Acrolith facts for kids
An acrolith is a special kind of sculpture or carved artwork. Imagine a statue where only certain parts are made of stone, like the head, hands, and feet. The rest of the statue, often the main body, was usually made from a different material, like wood.
The stone parts were meant to last a very long time. However, the other materials, especially wood, could rot or wear away over hundreds or thousands of years. This is why, when you visit museums today, you often see only the stone heads, hands, and feet of these ancient statues. They are often found separated from each other. Pausanias, a Greek traveler and writer who lived around 200 A.D., wrote about acroliths in his books.
Famous Acroliths
Many important ancient statues were acroliths. Here are some well-known examples:
- Athene Areia of the Plataeans
- Antinous Mondragone
- Colossus of Constantine
- Hera Farnese
- Augustus, dea Roma, Tiberius, Livia from Leptis Magna in Libya
Images for kids
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The Antinous Mondragone, which is the head from an acrolithic cult image of the deified Antinous.
See also
In Spanish: Acrolito para niños
