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27-565: After the Croatian Apoxyomenos was raised from the sea in 1999, it was extensively restored. It was not publicly displayed until 2006. It is the most complete and best preserved among eight known Apoxyomenos statues. Apoxyomenos was found in 1996 by Belgian tourist René Wouters in the sea near the islet of Vele Orjule , on the sandy bottom between two rocks at a depth of about 45 metres (148 ft). Wouters, an avid sports diver and amateur photographer who had been visiting Croatia and

54-558: A loanword from the Pre-Greek substrate ) is a tool for the cleansing of the body by scraping off dirt , perspiration , and oil that was applied before bathing in Ancient Greek and Roman cultures. In these cultures the strigil was primarily used by men, specifically male athletes; however, in Etruscan culture there is evidence of strigils being used by both sexes. The standard design

81-407: A corpse. Strigils were significant beyond merely being tools for cleansing; they were also a common offering given to the deceased during burial. For instance, three graves from Greece in the third century BC, which contained adult males, all had iron strigils. In the excavation of another third century BC tomb, which contained an Etruscan woman, there was an inscribed silver strigil along with

108-419: A few seeds of fruits, pitted olives and cherries, and the nest of a small rodent were found inside Apoxyomenos . Radiocarbon dating of organic material found inside the statue indicated that Apoxyomenos did not fall into the sea immediately after it was made, but, according to the results, sometime between 20 BC and 110 AD. Extensive underwater search on an area of 50,000 square meters (540,000 sq.ft) around

135-450: A mirror. Strigils were commonly found in the tombs of Etruscan women, and it seemed to be an essential part of women’s bathing equipment. The inscribed silver strigil of the Etruscan tomb has two inscriptions on the handle: One being śuthina, an inscription found on numerous objects in the tomb. While the other, more significant inscription is a monogram, R:M, which reads as Ra:Mu. The monogram

162-416: A practical sense, but culturally as well. They are often found in tombs or burials, in some cases along with a bottle of oil . Strigils were not used in the earlier ages of Greek history. This is supported by Homer ’s poems, which state that oil was applied after bathing and was not removed. Furthermore, strigils are not mentioned in literature until the later portion of the fifth century BC . As early as

189-427: Is 6 feet 3.5 inches (1.92 m) high, and stands on a 10-centimetre (3.9 in) high original bronze base which is decorated with alternating square and swastika ornamentation. The alternating square-and-swastika is repeated three times on the sides of the base, four times on the front, while the back side of the base is undecorated. Art historians Nenad Cambi from Split and professor Vincenzo Saladino from

216-493: Is a curved blade with a handle, all of which is made of metal. Strigils were commonly used by individuals who were engaging in vigorous activities, in which they accumulated large amounts of dirt and sweat on their bodies. The people who used the strigil included athletes, the wealthy, soldiers, and more. However, wealthy or prestigious individuals often had slaves to wield the strigils and clean their bodies, rather than doing it themselves. Strigils were not only significant in

243-550: Is an uninhabited Croatian island in the Adriatic Sea located southeast of Lošinj . Its area is 1.06 km (0.41 sq mi). The west side of the island provide good and sheltered anchorage. In 1996, the statue of Croatian Apoxyomenos was discovered there. This Primorje-Gorski Kotar County geography article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Strigil The strigil ( Latin : strigilis) or stlengis ( Ancient Greek : στλεγγίς , probably

270-754: Is being kept in the Museum of Apoxyomenos in Mali Lošinj. The cost of the museum, which has been under construction from 2009 until 2016, according to the plan of architects Saša Randić and Idis Turato, is around 20 million kuna ( cca. € 2.6 million). Following its return to Zagreb in 2007, Apoxyomenos has been exhibited in many international museums, including the British Museum in London and J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles : Vele Orjule Vele Orjule

297-669: Is speculated to be the beginning of the Etruscan woman’s name. In 2018, archaeologists discovered in Assos many strigils. Some of the strigils found were iron, but most were made of bronze. As is obvious from the strigils found in the previously discussed tombs, strigils could differ in the type of metal used, design, etc., depending on the status of the individual it belonged to, time period, and other relevant factors. The typical metals used for strigils were bronze and iron. Some other variations of strigils are as follows: Hippias , an ancient Greek sophist who created his own strigil, made it in

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324-737: The University of Florence believe that this bronze statue dates from 2nd or 1st century BC. The author is unknown, but the statue's beauty, as well as the quality of its casting, indicate a highly skilled craftsman. A similar statue was found in 1896 in Ephesus , in present-day Turkey , and is now held by the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna . Croatian Apoxyomenos is different from the Vatican Apoxyomenos made by Lysippos , primarily because

351-677: The archipelago it was found in, but he left the final decision to the experts from the Council for Cultural Heritage. In October 2007, the Council unanimously decided that Apoxyomenos will be moved to the Apoxyomenos Museum that is being built as an addition to the historic Kvarner Palace in Mali Lošinj . This decision was supported by the Ministry of Culture . As of 30 April 2016, the Apoxyomenos

