A section of the north frieze depicting a battle between gods and giants, a common theme of Archaic art. This section depicts Themis in a lion-drawn chariot and the siblings Apollo (front) and Artemis (back) side by side.
A scene from the north frieze of the treasury depicting the Gigantomachy, a battle between gods and giants. Although the sculpture is large and complex, it follows a common convention of battle depictions where the winning side, here the gods, always face right, making it easy to distinguish the characters. The segment shown is from the center-left of the frieze, and centers upon Themis, riding a lion-drawn chariot, and the siblings Apollo and Artemis standing together. The fleeing giants have their torsos turned, but still look back, in keeping with the convention mentioned above. Nearly all the characters in the scene were named, with inscriptions either placed below the frieze or in gaps between characters. For example, the giant on the far right of the image is named Kantharos, from a faint but just visible inscription in the gap of his legs. All of the friezes on the Siphnian Treasury were painted and adorned with metal details, and this frieze is believed to be the work of the same artist as the east frieze depicted in DH.77.
Creation date unknown. Photograph processed July 1978. Notes written on the slide or index: Siphinian Treasury: Battle of the Gods and Giants - Delphi.
