Archaic statue of a Gorgon. Mid-6th century BCE.
Gorgon with her wings joined at her back, standing with two legs on a marble tile. In her left hand she holds the head of the snake, which coils around her waist as a belt, while the right hand rests on her thigh. Her large head,out of proportion to the torso, combines human characteristics, like her hair, with the typical apotropaic features of a Gorgon: lolling tongue, boar tusks, and bulging eyes. Her garment, chiton, from neck to waist is scaly and belted with a snake. The end of the chiton is decorated with a meander. This is the first depiction of a Gorgon in statue form. Found with the torso A 1284, only a few meters away from the Archaeological Museum inside a sanctuary or public building.
Mid- 6th century B.C.
Source: Archaeological Museum, Paros Island, Greece.
Aegean Animals Archaic Art Cyclades Gorgons Marble Mythology Original Photo Paros Paros Archaeological Museum Sculpture