Temple of Artemis, Corfu
[5] The metope of the temple was probably decorated, since remnants of reliefs featuring Achilles and Memnon were found in the ancient ruins.
[1] The ruins were found during the Napoleonic Wars by soldiers of the French general François-Xavier Donzelot as they were digging, preparing for trench warfare.
[7] Kaiser Wilhelm II, while vacationing at his summer palace of Achilleion in Corfu and while Europe was preparing for war, was involved in excavations at the site of the ancient temple, led by the Greek archaeologist Federiko Versakis on behalf of the Greek Archaeological Society and the famous German archaeologist Wilhelm Dörpfeld on behalf of the German Archaeological Institute, started excavations at the Artemis Temple of Corfu.
The excavations involved political manoeuvering due to the antagonism that had developed between the two principal archaeologists at the Corfu Temple site.
[8][9] Wilhelm II had a "lifelong obsession" with the Gorgon sculpture, which is attributed to his attendance at seminars on Greek Archaeology while at the University of Bonn.
However, the existing ruins have provided sufficient information for a complete reconstruction of the architectural details of the temple.
The rest of the altar disappeared under the foundations of the Saint Theodore monastery which was built on the site of the temple.
[2] Both pediments appear to be decorated in an identical manner and they feature a large relief of the Gorgon Medusa, more than 9 ft. high.
[2] The pediment has been described by The New York Times as the "finest example of Archaic temple sculpture extant".
[13] The Medusa is wearing a short skirt which allows her legs freedom of movement while she is fleeing from Perseus.
[19] The panthers, flanking Medusa on each side, serve as temple guardians and they gaze outward as if to visually inspect their domain.
[2][13][20][3][21] The smaller size of the guardian leopards relative to the pediment enclosure and their high relief indicates that the archaic sculptor desired to disengage the animals from their environment.
[2][13][14] A gorgoneion (Greek: Γοργόνειον) was a special apotropaic amulet very popular at the period, regarded as worn by gods and royalty as well as others.
[14][23][24] There are also arguments that the seated figure illustrates King Priam of Troy being slain by the Greek hero Neoptolemos and that the scene on the left is inspired from the Trojan War.
[2] If this is the case, then there are two themes present in the pediment: the Sack of Troy and the Gigantomachy, the battle between the gods and Giants.
The narration of the film is done through the mouth of a statue of the Jewish poet Heinrich Heine, which Kaiser Wilhelm II had removed from the Achilleion after he took over ownership of the palace from Empress Elizabeth of Austria.
