Peplos Kore, Marble statue at Acropolis Museum, Athens, Greece
This marble figure stands 120 centimeters tall and shows a young woman in traditional clothing with visible remains of the original paint. The figure holds one hand in front of her chest and keeps the rigid posture characteristic of this type of sculpture from the 6th century BCE.
Archaeologists found the figure in 1886 in three sections northwest of the Erechtheion on the Athenian Acropolis and date it to 530 BCE. It probably belonged to the votive offerings that were buried after the Persian destruction in 480 BCE.
The name refers to the wool garment the figure wears, typical for female representations in the archaic period. Visitors can still see traces of paint on the surface, showing how brightly these sculptures were originally colored.
The sculpture stands in the archaic gallery of the Acropolis Museum, where natural light makes the preserved paint traces clearly visible. Visitors can view the figure from all sides and compare it with other female statues from the same period.
The head shows 35 drill holes that suggest a metal crown or helmet was originally attached. These details indicate the figure may have represented a goddess rather than just a mortal woman.
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