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66-651: The New York Kouros is an early example of life-sized statuary in Greece. The marble statue of a Greek youth, kouros , was carved in Attica , has an Egyptian pose, and is otherwise separated from the block of stone. It is named for its current location, at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City . The Metropolitan Museum of Art said in "Marble statue of a kouros (youth)" that "The statue marked

132-721: A Corinthian specimen from Tenea (Munich 168) this period marks the flowering of the Middle Archaic, and these kouroi are contemporary with such works as the Berlin Standing Kore, the Moschophoros and the Bluebeard Pediment. There is a tension observable in this group between the solid, architectonic quality of early styles and the expressive possibilities of a vigorous, fluid naturalism . The anatomical novelties of this time are as follows. The ear

198-408: A depression. Indication of external oblique bulging over iliac crest. The lower boundary of abdomen occasionally forms a deep curve. Forearm and arm sometimes correctly semi- pronated ; both directed towards body. Arms sometimes arched towards body below the armpit. Big toe projects a little further or same as second toe. Four smaller toes and toe nails curve gently downwards. "Astonishingly uniform"

264-424: A groove. The lower boundary of thorax assumes the shape of a somewhat rounded arch. There is a slight indication of the external oblique bulging over the iliac crest . Shoulder blades are indicated as modelled shapes. The erector spinae is sometimes modelled. Size of thumb is normal. The vastus internus descends lower than vastus externus . Shins curve inwards. The external malleolus is lower and further back than

330-424: A knob in a circular groove. Serratus magnus is not indicated. The shoulder blades are outlined by grooves on the surface of back. The erector spinae attachment to posterior part of the iliac crest is sometimes indicated by grooves in the lumbar regions. Forearm is supinated , with palm towards the body. Arms often separated from body between armpit and hand. Thumbs are large. Vastus internus descends to about

396-406: A more complex costume, however fully clothed contemporary figures also exist, suggesting that it was not just a sculptor's shorthand for clothing but a signifier in itself. Art historian B.S. Ridgway suggests that this may have been an attribute of Apollo , athleticism or magical powers, though its iconography remains obscure. Further, there is the question of the nudity of the kouros and if this

462-548: A product of foreign influence. For an external cause for change, possible sources of influence have been cited, such as Egypt, Anatolia and Syria, with the strongest case made for Egypt. It is known that the Greeks had longstanding trade relations with Egypt prior to the founding of the Greek entrepôt of Naukratis in the mid-7th century, where the Greeks could have learned Egyptian sculpting methods. The work of Guralnick along with

528-507: A result, she has identified two strains within methods of proportioning in sixth century kouroi, where the majority follow the general line of evolution from the foreign model towards an idealized human norm. According to Hurwit & Campbell: "Kouroi apparently first appeared on the island of Naxos, since most early examples are in Naxian marble". Kouroi are beardless, take a formulaic advancing posture, and are most often nude. Taking from

594-638: A semicircular arch. The rectus abdominis, now reduced in number to two, with the top one incorporated into lower boundary of thorax. There is a small raised plane caused by projection of xiphoid appendage sometimes observable at lower end of sternum. Navel has fold of skin above in most examples. The lower boundary of abdomen assumes shape of semicircle, and the upper edge of torso with two concave curves becomes regular in form. Forearm and hand correctly pronated. Arms sometimes held free from body. Flanks; occasionally at first later regularly, flank and buttock of supporting leg rise in conformity with action. This period

660-790: A series of international colloquia starting in Paris in 1956. After the third meeting in 1961 at the Wingspread Conference Center in Racine, Wisconsin , a standard proposed primarily by Emmett L. Bennett, Jr. became known as the Wingspread Convention, which was adopted by a new organization, the Comité International Permanent des Études Mycéniennes (CIPEM: Permanent International Committee of Mycenaean Studies), affiliated in 1970 by

726-614: Is a syllabic script that was used for writing in Mycenaean Greek , the earliest attested form of the Greek language . The script predates the Greek alphabet by several centuries, the earliest known examples dating to around 1400 BC. It is adapted from the earlier Linear A , an undeciphered script perhaps used for writing the Minoan language , as is the later Cypriot syllabary , which also recorded Greek. Linear B, found mainly in

