipwreck off Cape Artemision, north of Athens, in the Aegean Sea.

The first parts of the statue were recovered in 1928, with more pieces that were found in 1936 and the following years.

The statue was reassembled, and it went on display in 1972. Also found in the same shipwreck were parts of the Artemision Bronze.

This statue was cast in pieces, using the indirect lost-wax process and then assembled with welding.

Some parts are missing, such as the rider’s whip and reins, and the horse’s bridle. The image of the goddess Nike is engraved on the horse’s right thigh, holding a wreath in raised hands, which was a brand for racehorses in Ancient Greece.

The horse and its rider are sculpted realistically, with the horse springing away in mid-gallop, with its rear feet on the ground and its front legs raised.

The jockey is riding bareback without a saddle, he wears sandals, a short chiton and is looking back over his left shoulder as if looking out for competitors in the horse race.

Hellenistic period

This statue was made during the Hellenistic period, which covers the period of Mediterranean history between the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BC and the emergence and then dominance of the Roman Empire.

The Ancient Greek word Hellas is the original word for Greece, from which the phrase Hellenistic was derived.

“Hellenistic” is distinguished from “Hellenic” in that the first encompasses the entire sphere of direct ancient Greek influence, while the latter refers to Greece itself.

During the Hellenistic period, Greek cultural influence and power reached the peak of its geographical expansion.

It was dominant in the Mediterranean World and parts of West and Central Asia, even in parts of the Indian subcontinent.

It was a time of prosperity and progress in the arts, exploration, literature, theatre, architecture, music, mathematics, philosophy, and science.

The Hellenistic period was characterized by a new wave of Greek colonization which established Greek cities and kingdoms in Asia and Africa.

This colonization resulted in the export of Greek culture and language.

The far-flung local Hellenistic culture represented a fusion of the Ancient Greek world with that of the indigenous Near East, Middle East, Northeast Africa, and Southwest Asian cultures.

Jockey of Artemision

- - Name: Jockey of Artemision
  - Date: 150–140 BC
  - Material: Bronze
  - Discovered: 1926
  - Country: Greece
  - Dimensions: L: 2.9 meters (9.5 ft); H: 2.1 meters (6.9 ft)
  - Museum: National Archaeological Museum, Athens