Sculpture Frieze of the Siphnian Treasury, Delphi, Archaic Greek. C.530-525

The Siphnian Treasury was built at Delphi by the people of Siphnos, sometime before 525 BC, after a lucky strike of silver on their island. The porch is supported by Caryatids (figures of women), and there are friezes on all sides. This is the earliest known instance of a continuous narrative frieze. The Siphnian Treasury is one of the most securely dated monuments of the Archaic period. This makes it extremely important, since the date of so much else is pinned on it. The friezes on the West and South sides however have significant portions missing, making identification of their meanings difficult to decipher.…