Heraklion Archaeological Museum - CollectiveAccess System : Clay objects : Head and torso of male figurine [Π33357]

Head and torso of male figurine

Π33357

Clay

Mended from two pieces.

Height: 13.5 cm. Maximum width: 7 cm.

Kophinas

Mezzolati site

Late Bronze Age. Neopalatial period, Middle Minoan ΙΙΙ - Late Minoan I period.:

1700 - 1450 BC:

Gallery:

VII

Case:

Exhibition thematic unit:

Late Bronze Age - Neopalatial period (1700-1450 BC). Minoan religion - Domestic and open-air cult

Open-air Sanctuaries The Peak Sanctuaries.

Description

Upper half of standing male figurine. On the head is preserved one of the applied clay discs representing the eyes, while the ears are indicated by applied flaps. Traces of the cap worn by the figure are preserved. The volumes of the head and the facial features are quite realistic, while the fit, toned body of the man depicted is exceptionally naturalistically rendered. Despite its partial preservation, this is one of the best examples of the naturalistic style of the Neopalatial period, as it is expressed in the coroplastic of the sanctuary. The sanctuary of Kophinas stands out from the other peak sanctuaries due to the abundant male figurines with highly toned bodies and carefully rendered muscles. They have been interpreted as athletes, an interpretation supported by the fact that many figures are depicted wearing boxing gloves. In Minoan Crete, sports such as boxing were associated with religious ceremonies and the ideological identity of high-status social groups.

Bibliography:

Karetsou, A. "Kophinas Revisited. The 1990 Excavation and the Cultic Activity". Κρητικά Χρονικά ΛΔ' (2014): 123-146. Karetsou, Α. and G. Rethemiotakis. "ΚΓ' Εφορεία Προϊστορικών και Κλασικών Αρχαιοτήτων. Νομός Ηρακλείου (Κόφινας)." Αρχαιολογικόν Δελτίον 45. Χρονικά Β'2 (1990): 429-430, pl. 210α. Rethemiotakis, G. "Images and Semiotics in Space: the Case of the Anthropomorphic Figurines from Kofinas." Κρητικά Χρονικά ΛΔ' (2014): 147-162, ph.2.

Author:

E. S.

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