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Museum of Classical Archaeology - Boeotia
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These two mould-made, terracotta figures
are of the same type: a standing, naked youth wearing a
himation (cloak) arranged symmetrically over his shoulders
so as to cover his back and sides, and holding a cock in the
crook of his left arm.
The elaborate hairstyle, which might
seem more appropriate for a woman, is not uncommon on such figures.
While the cock may have been intended to represent a sacrificial
offering to Asklepios or Dionysos, in this context the fighting
cock as a status-symbol and indicator of social class seems more
probable; such cocks seem to have been a common love-gift from
erastes to eromenos, which could suggest that the figures were
produced in this connection and were intended to serve as votives
or grave offerings.
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