| Descriptive Attribute | Value(s) |
|---|---|
| Type | Male Votaries with Conical Helmets and Other Headgear |
| Title | Fragmentary Male Votary Head with Conical Helmet |
| Excavation Unit | 10 |
| Stratigraphic Unit | 1075 |
| Context | Built into the southern part of the eastern section of the peribolos associated with the Hellenistic-Roman phase of the sanctuary (EU 10/SU 1075). |
| Current Location | Kallinikeio Municipal Museum of Athienou, Cyprus |
| Material | Limestone |
| Height (cm) | 20.6 |
| Width (cm) | 15.7 |
| Date | 600 – 575 BCE |
| Thickness (cm) | 10.6 |
| Weight (kg) | 1.385 |
| Description | Truncated face from a bearded male broken along the forehead, the sides of the face, and at the chin. The forehead is flat and broad. The eye -sockets are relatively deep with large, horizontal, almond-shaped eyes and prominent lids; the proper right eye is slightly larger. The nose appears disproportionately larger than the rest of the facial features; both the cheeks and pursed lips are prominent. The remains of a conical helmet are preserved across the forehead, including evidence for the turned-up cheek protectors along the proper left side. Slanting, shallow grooves, which follow the shape of the lips in a V -pattern, are visible to the left and right below the mouth; these indicate the remains of a plain beard. The surface is slightly worn, with some minute porous holes; there is no evidence of pigment, although black splotches of natural discoloration are visible passim. |
| Commentary | AAP-AM-329 is one of the earliest statues recovered from the Malloura sanctuary to date; its facial features suggest a date at the beginning of the sixth century BCE, following the chronology established by Antoine Hermary (1989a: 22-–23) for the earliest series of conical helmet figures from Golgoi-Ayios Photios. In particular, the wide, open eyes (set horizontally on the face);, prominent eyeballs (which protrude outward from the face slightly more at their tops);, the large, strong nose with open nostrils; and straight, pursed lips that project from the mouth collectively associate AAP-AM-329 with styles that predate the earliest and more direct influence from Greek sculpture, when facial features tend to mimic East Greek styles and, in general, exhibit more graceful proportions. While it has been argued (Counts 2011b: 153-–57) that AAP-AM-329 is sculpted in the tradition of the colossal head from the Metropolitan Museum of Art (Hermary and Mertens 2015: 30-–31, cat. no. 1, truly a masterpiece of the type), other examples of similar scale provide better comparanda (e.g., Brehme et al. 2001: 133–34, cat. no. 141; Hermary 1989a: 25, cat. no. 4; Hermary and Mertens 2015: 31, cat. no. 2 and Hermary 1989a: 25, cat. no. 4; Brehme et al. 2001: 133-34, cat. no. 141). As argued elsewhere (Counts 2011b: 153-–57), the evidence suggests that the area of modern Athienou was home to a thriving and prolific workshop around the turn of the sixth century BCE that was producing limestone sculptures such as AAP-AM-329 for several sanctuaries in the region. The Cypriot conical helmet (sometimes referred to as a conical cap) is generally understood as militaristic headgear, but the lack of other martial attributes (weapons, shields, etc.) suggests a more indirect or even honorific association with military power. While fragmentary, comparison with other similar statues that wear the conical helmet suggests that the original figure would have been draped in a long robe, with one arm bent to the chest in a gesture of prayer or adoration (e.g., Hermary and Mertens 2015: 32-–34, cat. nos. 3, 4, 5, 6, 7). |
| Bibliography | Counts 1998: 142, cat. no. 4; 2011: 154, fig. 11.2a-b. |
| Sketchfab Media URL |
Alternate link to 3D Model: https://sketchfab.com/3d-models/aap-am-0329-a742fa8698bc405bbef3bc7c636f40bc
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| Descriptive Attribute | Value(s) |
|---|---|
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Consists of
Vocabulary: CIDOC Conceptual Reference Model (CRM) |
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Has type
Vocabulary: CIDOC Conceptual Reference Model (CRM) |
sculpture (visual works)
Vocabulary: Getty Art and Architecture Thesaurus Open Context References: sculpture (visual works) |
Suggested Citation
Derek Counts, Erin Averett, Kevin Garstki. (2020) "AAP-AM-329 from Europe/Cyprus/Athienou-Malloura". In Visualizing Votive Practice: Exploring Limestone and Terracotta Sculpture from Athienou-Malloura through 3D Models. Derek B. Counts, Erin Walcek Averett, Kevin Garstki, Michael Toumazou (Ed). Released: 2020-07-28. Open Context. <https://opencontext.org/subjects/0e921381-4801-48dc-828b-c87f10924726> ARK (Archive): https://n2t.net/ark:/28722/k2gb2fp0h
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