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792-416: Is a tendency to flowing contour and a generalization of form. The tragus now sometimes assumes its natural form. The anterior part of the helix , which is directed backwards ( crus helicis ), is often prominent, and joined with the upper end of tragus. The antitragus is sometimes tentatively indicated, though wrongly placed. The anterior triangle of the neck is now better understood. Navel generally modelled as

858-436: Is also an attribute. Again this may have represented athletic or heroic nudity – immortalising the youth as he appeared in the palaestra , but no examples have been found at Olympia nor do they bear any allusion to athletic equipment. As well as being found in the sanctuaries of Apollo at Delphi, Delos and Mt. Ptoion, kouroi have been found dedicated at the sanctuaries of Hera at Samos, and of Athena and Poseidon at Sounion, so

924-544: Is also attested in Linear B , a syllabary system of writing used to record the Mycenaean Greek dialect of the Hellenic languages . The word ko-wo ( * κόρϝος , * kórwos ) is attested in tablets from Pylos and Knossos , and could mean "the sons of the women recorded in those tablets". The term kouros was first proposed for what were previously thought to be depictions of Apollo by V.I. Leonardos in 1895 in relation to

990-403: Is carved in more than one plane. A roundness of the eye is indicated henceforth. Lips curve upwards and meet more or less at corners, the upper lip protrudes over lower. Construction of neck is generalized, sterno-mastoids when indicated are marked by slightly modelled shapes. On the median line a groove along sternum is generally replaced by modelled shapes and only the linea alba is marked by only

1056-477: Is carved in one plane, and highly stylized. Tragus is knob like, either on cheek or lobe. Antitragus is not indicated. The eyes are large and flat, canthus is not marked, lachrymal caruncle is not indicated. The mouth is horizontal, with lips on same plane, and corners of mouth forming triangular depressions. Hair is arranged in parallel beaded tresses, which rarely radiates from the vertex . The Sterno-mastoids , when marked, are indicated by grooves running to

1122-660: Is framed by the stasis of the Peisistratid era and the beginning of Athenian democracy and the Persian war. The upper limit of this group may be fixed by the sculpture of the temple of Apollo, Delphi. Architecturally earlier than the Hekatompedon of Athens the Delphi temple has a probable date of c.  520 BCE, thus the kouroi of its pediment which betray the swelling trapezium and semicircular lower boundary of

1188-420: Is not attempting to be observational in nature. The motif of a male figure with his arms straight to his sides, standing upright, and facing forward is unmistakable. The kouros is stiff, rigid, and linear; there is little movement depicted and the figure's specifics aren't touched on in the overall body outline of the subject. However, the left foot is displayed as forward of the right foot, potentially signaling to

1254-497: Is often not indicated, this results in a continuous hollow groove or run above the clavicle. There is an attempt to indicate the backward curve of clavicle. Groove along linea alba is sometimes continued below the navel. The lower boundary of thorax arch is indicated. In the flanks the swelling of the external part is well developed. Lower boundary of abdomen assumes shape of small semicircle or deep curve. The erector spinae always indicated as modelled shape. Generally hand and forearm

1320-466: Is semi-pronated. Hands are no longer attached to body but joined by short supports. The metacarpal bones are sometimes indicated. The bulge of the vastus internus increases. Toes are no longer parallel but do not recede along a continuous curve. Toes and nails point upwards. The articulation of joints is well rendered. Sometimes the flank of the advanced leg is placed forward and higher than receding leg. The characteristics of this group can be observed on

1386-452: Is shown below. (Note that "q" represents the labialized velar stops [ɡʷ, kʷ, kʷʰ] , not the uvular stop of the IPA.) Initial consonants are in the leftmost column; vowels are in the top row beneath the title. The transcription of the syllable, which may not have been pronounced that way, is listed next to the sign along with Bennett's identifying number for the sign preceded by an asterisk (as

