Colossus of the Naxians
The colossus of the Naxians made of Naxos marble , which was about 9 meters high, is in the Museum of Delos , on an island in the Cyclades , Greece. The colossus belongs to the archaic large-scale sculpture and was created at the end of the 7th century BC. BC, according to information from Hans van Wees around 580 BC. BC This kouros is the largest that has ever been erected. Its construction is an expression of the competition between the Greek cities, which was first expressed in the increasing size of the statues erected, before it then took the form of a quality competition. Only the Kouros of Apollonas , which remained in the quarry near Apollonas from Naxos , is larger at 10.7 meters. The Colossus of Delos broke into several parts today.
statue
On the front of the figure, at the base, there is a name: Naxioi Apolloi , "the Naxians to Apollo". The marble sculpture is therefore interpreted as the figure of Apollo .
Description of the sculpture
The sculpture broke into several parts. The base is 3.48 x 5.08 meters, the upper body about 2.30 meters high and the lower body about 1.15 meters. The left foot, located in the museum in London, is 0.57 meters long. The left marble hand was pierced to accept a bow. The head and thighs have been lost.
At the upper edge of the lower body there used to be a belt made of bronze with a width of 20 to 30 cm, this can be inferred from the arrangement of the pin holes in the marble. On the sides of the torso, about 40 cm above the belt, there are holes with which the arms were attached. There are traces of curls on the neck. There is an inscription on the back of the base, which gives rise to different interpretations.
Transport and assembly
The colossus was broken from a marble quarry near Melanes on the Cycladic island of Naxos. There it was not completed, but only roughly worked out in its outline in Bosse and transported to the port of Naxos , which is about ten kilometers away. The 30-ton figure was transported from Naxos to Delos by ship. There were ships that could carry more than 40 tons, but loading them was difficult. It is therefore assumed that the half-finished colossus was transported in the water between two ships, which also meant a weight saving of 35 percent.
For the construction of the colossus of the Naxier, an approximately 11 meter high scaffold is said to have been built so that it can be erected vertically with pulleys and winches. The statue stood in a prominent place so that it could be seen from afar, and towered over all the buildings on the island at that time. Since the statue was not completed in its external form until after it was erected, it weighed around 25 tons.
literature
- Carl Blümel : Greek sculptor at work. 2nd Edition. de Gruyter, Berlin 1941.
- Gottfried Gruben : Naxos and Delos. S. 262 ff. In: Yearbook of the German Archaeological Institute 1998. Ed. German Archaeological Institute. Walter De Gruyter. Berlin 1998, ISBN 3-11-015369-6 ( partly available online ).
- Luca Giuliani : The Colossus of the Naxians. In: Luca Giuliani (ed.): Masterpieces of ancient art. CH Beck Verlag, Munich 2005. ISBN 3-406-53094-X ( partly available online ).
See also
Web links
Images and information on:
- Base of the Colossus of the Naxians in the Arachne archaeological database
- Upper body of the Colossus of the Naxians in the Arachne archaeological database
- Hand of the Colossus of the Naxians in the Arachne archaeological database
Individual evidence
- ^ A b Giuliani: Masterpieces . P. 13 (see literature).
- ^ Giuliani: Masterpieces . P. 26.
- ↑ Hans van Wees: The Economy. In: Kurt A. Raaflaub, Hans van Wees (eds.): A Companion to Archaic Greece. Wiley-Blackwell 2013, p. 453.
- ↑ Pits: Naxos and Delos . P. 278.
- ^ Giuliani: Masterpieces . P. 23 ff.
- ^ Giuliani: Masterpieces . P. 15.
- ↑ Pits: Naxos and Delos . P. 267. Note 13 (see literature).