Bronze Gorgoneion
Χ3009
Metal (Bronze)
Incomplete on lower left and part of edge
Diameter: 16 cm. Thickness: 1 mm.
Dreros
Temple of the agora
Archaic period:
Late 7th - early 6th c. BC:
Gallery:
XVCase:
156Exhibition thematic unit:
Geometric - Archaic - Classical period (10th-4th c. BC). Cities and SanctuariesSanctuaries
Description
Votive Gorgoneion, a bronze sheet with the head of the mythical monster Gorgo or Medusa, who was slain by Perseus. It was an apotropaic symbol and was depicted on the shield of the goddess Athena. This example was a votive offering to the temple in the agora of Dreros. The eye sockets and mouth contained inlays of precious materials, now lost. It is shaped and elaborately decorated in repoussé and incised work. The eyebrows end in incised spirals, while the forehead is decorated with incised dragons, with a central foliate rosette in the circles formed by their coiling bodies. The bronze plaque with two holes preserved on the rear side indicates that the object was attached to a different surface, probably a votive shield of perishable material.Bibliography:
Marinatos S., Le temple géométrique de Dréros (II), Bulletin de correspondance hellénique 60, 1936, p. 270 pl. 29Author:
M. K.Photographs' metadata