| Descriptive Attribute | Value(s) |
|---|---|
| Type | Male Votaries with Conical Helmets and Other Headgear |
| Title | Male Votary Head with Conical Helmet |
| Excavation Unit | 24 |
| Stratigraphic Unit | 2471 |
| Context | Found in the construction fill of the hard-packed floor layer associated with the Hellenistic-Roman phase of the sanctuary (EU 24/SU 2471). |
| Current Location | Larnaka District Archaeological Museum, Cyprus |
| Material | Limestone |
| Height (cm) | 9.84 |
| Width (cm) | 4.1 |
| Date | 600 – 550 BCE |
| Thickness (cm) | 6.39 |
| Weight (kg) | 0.25 |
| Description | Statuette head of a beardless, male votary wearing a conical helmet, broken at the top of the neck and along the proper right side. Two deep grooves extend from the top knob of the headdress down to the rim above the forehead, in line with the eyes. The brim of the helmet has a small ridge above the forehead. The knob of the helmet (rising about a centimeter) is shaped as an elongated cylinder on the top and is decorated with incised, parallel, vertical grooves. The helmet extends down behind the ears. The proper left ear is large, with little detail, and is rendered as a thick projection off the head. The proper right ear is not preserved. The face tapers slightly toward the chin, with small cheeks. The almond-shaped eyes are only roughly articulated, raised in flat relief with deep grooves at the inside corners and under the eyes. The proper right eye is set slightly higher on the face, although the face is otherwise symmetrical. The brow line descends to the nose, which is long and angular. The thin, pursed lips offer a full smile. The chin is rounded and slightly juts slightlyting from the jawline. The back of the head is worked flat, with a large chisel mark visible. No evidence of pigment or significant discoloration. |
| Commentary | As noted in the discussion of AAP-AM-329, male votaries with conical helmets are among the earliest dated Cypriot limestone sculptures and it is difficult to avoid connecting the type with contemporary (and earlier) examples in terracotta well documented at Ayia Irini (see also AAP-AM-4653). While the earliest examples, dated to the last part of the seventh century BCE, are typically bearded (Hermary 1989a: 22-–23), beardless example like AAP-AM-2185 become ubiquitous in Cypriot sanctuaries during the first half of the sixth century BCE. During this period, the type, which is reduced in scale and shows evidence of mass production (typified by abbreviated features and flat profiles), dominates the repertoire of Archaic sculpture in many sanctuaries across the Mesaoria and beyond, until the influence of East Greek sculptural style replaces the conical helmet and other headgear with vegetal wreaths. This fragmentary, but eloquent, example of the type preserves well the helmet, with cheek pieces pulled up and fastened together at the top of the head (indicated clearly by two vertical incisions). The large, horizontal, almond- shaped eyes—raised and flat as if unfinished, but more likely now missing their original paint—place this head within the first half of the sixth century BCE (see, for example, Hermary 1989a: 39-–40, cat. nos. 35 and 38, but also earlier examples—bearded—that offer significant parallels, e.g., 28-–29, cat. nos. 12-–15). The smile is particularly expressive, even if details of the eyes and ears are summarily executed, and the deeply -set, pursed lips and prominent chin reinforce an early -sixth-century BCE date. |
| Bibliography | Unpublished |
| Sketchfab Media URL |
Alternate link to 3D Model: https://sketchfab.com/3d-models/aap-am-2185-d1dda8402eaa4323b077f634e3a48e29
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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-2185 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/c9c22309-86e2-4615-b285-36c491ddc993> ARK (Archive): https://n2t.net/ark:/28722/k2280p45g
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