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Fragment of Archaic kouros head. (©Archaeological Exploration of Sardis/President and Fellows of Harvard College)
Fragment of Archaic Kouros Head
Report 2: Sculpture from Sardis: The Finds through 1975
(1978)
Cat. 14
- Date
- Ca. 540-520 BC, Late Lydian (Persian)
- Sardis or Museum Inv. No.
- S63.022
- Material
- Marble, Stone
- Object Type
- Sculpture
- Sculpture Type
- Human Figure, Kouros
- Site
- Sardis
- Sector
- Syn
- Trench
- Syn 63
- Locus
- Syn MH Spolia
- B-Grid Coordinates
- E75 - E80 / N5 - N18.5 *98 - 97.50
- Findspot
- Syn MH.
- Description
The fragment has a pattern of near-hexagonal rounded “beads” arranged in three continuous lines from l. to r. plus an intrusive line of three beads. It is possible from the hair of an archaic kouros (?), the back portion either just below the top (Richter, Kouroi, no. 148, fig. 418) or just above the diadem (ibid., no. 146, fig. 434). These comparisons from Chalkis and Thebes are kouroi of the Anavysos-Ptoon group, ca. 540-520 B.C.
Despite slight irregularities the piece is archaic rather than Roman archaistic. The latter possibility was suggested by B.S. Ridgway.
- Condition
White marble with large crystals.
Broken on all sides and on underside.
- Dimensions
- L. 0.10; W. 0.09; Th. 0.016.
- Comments
- See Also
- Bibliography
- Author
- GMAH