Archaeologists Found an Ancient Workshop With Unfinished Statues Inside

Here’s what you’ll learn in the story:

• Excavations in Paros, Greece support previous suspicions that the site was once a workshop used for carving marble sculptures.

• The recent excavation discovered an “androna”—a social space in Greek houses designated exclusively for men.

• Researchers also discovered several movable finds, including statues of Aphrodite and clay heads of female figures.

Perhaps the most iconic Greek artform today, life-sized marble statues began to appear in Greece around the early 6^th century B.C. The practice originated nearly two centuries earlier (8^th century B.C.) with small ivory, clay, and bronze statues. Excavations on the island of Paros, Greece uncovered more historic evidence of how these statues were created, and now, archaeologists have an inside look at a sculpture workshop from the Hellenistic period (323 B.C. to 31 B.C.).

Research on the site originally began in the 1980s, and marble chips and unfinished statues scattered throughout the area sparked suspicions about the presence of a workshop. The initial excavation uncovered three buildings, which pointed toward artisanal activity. Later excavations—in 2008 and 2013, respectively—also added to researchers’ understanding of the site. Eating and drinking vessels associated with the Classic period (5^th and 4^th centuries B.C.) were uncovered during the investigations, suggesting that the settlement had some sort of residential purpose.

And the site just keeps on giving.

This year’s excavations revealed a major reconfiguration of the space that took place between the late 3^rd and early 2^nd centuries B.C. The recent project revealed additional areas of the complex, with some structures having walls preserved at an “impressive height,” according to a translated press release from the Greek Ministry of Culture. One room (with parts of a mural and a pebbled floor) was uncovered and identified as an androna—a social gathering space for men—affirming the residential character suggested by previous investigations. Likewise, the copious amount of marble waste and semi-finished marble statues confirm earlier suspicions about the sculpture workshop.

The recent excavations also found several impressive movable finds, including marble sculptures of Aphrodite and clay heads of female figures. Clay molds, metal slags, seals, and pigments all suggest that the site may have also been used for other artisanal activities.

Though the press release regarding this discovery didn’t specify the ages of the statues, if they were from the same period as the buildings themselves, the artists would’ve likely been undergoing a major shift in their style. From 800 to 300 B.C., the Greeks took inspiration from Egyptian and Near Eastern Art. The statues were rigid, and often standing up straight with neutral facial expressions—this is a far cry from the soft, airy Greek statues we most associate with the ancient culture. By 500 B.C., Greek sculptors began imitating the world around them, and glorifying the sensual human form. Even now, ancient Greek influence is here to stay, with many artists continuing to prioritize the hyper-realistic art style.

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