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1452-500: Is sometimes indicated. Lips curved upwards only in early examples, the upper lip protrudes markedly over the lower and lips are well shaped. Hair is generally short or rolled up behind, it radiates from a point near vertex and carved in wavy strands. The structure of neck is now correct. There is an indication of swelling of trapezium on the outline of shoulder, becoming more pronounced over time. Clavicles assume an s-shape and lose themselves in shoulders. The lower boundary of thorax assumes

1518-588: Is the era of the Peisistratos dynasty and marks the assumption of Athens as the centre of artistic activity in Greece. In this period of great development the anatomical proportions become normal, the forms modelled and the spine clearly S-shaped. The head is now spherical and well-developed. The tragus takes on its natural form, the antitragus is also indicated. Hair occasionally descends as far as nape of neck. The sterno-mastoids when marked are indicated by modelled shapes. Their attachment to sternum and clavicles

1584-519: Is the only Bronze Age Aegean script to have been deciphered, with Linear A, Cypro-Minoan , and Cretan hieroglyphic remaining unreadable. Linear B consists of around 87 syllabic signs and over 100 ideographic signs. These ideograms or "signifying" signs symbolize objects or commodities. They have no phonetic value and are never used as word signs in writing a sentence. The application of Linear B texts appear to have been mostly confined to administrative contexts, mainly at Mycenaean palatial sites. In

1650-404: Is very typical for the Greek kouroi of the time. The dimensions are: 76 5/8 × 20 5/16 × 24 7/8 in. (194.6 × 51.6 × 63.2 cm) Other (height w/o plinth): 76 5/8 in. (194.6 cm) Other (Height of Head): 12 in. (30.5 cm) Other (Length of face): 8 7/8 in. (22.6 cm) Other (shoulder width): 20 5/16 in. (51.6 cm) c. 590–580 BCE. Kouros The female sculptural counterpart of

1716-465: The Kritios Boy , c.  480 BC. The absolute chronology of the kouros form is uncertain; none of the sculptures have secure dates. There is a strong homogeneity across the various regional schools: where anatomical innovations were adopted they seem to have spread quickly amongst the different workshops so that "regional distinctions become merged in a common progression". Consequently,

1782-595: The Siphnian Treasury which is dated on external evidence before 525 BCE, therefore allowing time for the maturation of the style we can date the beginning of this group to, roughly, a generation prior. The earliest is perhaps the Munich kouros (Glyptothek 169) judging by the rendering of some of the muscles. Another significant Attic kouros in this style is the Anavyssos; its base reads: Two others are

1848-564: The palace archives at Knossos , Kydonia , Pylos , Thebes and Mycenae , disappeared with the fall of Mycenaean civilization during the Late Bronze Age collapse . The succeeding period, known as the Greek Dark Ages , provides no evidence of the use of writing. Linear B was deciphered in 1952 by English architect and self-taught linguist Michael Ventris based on the research of American classicist Alice Kober . It

1914-410: The sternal notch . There is no indication of swelling of trapezius on the outline of shoulders. The clavicles are flat ridges along whole course of shoulders. Median line is sometimes marked by a groove from sternal notch to navel. The lower boundary of the thorax has the shape of a pointed arch. Rectus abdominis is formed by three or more transverse divisions above navel. The navel is generally

1980-524: The Akropolis torso, and the Rayet head. The island of Keos supplies us with one of the best examples of the time, notable for its advanced rendering of the back where the greatest protrusion of the back is level with that of the chest. Keos was likely under the cultural influence of Athens at this time and this kouros is comparable to and chronologically close to the Anavyssos kouros and akropolis head. From

2046-666: The Ptoan sanctuary in Boeotia we have the Ptoon 12 kouros ( NAMA ), "softer, less sturdy", Richter (1960). suggests; Richter asserts it is a local Boeotian product, not an import from Athens. C.  520–485 BCE: the last stage in the development of the kouros type is the period in which the Greek sculptor attained a full knowledge of human anatomy and used it to create a harmonious, proportionate whole. The features that now become expressed are as follows. The lachrymal caruncle

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2112-487: The Pythian Apollo at Samos by Diodoros as "Egyptian in style, with his arms hanging by his sides and his legs parted". However, not all kouroi are images of a deity; many have been discovered in cemeteries where they likely served as commemorative tombstones of the deceased. This type was also used as a memorial for victors in the games (like trophies), kouroi were used as offerings to the gods, (Pausanias describes

