The Temple of Aphaia is located within a sanctuary complex dedicated to the goddess Aphaia on the Greek island of Aegina, which lies in the Saronic Gulf off the coast of Athens.

Formerly known as the Temple of Jupiter Panhellenius (page does not exist)”Jupiter Panhellenius, the great Doric temple is now recognised as dedicated to the mother-goddess Aphaia. It was a favourite of the neoclassical and romantic artists such as J. M. W. Turner. It stands on a c. 160 m peak on the eastern side of the island approximately 13km east by road from the main port.

Aphaia was a Greek goddess who was worshipped exclusively at this sanctuary. The extant temple of c. 500 BC was built over the remains of an earlier temple of c. 570 BC, which was destroyed by fire c. 510 BC. The elements of this destroyed temple were buried in the infill for the larger, flat terrace of the later temple, and are thus well preserved. Abundant traces of paint remain on many of these buried fragments. There may have been another temple in the 7th century BC, also located on the same site, but it is thought to have been much smaller and simpler in terms of both plan and execution.

Significant quantities of Late Bronze Age figurines have been discovered at the site, including proportionally large numbers of female figurines (kourotrophoi), indicating – perhaps – that cult activity at the site was continuous from the 14th century BC, suggesting a Minoan connection for the cult. The last temple is of an unusual plan and is also significant for its pedimental sculptures, which are thought to illustrate the change from Archaic to Early Classical technique. These sculptures are on display in the Glyptothek of Munich, with a number of fragments located in the museums at Aegina and on the site itself.

The marbles from the Late Archaic Temple of Aphaia, comprising the sculptural groups of the east and west pediments of the temple, are on display in the Glyptothek of Munich, where they were restored by the Danish neoclassic sculptor Bertel Thorvaldsen. These works exerted a formative influence on the local character of Neoclassicism in Munich, as exhibited in the architecture of Leo von Klenze. Each pediment centred on the figure of Athena, with groups of combatants, fallen warriors, and arms filling the decreasing angles of the pediments. The theme shared by the pediments was the greatness of Aegina as shown by the exploits of its local heroes in the two Trojan wars, one led by Heracles against Laomedon and a second led by Agamemnon against Priam.

According to the standard myths, Zeus raped the nymph Aegina, who bore the first king of the island, Aiakos. This king had the sons Telamon (father of the Homeric hero Ajax) and Peleus (father of the Homeric hero Achilles). The Greek idolize heroes who fallen at war, to die on the battleground was a great honour it depicted courage and strength. When a hero died it was though that they become immortal because they prove themselves to the Gods.

The sculptures preserve extensive traces of a complex paint scheme, and are crucial for the study of painting on ancient sculpture. The marbles are finished even on the back surfaces of the figures, despite the fact that these faced the pediment and were thus not visible.

Sculpture of a warrior from the east pediment of the Temple of Aphaia II

There is a tragic pathos to this mighty sculpture of a dying hero from a Temple Of Aphaia. Tragedy is a Greek concept. The tragedies of Sophocles, Euripides and Aeschylus are still performed. This statue shows a strong man fallen, heroic to his last breath.

Observing more closely, one can immediately notice the twist in body movement as the warrior tries to raise his body back up. Clinging to the enormous shield and looking downward, one can conclude that the warrior is severely injured. Yet, despite his injuries, he is still not giving up the battle and desperately attempts to survive. Through this agile movement, the sculptor has created a dramatic moment not to be forgotten.

Collection of the Glyptothek

The Glyptothek

The Glyptothek is a museum in Munich, Germany, which was commissioned by the Bavarian King Ludwig I to house his collection of Greek and Roman sculptures (hence glypto – “sculpture”, from the Greek verb glyphein “to carve”). It was designed by Leo von Klenze in the Neoclassical architecture”neoclassical style, and built from 1816 to 1830.

