The Antikythera Ephebe (Ca. 340-330 BC) The National Archaeological Museum of Athens, GreeceIn 1900
The Antikythera Ephebe (Ca. 340-330 BC) The National Archaeological Museum of Athens, GreeceIn 1900 the crew of a Greek ship made a wonderful discovery near Antikythera, an island in the Aegean Sea. While actually diving for sponges, suddenly they encountered an ancient shipwreck. The first diver who caught sight of the ship came back instantly, terrified by the appearance of what he thought to be rotting human corpses. The captain assumed that the diver had gone completely mad from an overdose of carbon dioxide in his helmet and decided to take a look himself. It soon turned out to be one of the most magnificent archaeological finds ever: the boat, dated around 70-60 BC, was loaded with priceless treasures, including some superb Greek bronze statues from the 4th century BC. This muscled young man was discovered in parts and was mended several times by numerous sculptors. The objects the figure once held in its hands are missing.The Antikythera Ephebe has been variously interpreted as Apollo; a “Learned” Hermes holding a caduceus and declaiming; Heracles with club or lion-skin; a victorious athlete holding a prize; Perseus, displaying in his right hand the head of the Gorgon Medusa, grasping her by the hair; Paris, holding the Apple of Discord in his extended right hand and a funerary statue of a young man. -- source link
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