Heraklion Archaeological Museum - CollectiveAccess System : Bronze objects : Bronze male figurine [Χ4358]

Bronze male figurine

Χ4358

Metal (Bronze)

Almost intact, feet missing, quite corroded

Height: 6 cm.

Syme

Sanctuary of Hermes and Aphrodite

Geometric period:

750-725 BC:

Gallery:

XVII

Case:

165

Exhibition thematic unit:

Geometric - Archaic - Classical period (10th - 4th c. BC). The Sanctuaries. From Minoan cult to the amalgamation of religious beliefs

Sanctuaries

Description

Bronze human figurine with left hand extended, palm down, and right hand bent on the chest. The legs are in a wide stride. The incised hairstyle is visible on the head and there is a loincloth around the waist. The figurine is cast in a mould, not very successfully. As a result, the details of the body are not very clear and its dimensions are slightly deformed. The figurine was found with a similar “twin”. The gesture it is making is particularly interesting; although its meaning is not completely clear, it may have been a gesture of protection. The most widely accepted theory is that the two figurines together represent Hermes in his double aspect. They may also have been hung from the sacred tree of the temple.

Bibliography:

Lebessi Α., “Το ιερό του Ερμή και της Αφροδίτης στη Σύμη Βιάννου”, Πρακτικά της εν Αθήναις αρχαιολογικής εταιρίας 1977, 403-418. Byrne M., The Greek Geometric Warrior Figurine. Interpretation and Origin, Louvain-La-Neuve, 1991, 68. Lebessi Α., Το Ιερό του Ερμή και της Αφροδίτης στη Σύμη Βιάννου ΙΙΙ. Τα χάλκινα ανθρωπόμορφα ειδώλια, Athens, 2002, 15-16.

Author:

S. P.

Photographs' metadata