Who are they? Where does they come from? 5 interesting facts about the Riace Bronzes
Ancient Greek’s masterpieces
The Riace Bronzes are two incredible bronze statues, famous for having retained their splendor despite the passage of centuries.
Although they have been studied extensively, the Bronzes remain shrouded in mystery. How much do you know about the history of these ancient Greek masterpieces?
Here are 5 interesting facts about these fascinating bronze statues!
1. Two statues discovered by accident
The Riace Bronzes were not discovered until 1972, thanks to an amateur diver.
On August 16th of that year, Stefano Mariottini, a young man from Rome, was diving near Riace Marina when he noticed something strange on the seabed.
It was the left arm of one of the two statues. The find was reported to the authorities, who brought the statues to the surface with an inflated balloon.
2. Two different but very similar bronzes
The bronzes are two imposing statues, just under two meters tall.
Although they are not identical, they are very similar, and some elements, such as the poses of the statues, suggest that they were made to be viewed together.
In addition, the presence of lead pins under the feet confirms the hypothesis that the statues were mounted on pedestals and thus displayed in public.
3. Two statues originally from Greece
The origin of the Riace bronzes found in Calabria was still a mystery and raised many questions until 2013.
In that year, following the intervention of the Istituto Centrale del Restauro in Rome, the clay used to make the statues was analyzed.
The analysis showed that the clay came from Argos, in the Peloponnese, confirming the Greek origin of the Riace bronzes.
4. The Journey to Italy
Despite the now clear Greek origin of the Riace Bronzes, it is less clear why they were transported to Italy.
One credible hypothesis is that it was part of the trade of Greek antiquities to the Roman world that took place between the 1st century BC and the 2nd century AD.
The ship may have been forced to unload the weight of the statues in order to survive a violent storm.
5. Who are the two Riace bronzes from?
A well-founded hypothesis suggests that they could be hoplites, linked to the myth of the Seven of Thebes.
The myth, also told by Aeschylus in a tragedy, tells of the clash between the brothers Polynices and Eteocles, each accompanied by six warriors, in a fratricidal battle of seven against seven.
The hypothesis is that the two bronzes may represent the brave warriors at the side of the brothers.
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