2178-413: The abdomen can be associated with later examples of the group. Yet these same youths have a grooved, narrow lower boundary to the thorax and their flanks are level, suggesting that they are early specimens of the style. Richter (1960) names this group after the kouros Ptoon 20, which is likely a Boeotian work dedicated by Pythias of Akraiphia and Aischrion to Apollo of the silver bow. This along with

2244-399: The anterior spine of the crest. Shoulder blades are now separate raised planes. The erector spinae sometimes indicated as raised planes. Arms are generally joined to body. The depression over great trochanter is generally omitted. Shin sometimes curves inwards. Left flank is occasionally placed slightly forward. C.  575–550 BCE: named after an Attic kouros found at Volomandra and

2310-403: The block from which they are carved, their form is cubic with details incised, and their anatomy is only partially understood. Harmony and expressive pattern are the goal, and as such the proportions are abnormal. The torso is four-sided and flat, the back is higher than chest with the vertebral column expressed as a straight line. The skull is undeveloped; flat at the back and often on top. The ear

2376-501: The contention that they depict Apollo is at the very least problematic. However, the majority are from Apollonian sites and dedicated to that god, which has led Ridgway (1993) to suggest that the early, belted form of the kouros-type statue was introduced in the late seventh century as a replacement for the colossal representation of Apollo. Over time, the votive and funerary functions of the sculpture became divorced whilst its attributes were shed and its form became more generic until, in

2442-414: The development of the kouros type as we now understand it is based on the relative chronology delineated by Richter , who distinguishes six groups by their common anatomical features, with particular reference to the major muscle groups as illustrated in the écorchés . C.  615–590 BCE: the dates of this period are tentative, roughly late seventh-early sixth century, which Richter infers from

2508-573: The duration of development necessary for the previous generations from the more securely dated Tenea-Volomandra group. Additionally she notes a similarity of sculpture from this time to early Athenian pottery , particularly the Nessos amphora and the human figures on the Horse amphorae. Richter also detects a resemblance between the New York-Sounion kouroi and an early Corinthian pyxis of

2574-453: The evolution of the kouros type is inevitably linked to that of the overall development of monumental Archaic Greek sculpture. There are fundamentally two schools of thought on how those Daedalic forms, some of which we know of only from the literature (kolossos, bretas, andrias and xoanon), became the free-standing sculpture in around the 6th century; namely, that it was a response to the internal development of Greek types and religious needs or

2640-488: The extravagance of private funerals. Activity is more vigorous in Boeotia , especially those from the Ptoan sanctuary and the Orchomenos kouros, early work there is probably native. Also Corinth, Actium produces one of the best examples of the period, detailing still of in the form of grooves and ridges but there is the beginning of modeling in the full roundness of natural form. One of the more accomplished products of

2706-462: The fifth colloquium with UNESCO . Colloquia continue: the 13th occurred in 2010 in Paris. Many of the signs are identical or similar to those in Linear A ; however, Linear A encodes an as yet unknown language, and it is uncertain whether similar signs had the same phonetic values . The grid developed during decipherment by Michael Ventris and John Chadwick of phonetic values for syllabic signs

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2772-544: The figure of Horus ) and the kouros type has long been conjectured, not least because of trade and cultural relations that are known to have existed since the mid-seventh century BCE. A 1978 study by Eleanor Guralnick applied stereophotogrammetric measurement and cluster analysis to a number of Greek and Egyptian statues and found the correlation between the Second Canon of the 26th Dynasty and Greek kouroi to be widely distributed but not universal. The problem of

2838-518: The figures on Late Corinthian pottery c.  550 BCE. exhibit the same degree of naturalism, and the archaic column sculptures from the Temple of Artemis Ephesos, thought to have been supplied by Croesus of Lydia, share some anatomical features. Of the important works that come done to us there is the colossal kouros from Megara, a transitional early piece from Boeotia (Thebes 3) and an early Parian example. C.  540–520 BCE: this

