Statue of a girl

Archaeological museum of ancient Messene

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Statue of a girl

1st century BCE

Archaeological museum of ancient Messene

Asclepieion Oikos of Artemis Phosforos (Oikos Κ), ancient Messene

Statue

Marble

Height: 1.25 cm

Creative Commons License CC BY-NC-ND 4

Marble statue of a girl from the Artemision of ancient Messene. The head, neck, part of the chest and the arms are missing. Cavities on the upper side and on the left shoulder indicate that the head and left arm were inset. It wears a sleeved chiton, a belted peplos with a deep fold, as well as shoes. Five girl's statues were found in the Artemision of the Asclepieion in the 1960's. They depict young girls, dressed in identical fashion with belted chitons. Parents would dedicate to the sanctuary statues of their daughters, who were taking part in initiation rituals rites, i.e. rites of passage from puberty to adulthood and to the ranks of the women, as was the case in other sanctuaries of Artemis, the most renowned being that of Artemis in Brauron, Attica.