3000 meters off the Calabrian coast near the village of Riace, a vacationing Italian scuba diver discerned with horror the outlines of a human body. Only an upthrust arm reached out from the sand. He surfaced and dove again to touch the arm with trepidation. It was bronze. A second statue, lying on its back, was close by. A report was made on August 16, 1972 to the superintendent of archaeological research for the area. The Italian national police were placed on guard. In a few days the statues were raised. Their discovery was one of the greatest archaeological discoveries of art treasures during this century. Here were two bronze statues of \Greek warriors which experts date from that period of the fifth century B.C. in which Greek art reached its highest pinnacle of attainment -- the Golden Age. They take their place among the few examples of bronze statues from ancient Greece. Many Greek statues were made from bronze but only a few have survived. Most are known to us only through their Roman copies made in marble.

Who made these magnificent examples of Greek sculpture which stand to a height of six feet? No one knows with certainty but all experts agree that they were done by one of the greatest of Greek masters. A large majority of those specialized in the study of ancient Greek art date the statues at 450 and 430 B.C., that period in which Phidias lived. Many believe that both came from the hand of Phidias himself.

How did they find their watery grave? Undoubtedly they were being carried from Greece to Rome on a Roman ship, perhaps two or three hundred years after they had been created. There were no indications that the ship had gone down. The only other objects found in the immediate area were a few rings such as those used for a vessel's sails and a few fragments of amphorae. The rings indicate that the central mast of the ship may have broken in a violent storm. It is conjectured that the statues, laced to the deck, may have been rolled overboard to save the distressed vessel. It is also thought that the detachable helmet worn by Warrior B, the shields and the spears carried by both may have been in the hold of the ship and were later melted down since they no longer served their intended function. The two statues had probably stood in a group commemorating a victory in battle. The courageous bearing and authority of Warrior A make it seem likely that he was the leader of the group. It is possible that the band around the hair of warrior A may have supported a laurel wreath. The similarity of the two unquestionably links them together. However, there is a slight change in the style of Warrior B indicating that it was made a few years later when the style was changing from Early Classical tradition to the concepts of High Classical.

The statues display the greatest achievements of Greek sculpturing. Their greatness extends beyond the realm of realism. Their beauty combines the ideals of Greece in its noblest period -- they are at once god-like, athletic, and heroic. Their attitude of defiance represents the moral force of the people they symbolize. They are exquisitely beautiful portraits of men sustained by inner faith as they face life.