As long as the life of Ancient Greeks was inseparable from their religious beliefs, the whole body of their culture was based on mythology. Both Greek art and architecture were expected to be informative and inspiring. As Greek Civilization flourished, its artists depicted scenes from epic poems and legends in their masterpieces. Therefore, the narrative elements were common. Moreover, Greek artists tried to make their figural decorations as realistic, as possible. The comparison of the west pediment of the Temple of Artemis (Corfu) and the north frieze of the Siphnian Treasury shows that the authors of these decorations have used similar techniques.
Both pediment and frieze include the elements that indicate motion. The west pediment of the Temple of Artemis depicts the Gorgon moving towards her son: the configuration of her feet and arms makes such a conclusion obvious. In addition, there is a figure of Zeus fighting with a giant in the right corner of the pediment. This is the motif that connects both masterpieces, as the north frieze of the Siphnian Treasury depicts the same scene. It is believed that the frieze illustrates the battle of the Olympian gods and the Giants. Several scenes of action and numerous intertwined figures of gods and the Giants provide this decoration with a narrative value.

The difference between the west pediment and the north frieze is provoked by the shape of the shallow. All the important figures on the frieze are shown one by one. The motion is linear, as the gods move from the left side of the decoration to the right side. On the other hand, the pediment is triangular. It would be hard to fill such a shallow with the figures of equal importance. As a result, there is a main figure placed in the center of attention, the one of the Gorgon. Other figures are smaller, as they are used in order to make the narration meaningful.

The common features of the pediment and the frieze illustrate the realistic and narrative nature of the Ancient Greek art, and the differences between these decorations are minor. The fact that these decorations are of approximately the same age makes them similar as well.