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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;hotwheelsearl, post: 3317640, member: 75143&quot;]I&#039;ve never liked Greek notes all that much, but I had to have this one.</p><p><br /></p><p>Obverse features the face of the Early Classical head of Apollo from the Temple of Zeus at Olympia. This massive, 9-foot tall sculpture is originally in marble, and was featured at the East Pediment of the Temple of Zeus. This is the temple where the gigantic, 40-foot tall chryselephantine statue of Zeus was originally displayed - we know this statues as one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. By the Byzantine period, the statue had been moved to Constantinople, where it was eventually destroyed in a fire. </p><p>The rest of the temple was felled by a serious of savage earthquakes that wiped out the entire temple. What was once the home of a World Wonder was reduced to rubble. </p><p>Fortunately for us, the devastation of the temple meant that near-complete pediments (East and West), as well as friezes and metopes survive very well, since there were buried under the rubble. The architectural statues were discovered <i>in situ</i> - they were excavated pretty much where they originally stood.</p><p>The East Pediment of the Temple of Zeus remains one of the best-preserved pediments of the entire Greek world.</p><p>[ATTACH=full]879589[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>The reverse features the Gymnasium at the Sanctuary of Zeus in Olympia. This is where the athletes would train for the Olympic Games - a temporary ceasefire where many Greek polises would come together for a bit of fun and games before going back to killing each other. The statue is the famous Discobolos (discus-thrower) by Myron. Myron was known as one of the best sculptors of the High Classical period. On the Athenian Acropolis, he had displayed a large bronze bull that was so realistic it was said to come alive every now and then. Unfortunately, exactly zero of Myrons original works survive. However, the Discobolos was so famous and well-known that the Romans copied it in marble to oblivion, making it one of the most common statues of the Classical world.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]879590[/ATTACH][/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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