Huddilston, John H.: The attitude of the Greek tragedians toward art (London, 1898)

54 The Attitude of the Greek

vases1. The gable group of the Treasure House
of the Megarians at Olympia2 and the frieze on
the Treasure House of the Siphnians at Delphi3
are the earliest extant monuments representing
the battle in stone. The same was also on the
metopes of the Heraion at Argos4. By far the
most important sculptural Gigantomachia for
the Athenians must have been that on the east
metopes of their own Parthenon5. These latter
were daily before the eyes of the people, and the
public which listened to the account of the distant
temple at Delphi was doubtless much interested
to learn the points common to Athena's Parthenon
and Apollo's famous shrine.

It must be observed in this connexion that
not a trace of the temple sculpture has been
discovered during the last five years of the
French excavations at Delphi. The immense
pedimental pieces and the metopes and frieze

1 Cf. no. 1274 Hermitage

a Vid. Ausgrabungen von Olympia, text iii. p. 5 ff.

3 B. C.H. 1895, p. 535, and Furtwangler in Berliner Philologisclie
Wochenschrift, 1894, p. 1275. This building, which was, accord-
ing to Herodotus, begun 524 B.C., was probably completed in
a short time thereafter, and if the frieze was put on at this time
one may arrive at a tolerably close date for another important
work of Greek sculpture which modern excavations have brought
to light.

1 Paus. 2. 17. 3. 5 Michaelis, Parthenon, atlas pi. 5.