The statue of ''Athena Demegorusa'' ( grc, Ἀθηνᾶ Δημηγορούσα, , Athena Speaking in Public) is a Roman marble lifesize sculpture of
Athena, the Greek goddess of war and wisdom (known among the Romans as
Minerva). It was found in the Roman Forum of the ancient city of
Nicopolis in the region of
Epirus, and now exhibited in the
Archaeological Museum of Nicopolis near
Preveza
Preveza ( el, Πρέβεζα, ) is a city in the region of Epirus, northwestern Greece, located on the northern peninsula at the mouth of the Ambracian Gulf. It is the capital of the regional unit of Preveza, which is part of the region of Epiru ...
, in western
Greece.
History
The statue is usually dated to around the time of Emperor
Trajan (), though according to others it is from the times of Trajan's successor Emperor
Hadrian
Hadrian (; la, Caesar Trâiānus Hadriānus ; 24 January 76 – 10 July 138) was Roman emperor from 117 to 138. He was born in Italica (close to modern Santiponce in Spain), a Roman ''municipium'' founded by Italic settlers in Hispania B ...
() instead, or the early period of the Antonines.
The statue was found in 1960 in the I. Nova plot, where the Roman Forum of Nicopolis was located, in a short distance from the conservatory. The discovery of the statue further attests to the worship of the goddess Athena in Nicopolis, as do other Athena-related archaeological finds from Nicopolis.
Today the statue of Athena Demegorusa is displayed in Room A of the Archaeological Museum of Nicopolis with inventory number 6, in the section dedicated to the Roman era of the city.
Description
The statue is made of white marble, and at 153 cm high it is lifesize.
The goddess is depicted frontal and resting her weight on her right leg (a posture known as ''contrapposto''), while her left leg is relaxed and bent backwards. Athena's left hand rests on her waist, while her head is turned to the left and up.
Athena's helmet is of the Corinthian type, and she is wearing a veil and short chiton.
Both her head and her now missing right arm were separate pieces and inserted into the main piece afterwards.
Between her breasts lies her aegis, decorated with snakes, crossing her chest diagonally.
Her face is oval, thin and ends in a small round chin, which is slightly projected. Her forehead is smooth with broad cheeks, almond-shaped eyes with a wide upper eyelids, while the goddess's straight eyebrows bend slightly towards her temples. Athena's mouth is small, with thin lips that are half-opened; the edges of the oral slit indicate use of a drill.
The Athena Demegorusa belongs to the statuary type known as Vescavali, and is a copy of a fourth-century BC Greek original.
That original might had been a work by
Praxiteles.
See also
*
Piraeus Athena
The Piraeus Athena is a bronze statue dated to the fourth century BCE. It currently resides in the Archaeological Museum of Piraeus.
Discovery
The Piraeus Athena was discovered in 1959, by workers who were drilling underground to install pipes. Br ...
*
Mourning Athena The so-called Mourning Athena is an Athenian marble relief dated circa 460 BC.
The relief is 0.48 m high and made of Parian marble. It is displayed at the Acropolis Museum in Athens, inventory no. 695.
Description
The goddess, marked by her h ...
*
Varvakeion Athena
The Varvakeion Athena is a Roman-era statue of Athena Parthenos now part of the collection of the National Archaeological Museum of Athens. It is generally considered to be the most faithful reproduction of the chryselephantine statue made by Phid ...
*
Terpsichore statuette from Dodona
References
{{reflist
Demegorusa
Statues in Greece
Marble sculptures in Greece
Roman Epirus
Archaeological discoveries in Epirus (region)
Sculptures of women in Greece
1960 archaeological discoveries
2nd-century Roman sculptures
Preveza
Roman copies of 4th-century BC Greek sculptures