Corinth Object T 1

Collection:		Corinth
Type:		Object
Name:		T 1
Title:		GREEK FIGHTING KNEELING AMAZON
Category:		Miscellaneous
Category Code:		T
Object Number:		1
Description:		The block shows a cuirassed Greek striding right and thrusting his sword into the side of an Amazon, who has fallen to her knees. The Greek holds his shield up in his left arm as he appears to grab his opponent left hand, raised above her head, her left arm holding her peltast. The Greek's profile head is inclined downward. His helmet, most of which is destroyed, bore a crest, the tail of which hangs behind his neck. The stub of a strut above his head indicates its forward attachment. His wavy hair, visible below his helmet in back, is separated by incised lines into an even row of separate strands. A curl falls before his right ear, which is hald hidden by his hair. His right cheek is smoothly carved; his profile eye is set below a slightly furrowed brow; his forhead is smooth. The end of the straight nose is chipped, the mouth straight and thin; the left side of the face is sketchily finished and chipped. A strong chin line, which extends tot the hair, separates the wide cheek from his stocky neck. The wide sterno-mastoid muscle is placed diagonally, as the head has turned from a torso in near 3/4 view. The Greek warrior wears a cuirass with undecorated top over a light chitoniskos, visible on his right arm and below the skirt. The cuirass top has thick, rounded borders at neck, sleeves, and at the upper border of the skirt; the pectorals are prominent. The leather pteryges have side and bottom borders, the bottoms of which are decorated by 3-4 groups of wavy fringe. The skirt is undercut only slightly, as is the right side of the body, though the side is rounded. The figure's left arm, in low relief against the inside of the shield, appears wide in proportion to the rest of his body. His right arm, carved in the round, is short and muscular, but less wide. Held back and out from the body, it appears to have held a long spear, traces of which can be seen across his right thigh and against the Amazon's right side. A long strut (L. 0.065m) remains, which probably fastened hand and spear to background. His legs are short, very muscular and narrow and particularly bonyat the knees. His left leg, bent at the knee, supports his weight, while the right, positioned diagonally to our left, provides balance for the thrust of his forward movement. His wide, flat feet wear heavily strapped sandals which extend to the middle of the calves. The sandals are raised on a medium-thick sole, which is separated from the plinth by a narrow groove. The Greek's round shield, with a rim 0.034m. widem abuts against the Amazon's peltast, which is also held so that the inside faces out, Both shield are parallel to the background, with no attempt at perspective. The 3 points of the peltast are broken off; a dowel hole is preserved for the attachment of the middle point, which would have projected out from the plane of the shield. The Amazon is arranged predominately in a 3/4 right position. The front of her head is missing, but appears 3/4 right, though tilted diagonally to the left. She was not, therefore looking towards her attacker, but down and to right. Part of her hair is preserved to left; surface is very rough at present, but small traces of helmet can be detected, of the brim on the side and crest on top. Remainder of surface is chipped; hair roughtly worked with point, extends part way down back of neck, separated by chisel line. Her left arm, raised over her head, has a large shoulder muscle; her right, held down, bends left at the elbow, presumably to grasp the oncoming spear, or to hold a weapon of her own, since none other is visible. The Amazon wears a chitoniskos with long, unbelted overfold which hangs from the left shoulder and leaves the right breast bare. The top border is turned over slightly and the light material is carved in a series of shallow folds. Transparency is achieved over the left breast, where the nipple shows through, and again at the abdomen, where the navel is visible. The overfold and the skirt both appear caught up by the wind from below, which creates shadows and a feeling of depth in the deeper folds, particularly below the breasts and between the legs. Folds in the skirt originate at the waist in curving, incised lines which turn into deeper, carved folds which curve in the manner of ogival lines to emphasize the contours of the body beneath. Drapery is undercut with a single drill; running drill is visible in folds on 1. side. The u-shaped patterns created at the lower borders of both the overfold and skirt are similar. The Amazon's legs kneel on the plinth, the right slightly ahead of the left and projecting slightly over the edge of the plinth. Both legs recede to the left in perspective view, the right foort flat against the background. She wears leather boots, which reach to mid-calf. Only the top of the left can be seen. The right has a narrow top band, a flap down one side which curves at the narrow tip. The ankle is delicately modelled. A ridge curves across the foot, marking the toes. (abdomen does not actually curve out, tho drapery lines give that appearance).
Mythology:		Amazonomachy
Material:		White, fine-grained marble
Condition:		Fragment. 13 joining fragments. Complete except for upper left corner relief ground, part of Greek's helmet, spear, hands, Amazon's face, hands, points of shield. Restored: Right side of Greek's right calf. Two clamp cuttings.
Dimensions Actual:		H. 0.810, W. 1.375, Th. relief ground 0.200, D. plinth 0.100, H. of plinth max 0.160, H. of plinth min 0.075, H. of Greek's head 0.120, W. of Amazon's Head 0.078
Dimensions Preserved:		H. of Greek 0.605, H. of Amazon to top of head 0.420
Period:		2nd c. A.C.
Chronology:		2nd quarter of 2nd c. A.C. according to Corinth IX p.4-5
Bibliography:		Sturgeon, 1977, Corinth IX.2 A 6-1
Site:		Corinth
City:		Ancient Corinth
Country:		Greece