Inventory number
ΕΑΜ 419
Category
Sculpture
Period
Roman Period
Date
Around the end of the 2nd cent. AD
Dimensions
Height: 0.49 m
Material
Marble
Location
First Floor, North
It was found in the Theatre of Dionysos in 1870 or 1876. At the back, the biggest part of his hair has been restored.
It depicts a young man with idealised features, rich and unruly hair which falls on the shoulders, and a short beard. His head emerges out of a flower's calyx as the two acanthus leaves still preserved on his nape show. The flower as a symbol of eternity and rebirth indicates that the man had died by the time that his portrait was made.
Who the depicted person is remains unknown. Perhaps he was a philhellene ruler or the descendant of a royal family who had more of a spiritual than political connection to Athens. Some researchers identify him with Sauromates II, king of the Cimmerian Bosporus, others with Rhoemetalkes whereas there are scholars who think it is Herodes Atticus or the emperor Gallienus.
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