The Kouros of Apollonas

In ancient times, Naxian marble was very popular and it was a favorite material for buildings and statues all over the Greek world. Marble can be found anywhere on the island and so you need not wonder if you stumble across ancient quarries. Naxian marble was used for the roof tiles on the famous Athenian Acropolis and buildings in ancient Olympia. It is still an important economic factor since the quarrying began in around 550 BCE.

Before being transported to a workshop, the raw outlines of a statue where usually worked directly in the quarry, before working out the details by the sculptor. In the case the marble broke, a lot of work and cost would be saved. And that was exactly what happend in the case of our Kouros. The marble in the neck broke and the masons stopped working and abandoned it in the quarry. The story goes that our Kouros was to become Dionysos, god of crazy-party-making, wine and ecstasy for the - also unfinished - Temple of Apollon in Chora Naxos.