Alcamenes facts for kids

This is a herm of Hermes. It's a Roman copy of an ancient Greek artwork. The original was made around 400 BC. The writing on it says Alcamenes made it. It was given by Pergamios. You can see it in the Istanbul Museums.

Alcamenes (which is Ἀλκαμένης in ancient Greek) was a famous ancient Greek sculptor. He lived in the second half of the 400s BC. He was from the island of Lemnos and the city of Athens. Alcamenes was a younger artist who worked around the same time as Phidias. Phidias was one of the most important sculptors of all time. Alcamenes was known for how detailed and finely made his sculptures were. Some of his most famous works included statues of Hephaestus and the Aphrodite of the Gardens.

Alcamenes and His Works

Alcamenes created many important sculptures. He was highly respected in ancient Athens.

Statues and Temples

The ancient writer Pausanias wrote about Alcamenes. Pausanias said Alcamenes made one of the large sculptures on the front of the Zeus temple in Olympia. However, many experts today think this is unlikely. The style and timing don't seem to match Alcamenes' other known works.

Pausanias also mentioned a statue of Ares, the god of war. This statue by Alcamenes was placed in the main public square of Athens, called the Athenian agora. Some people thought this statue might be the one known as the Ares Borghese. But this idea is not certain. The temple where the Ares statue was placed was moved much later. Also, other copies of Alcamenes' Ares show the god wearing armor. The Ares Borghese statue does not wear armor.

The Hermes "Propylaeus"

In 1903, a copy of a head was found in Pergamum. This head was from a statue called the Hermes "Propylaeus" by Alcamenes. This copy was made much later, during the Hellenistic period. The god Hermes is shown in an older, more traditional style in this copy. This style is called "Neo-Attic" or "archaistic." Because of this, the copy might not show Alcamenes' usual artistic style. He was likely a very creative and modern artist for his time.

Working with Phidias

It is more reliable to understand Alcamenes' style by looking at the Parthenon. The Parthenon is a famous temple in Athens. Alcamenes almost certainly helped create the sculptures for the Parthenon. He worked under the direction of Phidias. Phidias was in charge of all the Parthenon's decorations.

Alcamenes is thought to have been the most important sculptor in Athens after Phidias left. Phidias went to Olympia to work on the great statue of Zeus. It is a bit of a mystery because none of the sculptures that ancient writers linked to Alcamenes can be perfectly matched to existing copies today. This makes it hard to be completely sure about all his works.

See also

In Spanish: Alcámenes para niños