Athens – National Archaeological Museum (Jockey of Artemision)

This large sculpture, located in the National Archaeological Museum, of a horse and young jockey is made from bronze and dates to around 140BC. Strangely, the statue likely only survived as it was on board a ship that went aground off Cape Artemision in Greece, otherwise it might have been melted down. It’s not known who the creator was, but it’s thought it might have been dedicated to the Gods as thanks for the horse winning a race.

Known as the Jockey of Artemision, the sculpture is carefully crafted and has plenty of detail, particularly on the faces of the jockey. The sculpture wasn’t found in one piece and was instead brought up from the sea floor over a period of 11 years. Only in 1972, nearly fifty years after the sculpture was initially discovered, were the pieces all put back together again.