Corfu produced the famous sixth-century BCE Gorgon-faced Temple of Artemis pediment. The sanctuary stood at Paleopolis, the ancient city of Corfu, then known as Korkyra.
The temple’s western pediment features a large central Gorgon, usually identified as Medusa, flanked by smaller figures. The composition is among the earliest surviving monumental examples of Greek architectural sculpture. Its dramatic scale shows how strongly Gorgon imagery functioned as a protective presence on sacred buildings.
The pediment also includes mythological scenes and animals, reflecting an early stage of Greek sculpture before classical naturalism became dominant. The central Gorgon is shown frontally, with a powerful expression and an expansive pose. Corfu’s temple is often confused with later sanctuaries on Crete or mainland Greece, but the famous Gorgon pediment belongs specifically to the Temple of Artemis on Corfu.