An investigation into the date of the Piraeus Apollo

The purpose of this thesis is to study the bronze sculpture known as the Piraeus Apollo and to establish its date of manufacture. It may be the first known monumental bronze sculpture in Greece, dating to the late sixth or early fifth century, or it could be a second century Archaistic bronze. For this investigation several different methods are employed. First, the archaeological context is discussed by reexamining the excavation history. Then Apollo's place in the canon of Greek sculpture is established using an art historical approach with a focus on connoisseurship to find Apollo's place in the canon of Greek sculpture through comparisons with other Greek sculpture. Previous scholarship is key to this section of the thesis. It is then placed chronologically using the current understanding of ancient bronze casting technologies and scientific analysis. Through this analysis, the Piraeus Apollo arises as an example of the Lingering Archaic style from the beginning of the fifth century