http://classicalchopped.artinterp.org/omeka/files/original/0762e7fe4a9b3281199d258270f4a584.jpg e260d8c223a1a3fe69dfbc6ff9190aaa Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Peplos Kore Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource Archaic Period, ca. 530 B.C.E Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Unknown Medium The material or physical carrier of the resource. Parian marble Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource 118 cm tall Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived The Acropolis (Athens, Greece) Rights Holder A person or organization owning or managing rights over the resource. The Acropolis Museum, Athens Description An account of the resource Description: The Peplos Kore is roughly four feet tall and represents a standing female figure in antiquity. She gets her name from the peplos she is wearing and Kore, which simply means “young woman” in Greek. A Kore is a type of clothed female figure often used as a grave marker or votive offering in ancient Greece. She is the counterpart to the male Kouros, who is depicted nude. Moreover, she has long, stylized curls stemming from her scalp that create a rippling pattern on her chest and head. Her face would have been more complexly painted, but only the red hues in her eyes have survived the test of time; however, the red in her irises should not be regarded as intentional since red was often the remains of a mixture of hues in antiquity. In this instance, red could have been originally combined to make many shades of other colors (like brown, for example). There also appears to be holes in the lobes of her ears, suggesting that she was once decorated with bronze earrings. Her mouth, in what is known as the “archaic smile,” does not necessarily portray happiness, but rather a sense of well-being. In addition to her facial expression, the sculptor has also indicated not only her breasts and waist, but also a subtle sense of her legs underneath her peplos. Her breasts are slightly accentuated, conveying emerging sexuality. Her right hand appears to have a hole drilled in a manner that would allow something to fit in it. Significance: As formerly stated, Kore statues were generally believed to be offerings given to the gods. Since what she is wearing is so unusual and similar to a goddess’s attire, it has opened up recent conjectures that believe she may not be a depiction of a young woman at all, but rather a representation of a goddess. Since she was found on the Acropolis, some art historians trust that she was the goddess Athena, but other analyses lean towards the notion that she was once Artemis, goddess of the hunt. This is frustrating since scholars do not have the left arm to conclude what the statue was once carrying, but the hole drilled in the right hand could easily have held an arrow. Recreations of the statue have been done in multiple different fashions, some depicting the statue as Artemis with bow and arrow in hand and others as the goddess Athena. Additionally, the smile on the statue gives the figure a sense of being transcendent, an emotion that does not correlate with a recognizable human experience and evokes a sense of not engaging in the world of emotion and difficulty, but somehow rising above it. Most historians will not argue that she is significant because she has survived for all these years; however, the Peplos Kore’s significance extends far deeper than it just being one of the few surviving statues of the Archaic Period. The mystery surrounding a scholar’s inability to determine the statue’s identity is what truly makes it a significant part of Ancient Greek history. These historians often revel in the most trivial revelations regarding the smallest truths deduced from the artifacts they study. This signals a victory of order over uncertainty for the modern scholar, but often times the impulse to ascertain mastery over our world becomes impossible when pieces of the statue (or history) are missing. The ability to embrace the full mystery of the Peplos Kore’s original function is what makes it so alluring to scholars, and that is particularly why it is still significant to this day. References A related resource that is referenced, cited, or otherwise pointed to by the described resource. Khan Academy website: https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/ancient-art-civilizations/greek-art/daedalic-archaic/v/peplos-kore <br /><br />Stieber, Mary. “Chapter 2.” <em>Poetics of Appearance in the Attic Korai</em>. Austin: University of Texas, 2004. 42-82. Print. <br /><br />University of Cambridge website: http://www.classics.cam.ac.uk/museum/collections/peplos-kore Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Ryan Tetter Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Peplos Kore Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource Archaic Period, ca. 530 B.C.E Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Unknown Medium The material or physical carrier of the resource. Parian marble, paint Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource 118 cm tall Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived The Acropolis (Athens, Greece) Rights Holder A person or organization owning or managing rights over the resource. The Acropolis Museum, Athens Description An account of the resource Description: The Peplos Kore is roughly four feet tall and represents a standing female figure in antiquity. She is wearing a peplos in addition to sporting a chiton underneath. Her