2904-418: The grave of a young Athenian aristocrat." The statue is similar to the (near-contemporary) statue of Mentuemhet and represents an example of daedalic statuary style . The statue is stylized and not representational. It is highly geometric, and the body is idealized and abstracted, especially in the muscles and the areas of the joints. The eyes and face are not realistic to how a person would look; this statue

2970-772: The handwriting of all the thousands of clay tablets, a relatively small number of scribes have been detected: 45 in Pylos (west coast of the Peloponnese , in Southern Greece ) and 66 in Knossos ( Crete ). The use of Linear B signs on trade objects like amphora was more widespread. Once the palaces were destroyed, the script disappeared. Linear B has roughly 200 signs, divided into syllabic signs with phonetic values and ideograms with semantic values. The representations and naming of these signs have been standardized by

3036-490: The immortal. The earliest extant examples may be the two life-sized marble figures from the Ionic sanctuary on the island of Delos dating from the second or third quarter of the seventh century. The canonical form of the kouros persists until the beginning of the classical period, by which time artists had achieved a high degree of anatomical verisimilitude , if not naturalism, as can be observed on such transitional works as

3102-526: The internal one. The little toes slant inwards. The metatarsal bones are lightly indicated. The absolute chronology of this period is provided by the dedication of Rhombos on the Moschophoros, which may belong to the same time as a decree referring to the Panathenaia of 566. The Moschophoros is stylistically similar to early in this group giving us an approximate upper limit of 570. Additionally

3168-407: The kouros is the kore . The Ancient Greek word kouros ( κοῦρος ) refers to "youth, boy, especially of noble rank." When a pubescent was received into the body of grown men, as a grown Kouros , he could enter the initiation fest of the brotherhood ( phratry , φρατρία ). Apellaios was the month of these rites, and Apollo ( Apellon ) was the "megistos kouros" (the greatest Kouros). The word

3234-561: The last quarter of the seventh century. Notable works of the time include the New York kouros , Dermys and Kittylos, Delphi Twins, the Sounion kouros , and the Delos colossus. The conception of form in this period is abstract and geometrical, emphasis is on architectural shape and the interrelation of parts which favoured expressive pattern over realism. Figures display the four faces of

3300-435: The late sixth century, it could serve a number of uses depending on context and location. This 'polyvalent' argument, initially put forth by historian Jean Ducat, was elaborated by art historian Andrew Stewart, who contends the distribution of kouroi coincides with city-states where the aristocracy were in ascendancy and that this alternation between the divine and the memorial was an identification of aristocratic arete with

3366-551: The left leg forward and arms to the side. Historical evidence suggests that Greeks had some familiarity with Egyptian technical procedures by this point and that Greek visitors to Egypt —charmed by the colossal Egyptian statuary they saw—persuaded Greek sculptors to adopt and augment the style to remove, in the words of Hurwit, Plantzos , and Campbell in Kouros, “the stone screens connecting legs and arms”, “the vertical slab against which Egyptian statues were usually set”, and to strip

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3432-456: The previous studies by Erik Iversen and Kim Levin have added considerably to the argument for an imitation by Greek sculptors of Egyptian sculpture. The system of proportion in the second Egyptian canon of the Saite period consisted of a grid of twenty-one and one-fourth parts, with twenty-one squares from the soles of the feet to a line drawn through the centre of the eyes. The grid was applied to

3498-489: The products of this period are found across the Greek world in large quantities. This group is named after the best preserved example of the era. The date of this group is conjectured on the basis that one generation would be required for the development of the Melos group style prior to the more securely dated Anavysos-Ptoon style. However Richter argues there may be some relationship to other contemporary Greek art works, namely:

3564-508: The same level as vastus externus , the shin is vertical, and the malleoli are level. Weight is evenly distributed on both legs and the flanks are level. C.  590–570 BCE: this period witnesses a lull in Attica with perhaps only two identifiable works from the beginning of the era until the second quarter of century, this might be due to the Solonic reforms and their restriction on

