Riace Bronze Warriors

Found in sea off Riace, South Italy, Severe Style, ca. 460-450 B.C. Possible monuments that have been suggested as their origins: Monument at Olympia, associated with sculptor Onatas: Pausanias, Description of Greece, 5.25.8 ff. (Pausanias' floruit was ca. 150 A.D.) [8] There are also offerings dedicated by the whole Achaean race in common; they represent those who, when Hector challenged any Greek to meet him in single combat, dared to cast lots to choose the champion. They stand, armed with spears and shields, near the great temple [of Zeus]. Right opposite, on a second pedestal, is a figure of Nestor, who has thrown the lot of each into the helmet. The number of those casting lots to meet Hector is now only eight, for the ninth, the statue of Odysseus, they say that Nero carried to Rome, [9] but Agamemnon's statue is the only one of the eight to have his name inscribed upon it; the writing is from right to left. The figure with the cock emblazoned on the shield is Idomeneus the descendant of Minos. The story goes that Idomeneus was descended from the Sun, the father of Pasiphae, and that the cock is sacred to the Sun and proclaims when he is about to rise. An inscription too is written on the pedestal:    To Zeus these images were dedicated by the Achaeans,    Descendants of Pelops the godlike scion of Tantalus. Such is the inscription on the pedestal, but the name of the artist is written on the shield of Idomeneus:    This is one of the many works of clever Onatas,    The Aeginetan, whose sire was Micon.