Collections

The Glyptothek contains sculptures dating from the archaic age (c. 650 BC) to the Roman era (c. 550 AD). Other notable sculptures, mosaics and reliefs can also be found here. This collection is complemented by the terracotta and bronze collections in the Staatliche Antikensammlung (State Collection of Greek and Roman Antiquities), which is located opposite the Glyptothek.

Archaic period (700-490 BC)

Among the most famous sculptures covering Archaic Greece are the Munich Kouros (statue of an adolescent from Attica, c. 540 BC), the Kouros of Tenea (statue of an adolescent from Corinth, c. 560 BC) and the temple figures from Aegina (510-480 BC). Of the latter, there are in fact two sets of similar sculptures at the Glyptothek. As archaeologists excavated the site at Aegina, these two sets were discovered, and it was later theorized that the original temple was destroyed during the Peloponnesian and another temple was erected shortly after in its place.

The extant temple of c. 500 BC was built over the remains of an earlier temple of c. 570 BC, which was destroyed by fire c. 510 BC. The elements of this destroyed temple were buried in the infill for the larger, flat terrace of the later temple, and are thus well preserved.

Classical period (490–323 BC)

To the most famous sculptures of Classical Greece belong the portrait of Homer (460 BC), the so-called Munich King (460 BC), who probably represented Hephaestus, the Statue of Diomedes (page does not exist)”Statue of Diomedes (430 BC), the Medusa Rondanini (440 BC), the Funeral stele of Mnesarete (380 BC), the Statue of Eirene (370 BC), the grave relief of a youth with his hunting dog” (360 BC), a portrait of Plato (348 BC), the Alexander Rondanini (c. 338 BC) and the Ilioneus (c. 320 BC).

Hellenistic period (323–146 BC)

The most famous sculpture representing the Hellenistic period is the Barberini Faun (220 BC). Among the famous Roman copies of Greek sculptures are the Boy with the Goose (c. 250 BC) and the Drunken Woman (attributed to Myron of Thebes; c. 200 BC).

The Hoplite

A hoplite (from hopla meaning tool or equipment) was the most common type of heavily armed foot-soldier in ancient Greece from the 7th to 4th centuries BC, and most ordinary citizens of Greek city-states with sufficient means were expected to equip and make themselves available for the role when necessary.

Athens had a system of compulsory military service for 18-20 year olds, but during a war all male citizens up to the age of 60 could be called up to the armed forces. Other city-states followed a similar policy, which meant that hoplites were not professional soldiers, and often lacked sufficient military training, although some states did maintain a small elite professional unit, the epilektoi. The most famous of these was the Sacred Band of Thebes, a unit composed of 150 pairs of male lovers who swore to defend their partner to the death. Sparta, where all male citizens over 20 were members of a permanent professional army, was the notable exception to this approach of only calling up an army when absolutely needed.

Hoplites were organised into regiments or lokhoi (several hundred men strong), and they fought in ranks eight or more men deep (known as a phalanx), and standing close together, half of the shield of one man protected his neighbour on his left side. This, interestingly, meant that the phalanx often moved forward at a slight angle to the right as men sought to keep behind the shield of their neighbour. This resulted in the left flank usually breaking formation first, and so this was the flank a competent commander would attack with priority, and he would therefore ensure he had his best troops on his own right flank. The phalanx advanced at a walk or faster, often accompanied by rhythmic music from aulos players, and shouting a tremendous war-cry (paean). On engaging the enemy the hoplites first thrust their spears, usually over-arm. After that initial contact the opposing lines usually went through a series of pushing and shoving (othismos) and close-quarter fighting with swords, which only ended when one side broke ranks. Pursuit of retreating hoplites was usually only over a short distance in order to maintain the protective close-formation.

Hoplites were instrumental in the Greek victories over Persia at the battles of Marathon (490 BC) and Plataea (479 BC). The weaknesses of the phalanx formation – attack from the flanks, rear, or when on rough terrain – were sometimes exploited by more wily commanders; however, the formation, albeit with lighter-armed infantry, was still in use through Hellenistic and early Roman times.

Source: Mark Cartwright, www.ancient,eu and wikipedia