Artemisium or Artemision (Greek: Ἀρτεμίσιον) is a cape in northern Euboea, Greece. The hollow cast bronze statue of Zeus or Poseidon, known as the Artemision Bronze, was found off this cape in a sunken ship, as was the Jockey of Artemision, a bronze statue of a racehorse and its jockey.

Beach at Cape Artemisium. Magnesia in the distance.
The Artemision Bronze, (National Archaeological Museum of Athens)

The Battle of Artemisium, a series of naval engagements over three days during the second Persian invasion of Greece in 480 BC, simultaneously with the more famous land battle at Thermopylae, took place here. Part of the action of the film 300: Rise of an Empire was loosely based on this battle.

Archaeology

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In 1928, an Ancient Greek shipwreck at the site was found containing artefacts including the Artemision Bronze, a statue either of Zeus or Poseidon, and the Jockey of Artemision, a bronze statue of a racehorse and its rider. [1]

In September 1952, the American School of Classical Studies at Athens made a return visit to the shipwreck, directed by George E. Mylonas, S. A. Dontas and Christos Karouzos. The excavation employed five divers and a sailing boat, the Alkyone, which was used to dredge the sea floor between dives. The project succeeded in re-locating the shipwreck, but did not recover any notable finds.[2]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Woodford 1982, p. 15; "Greek Statues: From the Sea". Morning Bulletin. No. 20303. Queensland, Australia. 11 December 1929. p. 3. Retrieved 26 August 2019 – via National Library of Australia.
  2. ^ Meritt 1984, p. 60; Vogeikoff-Brogan 2021.

Bibliography

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39°0′45″N 23°13′37″E / 39.01250°N 23.22694°E / 39.01250; 23.22694