Statue of a scribe
Inventory number
Ακρ. 629
Artist
Attic workshop
Category
Sculpture
Period
Archaic Period
Date
510-500 BC
Dimensions
Height: 0.615 m
Material
Marble from Hymettos
Location
Archaic Acropolis Gallery
It was found in fragments in 1865 during construction works for the old Acropolis Museum, in the area of the Sanctuary of Pandion. It has been reassembled and restored. A part of the left upper arm, made from a separate piece of marble, has been lost. A large part of the head is a plaster copy of the original which is in the Louvre Museum in Paris since 1817. This missing piece is known as the "Head Fauvel" – from the name of the then-French-consul in Athens, who, during his intense archaeological looting in Greece, provided the sculptural fragment to his country.
The scribe wears himation which leaves the right side of his body exposed. He is seated on a stool on top of a red cushion. The man has his head bent over his right hand, in which he would have been holding a pencil-like stylus to write on a tablet – carved from a separate piece or perhaps made of wood. This writing tablet would have been secured on his lap in drilled holes. Traces of coloured bands on his feet indicate that he was wearing sandals.
In comparison with the other two scribe statues (Ακρ. 144 and Ακρ. 146) that have been found on the Acropolis this one is larger in size and better preserved. Many believe that the scribe statues, a rarity in ancient Greek art, represent the treasurers of the Sanctuary of Athena, shown recording the monetary affairs of their office. Some suggest they are members of the group that wrote down the first official version of Homer's epics, since prior to the 6th cent. BC, the famous poems were only transmitted orally. Still others identify the scribes as secretaries, who are recording the decisions of the Council (Boule) and the Citizens Assembly (Demos). The official recording of governmental decisions and the office of the secretary were instituted in Athens after the foundation of democracy in 508 BC.
Some scholars believe that the statue was set up on the base Ακρ. 124, while others, based on the technical features of the notch in its upper surface, suggest that a connection between the statue and the base is not possible.
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