One of the most significant buildings of the sanctuary of Delphi was the Athenian Treasury, a sort of treasure house of Athens, where the spoils gained from the city’s victories and other objects dedicated to the sanctuary were kept. It was erected in a prominent position along the Sacred Way and, according to Pausanias, it was built in the aftermath of the Battle of Marathon (490 BC) so as to make manifest among the Greeks the triumph of the Athenians over the Persians.

The best-preserved parts of its rich sculptural decoration are the metopes, that constitute examples of high sculpture of the last phase of the Archaic period and depict the Labours of two heroes, the hero Heracles and the Athenian hero Theseus.