Birds, "Meniskoi," and Head Attributes in Archaic Greece
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 4535291 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Brunilde Sismondo Ridgway (corresponding author) |
| Year | 1990 |
| Volume | 94 |
| Issue | 4 |
| Pages | 583-612 |
| Publication date | 1990-10-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | American Journal of Archaeology (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0002-9114 • E-ISSN: 1939-828X |
| Publisher | University of Chicago Press (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.2307/505121 |
| OpenAlex | W2075381963 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 5 |
| References cited | 4 |
Research on metal attachments in Archaic sculpture leads to the conclusion that the "meniskoi" mentioned by Aristophanes as protection against the birds may be a pun or allusion, the meaning of which escapes us today. Spikes and attachment holes on the heads of kouroi and korai should rather be seen in the light of some examples on marble sphinxes, where traces of paint and other devices indicate specific meanings for the metal bars. It is argued that what has usually been taken as simplification in the rendering of Archaic hair should often be read as a head cover; in particular, Antenor's Kore, Akr. 681, is considered an Athena wearing a helmet, in imitation of an earlier image. Elaborate Archaic headdresses may have their roots in prehistoric or Eastern practices, and in turn lead to the complicated fashions of fifth-century temple statues, like the Athena Parthenos and the Rhamnousian Nemesis. Identification must be made on a case-by-case basis, but it seems plausible to suggest that most kouroi and korai represented divine beings, whose distinctive headdresses served as identifiers for the ancient viewers
Allusion · Archaeology · Art · Imitation · Literature · Prehistory · Sculpture · Visual arts · Ancient Mediterranean Archaeology and History · Classical Antiquity Studies · Historical, Religious, and Philosophical Studies · History · Psychology
| Unique citing works | 5 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0,15 |
| Citation span | 1992 - 2020 (29) |
| Citation velocity | historical |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 5 |