Public sculpture is nothing new & today’s #MuseumsUnlocked is a great time to explore a fascinating example from Classical #Athens!

There might not be much to see today, but every Athenian citizen knew the Monument of the Eponymous Heroes inside & out!

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#greece #sculpture

2/ The citizen population of Athens & Attica was divided into 10 tribes, from which participants were selected to fulfill democratic & military functions.

Organized by Cleisthenes in 507 BCE to balance local politics, each tribe was named after a local hero chosen at Delphi! – bei Ancient Agora Of Athens

3/ Around 425, a monument was dedicated to this political organization in the Agora: the center of Athenian economic and political life.

Atop a large limestone base, each tribe was represented by a bronze statue of their eponymous hero, surrounded by a low stone fence!

4/ On the base, notices were posted & members of each tribe reviewed the documents before each day’s legislation.

But it wasn’t just politics: military conscription, local honors, & legal matters were all displayed in association with the relevant tribal hero!

5/ As the politics of Athens developed, so did this monument! New tribes were added, removed, or changed from time to time—often to honor Macedonian or Roman leaders.

As many as 13 statues stood atop the base, which needed lengthening & clamping to accommodate the new tribes!

6/ The bronze statues are now lost, likely melted for scrap. We can tell from the cuttings for their attachment, though, that they would have been just over life size just like the incredible bronze statue of an ephebe recovered off the coast of Antikythera, now in the #NAM!

7/7 Thinking about public #sculpture today, it’s important to consider how the genre has taken form over time & in different parts of the world.

This monument was by no means the earliest piece of public art in the #Agora, but it’s a wonderful example of the scope of the genre!