ABSTRACT The thousands of bronze statues that once stood in the cities, sanctuaries, public baths, gymnasia, and private homes of the classical world are nearly all gone, destroyed, repurposed, or re-used for utilitarian purposes. Greek statues were taken to Rome as spoils; public statues of Romans were deaccessioned when they became too numerous; classical statues were smashed indiscriminately by the early Christians; and eastern conquerors seized the metal from ancient statues by the camel-loads. Some ships went down with loads of scrap metal, a market that has never flagged. Most bronzes are known only from literary records. The few that have survived have done so because of misidentification, shipwreck, perceived magical powers, or natural disaster.
Carol C. Mattusch (Fri,) studied this question.