Eretria on the island of Euboea was an ally of Athens in the wars against Persia, and in 490 BCE the city and its newly-built temple of Apollo were sacked by the Persians. Only this sculptural group and a few other fragments survive, all from the west pediment. The story of the Amazon Antiope, who as shown here was snatched in battle by the god Theseus and hauled onto his chariot. Theseus’s position as legendary king of Athens and the Amazons’ failure to rescue Antiope make this sculptural group the perfect subject for a city state who were keen to show their allegiance to Athens