3630-401: The same stolid expression, flat skull, large eyes and horizontal mouth. The characteristics of this style are as follows. The ear is still carved in one plane, but less stylised. Eyes are not so large as before and more rounded. Mouth is horizontal but no longer always in one plane. The slight protrusions of flanks are sometimes prolonged into a girdle-like ridge, the sculptor occasionally marks

3696-425: The statue of Arrhichion , an Olympic pankratiast , as in the kouros scheme), and some kouroi have been found in sanctuaries other than that of Apollo. Indeed, some kouroi placed in sanctuaries were not inscribed with the name of the god but with a mortal, for example the 'Delphi Twins' Kleobis and Biton were honoured for their piety with matching kouroi. A direct influence between Egyptian sculptures (in particular

3762-517: The statue of Mentuemhet and the iconography behind the similar stance and posture. This kouros served as the grave marker for a young Athenian Aristocrat and was produced by a person of the Attic culture. This is shown because in Athenian culture funerary monuments were especially popular for marking the graves of people who died young (but not necessarily depicting them). In these respects, this kouros

3828-399: The style of Egyptian figures, Greek kouroi often have their left leg extended forward as though walking; however, the figurine looks as though it could be either standing still or taking a long stride. A small number of early kouroi are belted around their waists, a practice that died out at the turn of the sixth century. Such belts have traditionally been assumed to be an abbreviated symbol of

3894-715: The subject matter down to the nude. They also used the Egyptian grid system. The Department of Greek and Roman Art at the Metropolitan Museum of Art stated in Greek Art in the Archaic Period that through the proportions of the statue, as well as its pose, this particular kouros shows its influence from Egypt. In fact, like many other kouroi, the pose and stance itself was directly borrowed from Egyptian art, likely explaining its similarity to statues such as

3960-554: The surface of the block being carved, allowing the major anatomical features to be located at fixed grid points. Iversen has shown that the New York kouros conforms to this ratio of proportion. It was Guralnick, however, who developed this discovery by comparing other kouroi by means of cluster and Z-score profile analysis to the Egyptian Canon II and a control group composed of statistically average Mediterranean men. As

4026-508: The terracotta kneeling boy found in a well in the Agora and dated by its black-figure pottery sherd stratum to circa 550 shares the flat almond eyes, absence of the trapezium and pointed arch of the lower thorax that characterizes the late Tenea-Volomandra, furnishing us with a tentative lower boundary for the style. C.  555–540 BCE: figures of this period are simpler than before; their muscles are no longer separately accentuated. There

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4092-527: The time is the Thera kouros, softer and less muscular in modeling it is more Ionian than Dorian though Thera was a Dorian colony. We may deduce the chronology of this period only if the dates for the Sounion and Volodmera groups are correct since there is no external evidence for the dates of this style; however, we can usefully compare the heads on vase painting of middle Corinthian 600-575 BCE which share

4158-478: The torso form Eutresis (Thebes 7) indicate a vigorous Boeotian school of sculpture which may have existed to serve the Ptoan sanctuary. Attic production is considerable up to c.  500 BCE after which it seems to peter out. Important late kouroi from Athens include the Aristodikos kouros (Ptoon 20 group ) an akropolis statuette and the bronze Apollo from Piraeus. Linear B Linear B

4224-399: The viewer that the kouros is walking. This kouros was carved in Attica during the archaic period of Ancient Greece . It was a time that Greece was splintered into many city-states . Greek artists were making more and more naturalistic representations of the human figure throughout the 6th century BC . During this time, Greece was coming out of an orientalizing period , where Ancient Greece

4290-406: The youth from Keratea, and adopted by Henri Lechat as a generic term for the standing male figure in 1904. The kouros type appears to have served several functions. It was previously thought that it was used only to represent the god Apollo , as attested by its depiction on a vase painting in the presence of supplicants. This association with Apollo was supported by the description of the statue of

4356-440: Was increasingly influenced by various eastern and southern civilizations. This explains why the statue takes on a more natural look than previous Greek art yet still retains those orientalizing features—particularly the Egyptian influence, with whom they had considerable contact. Kouroi were often used as grave markers or dedications for the gods. Many kouroi, in the style of this one, were typically heavily Egyptian influenced, with

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