Thread by @DocCrom

Ancient Artefact of the Day: The Palaikastro Kouros

A stunning lithochryselephantine statuette, ca. 1480-1425 BC, from Building 5 at Palaikastro. One of the most remarkable pieces of surviving Minoan art. #AAOTD #Minoan

Image: Archaeological Museum of Siteia (ΜΣ ΑΕ 8506)

Elements of the statuette, which stands approximately 0.5m high, were found over several seasons of excavations, with the individual pieces designed to be connected by dowel fittings.

Image: Figures 5.1 & 5.2 from Moak 2000 (see end of thread for citations)

A composite creation of ivory, gold, serpentine, and rock crystal, the statuette is one of the most evocative pieces of Minoan art. I am always struck by the quality of the modelling of the musculature of the arms.

Image: Plate Db (British School at Athens Studies, 2000, Vol. 6)

There have been various interpretations of the nature of the figure's identity, ranging from a representation of a young man during a 'rite of passage', to associating it with representations of supposed divinities based on similarities to terracotta examples at Petsophas.

The enigmatic qualities of the figure have done much to add a mystique to the piece, but what is striking is the sheer volume of craft expertise which went into its creation.

For more, one should certainly refer to its superb publication:

J.A. MacGillivray, J.M. Driessen and L.H. Sackett (eds.), 'The PALAIKASTRO KOUROS, A Minoan Chryselephantine Statuette and its Aegean Bronze Age Context', British School at Athens Studies, vol. 6, 2000

In particular on its construction, see:

Moak, Mark. “The Palaikastro Kouros.” British School at Athens Studies, vol. 6, 2000, pp. 65–83.

jstor.org/stable/40916617

#AAOTD #Minoan