The Afterlives of Archaic Greek Kouroi: An Archaeology of a Greek Sculptural Type

Abstract

My dissertation “The Afterlives of Archaic Greek Kouroi: An Archaeology of a Greek Sculptural Type” examines the reuses of several kouros fragments after the discard of their initial setting. The focus is centered on their uses at their find spots. I present the reuses chronologically and by type of reuse and find spot. Also, I discuss the find spot context of four fragments found reused in walls on Despotiko and several others found built into walls or deposited in terraces.My thesis has three main objectives. First, I try to classify the reuses of the fragments. This task currently remains a gap in the scholarship. Second, I intend to enrich and broaden the discussion on kouroi beyond their initial display context and their creation phase. Third, I highlight the importance of archaeological context for such study. I argue that the reuse of the four fragments from Despotiko at doors is a structured, deliberate, and conscious event which attributes meaning to the fragments that extends beyond their practical function. Beyond Despotiko, I show that all reuses have a meaningful setting through analysis of other reused fragments at other sites. However, the type and quality of the human engagement in each case varies.