Antinous Statue

Antinous Statue

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On July 1, 1894, at the excavation of Delphi near the Temple of Apollo, archaeologists uncovered a near-perfectly preserved, still-upright statue of Antinous
Archaeologists and workers pose in front of the magnificent statue of Antinous which was unearthed near the Temple of Apollo in the sanctuary at Delphi (Colourized)
Antinous was a young Greek of extraordinary beauty from Bithynia, who became the beloved companion of the Roman emperor Hadrian but later died in Nile under mysterious circumstances.
Stricken by the death of Antinous, Hadrian, who happened to be an admirer and a passionate supporter of classical Greek Antiquity, as well as a benefactor of the Oracle of Delphi, ordered that statues of the beautiful young man, whom he had loved so passionately, be erected in all sanctuaries and cities of his vast empire. Furthermore, he ordered the institution and establishment of Games in honor of Antinous, who since then was honored and worshiped as a god.
Thus, a statue of Antinous was erected within the sanctuary of Delphi, after his death, in 130 A.D. and it was one of the most beautiful and impressive cult statues. During the excavations, the statue was discovered upright on its pedestal, next to the wall of a brick chamber, alongside the holy Temple. From the Roman coins minted to honor Αntinous, we are informed that the representation of the statue was accompanied by the epithet "Propylaeus". So, it is legitimate to assume that it was originally placed at the entrance of the sanctuary. Later on, it suffered damages and broke at the height of the knee, so it had to be moved closer to the temple of Apollo, in a sort of chapel, where it was found during excavations, in relatively good condition. Its idealized characteristics as well as the intense polishing of its marble surface with a special oil (which helped it survive gleaming and in excellent condition), is indicative of the time of radical Hadrian.
Taking a closer look at the statue, the head of young Antinous is tilted to the side like he is in a state of reflection. Around its thick and masterfully carved hair, which surround its face and fall on its forehead and cheeks, thus adding a mournful quality to its beautiful, full of vain youthful figure, several holes can be observed that were used to attach a bronze laurel wreath. His body is carved in a way that gives it the beautiful nudity which characterized the statues of gods and heroes of classical antiquity. However, the nostalgic Hadrian classicism is not enough for the statue to stand worthy of the art of its genuine classic models.
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by Osama Shukir Muhammed Amin
published on 29 October 2019

Associate Professor of Neurology and lover of the Cradle of Civilization, Mesopotamia. I'm very interested in Mesopotamian history and always try to take photos of archaeological sites and artifacts in museums, both in Iraq and around the world.

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Our mission is to engage people with cultural heritage and to improve history education worldwide.

The head and the statue are ancient but were combined as recently as the 18th century. The portrait depicts the Roman Emperor Hadrian 's lover, Antinous , depicted with a snake and cornucopia. The attributes allow the statue to be interpreted as Agathos Daimon (Agathodaemon; protective spirit). Marble. Around 130-140 CE. Acquired in Rome , Italy , in 1766 CE. It is on display at the Altes Museum in Berlin, Germany.

Uploaded by Osama Shukir Muhammed Amin , published on 29 October 2019. The copyright holder has published this content under the following license: Copyright . You cannot use, copy, distribute, or modify this item without explicit permission from the author. Please note that content linked from this page may have different licensing terms.

Amin, O. S. M. (2019, October 29). Colossal Statue of Antinous .
World History Encyclopedia . Retrieved from https://www.worldhistory.org/image/11396/colossal-statue-of-antinous/

Amin, Osama Shukir Muhammed. " Colossal Statue of Antinous ."
World History Encyclopedia . Last modified October 29, 2019.
https://www.worldhistory.org/image/11396/colossal-statue-of-antinous/.

Amin, Osama Shukir Muhammed. " Colossal Statue of Antinous ."
World History Encyclopedia . World History Encyclopedia, 29 Oct 2019. Web. 30 Jun 2022.

Our mission is to engage people with cultural heritage and to improve history education worldwide. Please support World History Encyclopedia Foundation. Thank you!

Numerous educational institutions recommend us, including Oxford University and University of Missouri .
Our publication has been reviewed for educational use by Common Sense Education , Internet Scout , Merlot II , OER Commons and School Library Journal .
Please note that some of these recommendations are listed under our old name, Ancient History Encyclopedia.

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Some Rights Reserved (2009-2022) under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike license unless otherwise noted.

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by Osama Shukir Muhammed Amin
published on 02 January 2015

Associate Professor of Neurology and lover of the Cradle of Civilization, Mesopotamia. I'm very interested in Mesopotamian history and always try to take photos of archaeological sites and artifacts in museums, both in Iraq and around the world.

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Hadrian (l. 78-138 CE) was emperor of Rome (r. 117-138 CE) and...

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Our Mission
Our mission is to engage people with cultural heritage and to improve history education worldwide.

This marble statue depicts a standing-striding man with an Egyptianized style; he is Antinous , a favorite of emperor Hadrian . It was found at the Hadrian's villa (Tivoli), modern-day Italy . Roman period, circa 135 CE.(State Museum of Egyptian Art , Munich, Germany).

Uploaded by Osama Shukir Muhammed Amin , published on 02 January 2015. The copyright holder has published this content under the following license: Copyright . You cannot use, copy, distribute, or modify this item without explicit permission from the author. Please note that content linked from this page may have different licensing terms.

Amin, O. S. M. (2015, January 02). Statue of Antinous .
World History Encyclopedia . Retrieved from https://www.worldhistory.org/image/3457/statue-of-antinous/

Amin, Osama Shukir Muhammed. " Statue of Antinous ."
World History Encyclopedia . Last modified January 02, 2015.
https://www.worldhistory.org/image/3457/statue-of-antinous/.

Amin, Osama Shukir Muhammed. " Statue of Antinous ."
World History Encyclopedia . World History Encyclopedia, 02 Jan 2015. Web. 01 Jul 2022.

Our mission is to engage people with cultural heritage and to improve history education worldwide. Please support World History Encyclopedia Foundation. Thank you!

Numerous educational institutions recommend us, including Oxford University and University of Missouri .
Our publication has been reviewed for educational use by Common Sense Education , Internet Scout , Merlot II , OER Commons and School Library Journal .
Please note that some of these recommendations are listed under our old name, Ancient History Encyclopedia.

World History Publishing is a non-profit company registered in the United Kingdom.
World History Foundation is a non-profit organization registered in Canada.

We care about our planet and contribute a share of our revenue to carbon removal from the atmosphere.

Some Rights Reserved (2009-2022) under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike license unless otherwise noted.

The World History Encyclopedia logo is a registered trademark .

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