378-563: The Croatian keeps his hands at the level of the hip and not the forearm. A larger number of fragmentary findings of this type suggests the popularity of the figure in antiquity. The Vatican Apoxyomenos may have been created as a variation on the Lysippos theme style. Of the eight known Apoxyomenos statues, the Croatian one is the most complete and best preserved. Art historian and professor Antun Karaman described Apoxyomenos : Shards of wood, twigs,

405-585: The Iliad was composed much later, it reflects the practices and cultural elements of Homer's own time (the 8th century BCE), not necessarily the exact customs of the Bronze Age Greeks. Cultural Continuity: The use of the strigil in the Iliad indicates that this tool was part of a long-standing tradition in Greek culture, dating back to at least the early 1st millennium BCE, if not earlier. This continuity also explains how

432-803: The Viennese one, found in 1896. Cambi believes that statue, too, is misclassified. Cambi argues that the correct name for the statue of this type would be the Strigil Cleaner . After years of desalination and careful restoration, Apoxyomenos was exhibited at the Archaeological Museum in Zagreb from 18 May to 17 September 2006. From 1 October 2006 to 30 January 2007, it was exhibited at the Italian Palazzo Medici Riccardi in Florence , where it

459-399: The finding, using robotic probes and metal detectors, revealed fragments of the bronze base of the statue, a lead anchor bar, and some amphorae remains. Since the findings do not indicate a shipwreck, researchers believe that Apoxyomenos was thrown into the sea from a Roman merchant ship during a storm, but the reason remains a mystery. At the beginning of 2nd century AD, this Apoxyomenos

486-675: The island of Lošinj for several years, discovered the statue by chance during one of his dives. Wouters reported the finding to the Croatian Ministry of Culture in 1998. He was present when a team of divers from the Ministry of Culture and Archaeological Museum in Zadar , the Special Police, and the Submar d.o.o., raised the statue from the sea on 27 April 1999. When brought from the sea, Apoxyomenos

513-403: The marble strigil sarcophagus of a Greek physician, which has elaborate S-shaped curves on it to symbolize strigils. One source offers an alternative portrayal of strigils, "a secondary meaning for the word stlengis, strigil, is wreath or tiara." To support the claim that a strigil may have been viewed as a tiara or wreath, there was a fifth-century grave that had a strigil across the forehead of

540-547: The model for the sculptor was left-handed or right-handed. While he was visiting the Apoxyomenos exhibition in Palazzo Medici Riccardi , Italian Education Minister Giuseppe Fioroni concluded that the model was left-handed. He based this on his observation that the left shoulder muscles of the model are more developed than those on the right. Croatian archaeologist Nenad Cambi analysed the body type and proportions of

567-532: The practice could be transmitted to the Etruscans during their period of close interaction with the Greeks. As stated above, strigils are represented throughout Greek, Roman, and Etruscan cultures in varying ways. Strigils were often depicted alongside olive oil and an athlete. The Croatian Apoxyomenos is a statue that displays the use of a strigil by an athlete. Strigils were also represented on some sarcophagi, such as

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594-400: The sixth century BC, however, representations of strigils can be found on vases . By the fourth century BC, strigils are depicted in other types of artwork, such as skyphoi and statues. In Book 23 of the Iliad, during the funeral games for Patroclus, Homer describes the athletes using strigils to clean themselves after physical contests. This is one of the earliest literary references to

621-402: The statue and concluded – based on the muscular development of the upper torso – that it most probably represents a wrestler. Cambi has challenged the classification and naming of the sculpture. In his view, Apoxyomenos is not the correct name for the statue because the model is cleaning the scraping instrument, not his body. In this respect, this statue is different from the others, except for

648-564: The strigil in Greek culture, illustrating its use in the context of athletic events, which were an important part of Greek social and religious life. Implications for the Timeline Strigil in the Iliad: The mention of the strigil in the Iliad suggests that the tool was already in use during the time period that Homer describes (the Mycenaean period, if we follow traditional dating). However, since

675-520: Was already considered to be an antique. It may have been in the process of being transported to one of major cities in the Northern Adriatic, such as Aquileia , Trieste , Ravenna , Pula or Poreč . An early Roman villa with thermae in Verige Bay on the island of Veliki Brijun is also one of the likely destinations. Since the discovery, archaeologists are divided over the question of whether

702-474: Was covered with marine organisms which had adhered to it. Scientists did not use chemical agents to remove them: instead, only mechanical precision hand tools (and the occasional machine) were used in the conservation process, which was the first of its kind in Croatia. Cracks and breaks were repaired, and a specially designed construction that supported the whole figure from the inside was made. Croatian Apoxyomenos

729-532: Was seen by around 80,000 people, "greatly increasing the number of visits to Palace". For the following two years, Apoxyomenos was returned to display at the Archaeological Museum in Zagreb. In 2007, Apoxyomenos was awarded the Europa Nostra , European Union Prize for Cultural Heritage. In February 2007, Croatian Prime Minister Ivo Sanader advocated moving Apoxyomenos to the island of Lošinj ,

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