| the main part of the temple. Three types of marble were used: Siphnian marble was used for the walls of the temple, "presumably the most cheaply available, and so used where quantity was required" (Tomlinson, 261), Naxian marble was used for the mouldings, and the famous sculptural program was executed in Parian marble. The orientation of the building is that the South and East sides would be seen by the travelers coming up along the Sacred Way, and then theNorth face is paralell to the Sacred Way, with the pronaos of the West side leading into the cella.
It is thought to be dated before 525 BCE, when Heroditus cites the island of Siphnos as having been sacked by the Samians. This date is the generally accepted date and in fact is used as a set point in the history of Greek art to date other works because Herodotus seems to be so specific with his reference to time. Historians believe that the treasury must have been built before the Samians ransacked Siphnos because the Siphnians would have been too poor to build the treasury after this event. One art historian, though, gives a very convincing argument to the later dating of this treasury which, although mostly disagreed with, could just as well be the date. E.D. Francis takes the bold and unaccepted view that the Treasury of the Siphnians could possibly have been built after the Persian Wars, half a century later where Francis feels the Treasury is more suitably placed stylistically (55). |