Delphi Charioteer, Temple of Apollo, Delphi, Greece, C 470 BCE,
Bronze, Dimensions: H:1.8m.
The Charioteer of Delphi is a rare surviving 2,500-year-old bronze sculpture from Ancient Greek culture. It is a life-size statue of a chariot driver found in 1896 at the Sanctuary of Apollo in Delphi.
The statue was commissioned to commemorate the victory of the tyrant Polyzalusa of Gela, a Greek colony in Sicily, and his chariot in the Pythian Games of 470 BC.
The Pythian Games (also known as the Delphic Games) were among the four Panhellenic Games of Ancient Greece. They were held in honor of Apollo every four years at his sanctuary at Delphi.
They were held two years after each Olympic Games. An inscription on the statue’s limestone base shows that Polyzalus dedicated it as a tribute to Apollo for helping him win the chariot race.
The Charioteer of Delphi was initially part of a larger group of sculptures that included the chariot, at least four horses, and possibly two grooms.
Some smaller fragments of the horses, grooms, and chariot were found with the statue. The Sicilian Greek colonies were very wealthy compared with most of the cities of mainland Greece.
