Postmortems for Workshop #3: Archaic Dedications from Akropolis

Jason Dyer's postmortem:

The marble korai from the Archaic Acropolis present an interesting set of problems regarding their ultimate symbolic function. Though the rendering, material, and inscriptions evidence a purposeful display of wealth, one must understand the greater context of the statues to analyze fully their archaeological significance. Assuming the sample is adequately broad, one can conclude that these statues were not solely dedicated to Athena.

Each piece’s emphasis on sculptural refinement, along with the particular interest put into rendering their clothing, displays wealth and expense on the part of the donor. Furthermore, clothing serves as a status symbol, and is ultimately enhanced by the statues themselves: a manifestation of disposable wealth. Such circumstances indicate the ultimate importance of the statues within a spiritual context, and the sheer volume of documented statues evidences their prominence in Athenian culture. The fact that aristocrats and tradesmen both participated in votive statuary further emphasizes this point: regardless of name or social standing, those with adequate resources dedicated votive statues.

Each of the female dedicatory statues features an outstretched arm that likely held a votive object. The statues, therefore, are in a state of continual offering to the deity to which they are dedicated, and, as a result, are perpetually supplicating themselves to a deity. In a male dominated society, it is reasonable to infer that a female form would be rendered for such a display of humility. Furthermore, if Athenian patriarchic society considered the female sex to be property, the subsequent objectification of the female form into a votive statue would be considered a logical extension of the culture’s mores. The rendering of the statues on a smaller than human scale emphasizes this supplication, and serves as a means of enticing the beholder into considering the statue, its dedicator, and the deity to which it was ultimately dedicated.

Furthermore, the clothing of the statues, as mentioned earlier, indicates wealth and prestige on the part of the donor. A male form, however, would likely be rendered nude, an emphasis on physical prowess versus social standing. The korai, therefore, provide the perfect medium in which a donor can present a deity with an offering while still indicating their socioeconomic status. The female form, though ultimately objectified into a statue and trapped in a state of perpetual supplication to a deity, becomes an offering in itself: the “first fruits” of youth, life, and the literal products of the donor’s labor.

Nicole Colosimo's postmortem:

The examination of the korai from Monday's workshop ended in one question that most likely can never truly be answered: why were the korai considered to be the appropriate dedication on the Acropolis to display one's wealth? Though it's impossible to determine the original meaning behind these korai, we can still posit some ideas as to how they came to represent what they seem to have.

I think that the Archaic meanings from these korai stemmed from a slightly different angle. It could be possible that in earlier times these korai represented Athena, donned in her peplos which in turn represented the peplos created for her during the Panathenaia or another early festival to Athena. Dedicating these korai came to display how pious a person was in ancient Athens. Any intricate designs of her clothing reflected the hard work of the equally pious women who had woven the peplos for Athena.

After a time, as with most rituals, the original meaning was lost and it just became the appropriate dedication to make. By now, the korai had probably lost their original identification with the goddess Athena and began to represent one of many different things. Perhaps the korai were maidens taking part in the festivals to Athena and the other gods? Or the ideal pious, maiden? Or maybe the city of Athens herself represented as a young woman? By this point in time, it became common thought that a dedication to Athena and even the gods in general should be a statue of a maiden with a richly decorated peplos. Not only had the association altered, but the message of the statue did as well. Whereas before such dedications represented how pious an individual was, these korai came to display how wealthy a person was as well.

The korai maintained a special representation, once of piety and then of wealth, for the Athenian people. It became the preferred dedication for them to show connections to the past and to display to fellow citizens their wealth. Detailed and richly decorated korai encouraged this view and helped to further emphasize that message. Perhaps different forms of dedication were made to other gods during time, but no so charged with meaning as the korai.