The Kouros in Apollonas on Naxos

Kouros (youth or young man) is a term for a standing statue from the Archaic period (650-480 BC) represent a naked young man. They were carved directly in stone or marble and were often commissioned.

A Kouros is almost always depicted with the left leg moved forward (as if he were in the middle of a step), with the arms hanging at the sides and with the fingers clenched in the palms. They may look pretty peculiar. (One of the best preserved statues is on display at the Archaeological Museum of Samos.)

The Kouros in Apollonas.

There are three, possibly four, statues on Naxos. Only two of them was known previously, one here in Apollonas and one outside Melanes, the third was discovered in recent years and is still relatively unknown. According to a Greek that I know on Naxos, there is probably a fourth statue somewhere near Abram in the northwest.

The statue is located above Apollonas on northern Naxos.

A few kilometres from the port of Apollonas lies Naxos' largest Kouros in a former marble quarry a few metres above the road. A signpost just before Apollonas points the way to the path that leads to the statue. The statue is 10.60 metres long and 1.70 metres wide around the stomach.

The statue was formerly considered to be a statue of Apollo, but today many consider that it represents Dionysus. One stands quite puzzled in front of the statue, and there are no answers.

The statue has been here for more than 2,500 years, no one knows who commissioned it, why it is here or why it is so tall. No answers, and maybe that's why it's so fascinating.

Read about Naxos two other Kouros here »

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