peplos depicts traces of geometric decorations starting from her waist and trailing down towards her ankles. She has long, stylized curls stemming from her scalp that create a rippling pattern along her chest and head; these curls are strewn to the sides of her breasts, just below the shoulders. Her face would have been more complexly painted, but only the red hues of her hair and eyes have survived the test of time. There are also holes in the lobes of her ears, suggesting that she was once decorated with bronze earrings. She also wears an archaic smile upon her face. In addition to her facial expression, the sculptor has indicated not only her breasts and waist, but also a subtle sense of her legs underneath her peplos. Her breasts are slightly accentuated, conveying emerging sexuality. Her right hand appears to have a hole drilled in a manner that would allow something to fit through it. Finally, the statue has no feet and is connected to a flat, marble base. Significance: Kore statues were generally believed to serve as grave markers for the recently deceased or votive offerings for the gods. She is the counterpart to the male kouros, who is always depicted nude. Moreover, the Peplos Kore exhibits a wealth of individualizing features that help identify her as a portrait. One of these features is exemplified with her eyes, which appear red; however, the red in her irises should not be regarded as intentional, since red was often the remains of a mixture of hues in antiquity. In this instance, red could have been originally combined to make many other colors (such as brown). More often than not, statues that were represented with red eyes were usually paired with red hair, as seen with the Peplos Kore. Unlike the eyes, some of the color representations of the hair in korai may have been true indications of the color and style worn by women in antiquity. Additionally, the texture, density, and lack of a tangible hairline suggest that women may have worn wigs to show off particular curls, crimps, colors, and braids. The Peplos Kore also wears an archaic smile, a feature prevalent throughout Ancient Greek portraiture that bestows a combination of happiness, vigor, and seductiveness on the statue. This individualizing feature of seductiveness is further explored in the statue’s peplos, which conforms to her body and highlights her breasts and slim physique. This could be a sign of emerging sexuality or ideal feminine qualities that viewers may have admired women for in Ancient Greece. Her drapery also shows signs of once being decorated with intricate, polychrome patterns, which may showcase the aesthetics that the Greeks valued in female portraiture. Art historians at Cambridge University have even reconstructed the Peplos Kore in such a way to further highlight these colorful and decorated patterns, showcasing how she may have been viewed in antiquity rather than depicting her as a “pure white” statue. Furthermore, since the Peplos Kore is wearing such an unusual garment that is similar to a goddess’s attire, it has opened up recent conjectures that believe she may not be a depiction of a young woman at all, but rather a representation of a goddess. Since she was found on the Acropolis, some art historians think that she was originally portrayed as the goddess Athena, but other analyses lean towards the notion that she was once Artemis, goddess of the hunt. This is frustrating for scholars since they do not have the left arm to conclude what the statue was once carrying, but the hole drilled in the right hand could easily have held an arrow. Recreations of the statue have been done in multiple different fashions, some depicting the statue as Artemis with bow and arrow in hand and others as the goddess Athena. Additionally, the smile on the statue does not necessarily portray happiness, but rather a sense of transcendence; this is an emotion that does not correlate with any recognizable human experience and evokes a sense of not engaging in the world of difficulty, but somehow rising above it. Most historians will not argue that she is significant because she has survived for all these years; however, the Peplos Kore’s significance extends far deeper than it just being one of the few surviving statues of the Archaic Period. The mystery surrounding a scholar’s inability to determine the statue’s identity is what truly makes it a significant part of ancient Greek history. These historians often revel in the most trivial revelations regarding the smallest truths deduced from the artifacts they study. This signals a victory of order over uncertainty for the modern scholar, but often times the impulse to ascertain mastery over our world becomes impossible when pieces of the statue (or history) are missing. The ability to embrace the full mystery of the Peplos Kore’s original purpose is what makes it so alluring to scholars, and that is particularly why it is so important to this day. References A related resource that is referenced, cited, or otherwise pointed to by the described resource. Khan Academy website: https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/ancient-art-civilizations/greek-art/daedalic-archaic/v/peplos-kore <br /><br />Stieber, Mary. “Chapter 2.” <em>Poetics of Appearance in the Attic Korai.</em> Austin: University of Texas, 2004. 42-82. Print. <br /><br />University of Cambridge website: http://www.classics.cam.ac.uk/museum/collections/peplos-kore Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Ryan Tetter