Funerary stele with kore holding bird and wreath
Γ396
Stone (Limestone)
Almost intact
Max. Height: 48.5 cm. Max. Length: 30 cm. Max. Width: 11.2 cm.
Prinias
Early Archaic period:
620-600 BC:
Gallery:
XVIIIExhibition thematic unit:
Geometric - Archaic period (10th-6th c. BC). The cemetery of the city of PriniasDescription
This funerary stele of the Archaic period from the cemetery of Prinias was found, together with many others, reused as building material set into the walls of a four-sided funerary building of much later date. This reuse of objects and architectural members was a common practice in the past. In their original form, these stelae were grave markers. This particular example depicts a young woman holding a bird in one hand and a pomegranate wreath in the other. Both are symbols of the Underworld and the purity and youth of the deceased maiden, referring to the myth of Persephone. Most of the funerary stelae found in various parts of the ancient Greek world were set on a base or a small pedestal over the tomb of the deceased.Bibliography:
Platon N., “Ανασκαφαί της Ελληνικής Αρχαιολογικής Υπηρεσίας”, Κρητικά Χρονικά, vol. 13, 1959, 367-378. Daux G., “ Chronique des fouilles et découvertes archéologiques en Gréce en 1959.”, Bulletin de correspondance hellénique 84, 1960, 617-868. Lebessi Α., Οι στήλες του Πρινιά, Athens, 1976, 33-34, 48-53, 75-83, pls 32-33.Author:
S. P.Photographs' metadata