Nochmals Überlegungen zum Kouros von Marion

Abstract

The article discusses the statue of a destroyed eastern Greek kouros from the early 5ᵗʰ century B.C., found in 1886 in a Cypriot chamber tomb at Marion. A detailed publication of the tomb by Matthias Recke is planned. Although statues of the Greek kouros type, the representation of a young unclothed man, were not used in Cypriot sculpture, the placement of the destroyed statue in the dromos in front of the locked entrance to the burial chamber indicates that this work was held in high esteem. The excavator of Marion, William Childs, tentatively suggested that the torso may have been taken from an eastern Greek sanctuary – possibly dedicated to Apollo – that had been destroyed by the Persians during the Ionian Revolt of 499–494 B.C. It may have reached Marion on a Cypriot warship. From the point of view of the Cypriot owner of the tomb, it cannot be the figure of an adult mortal. It is conceivable that the destroyed torso was seen as a representation of the Greek god Apollo. The article refers to a comparative example – the Greek-Cypriot bronze statue of Apollo Chatsworth in the British Museum/Louvre, dating from around 460 B.C. and coming from Tamassos.