Kleobis and Biton

Kleobis and Biton

kouros

Most archaic kouroi are unique, but Kleobis and Biton are exact twins. They represent the mythical brothers Kleobis and Biton, the two pious sons of a priestess to Hera. One day, the priestess was waiting for the family oxen to come home from the field so they could be hitched to the wagon that would take her to an important ceremony in town. The oxen did not arrive, and so Kleobis and Biton hitched themselves to the wagon and drove their mother to the sanctuary. Their mother prayed to Hera that her good sons be rewarded for this act of piety. Later that night, both sons died in their sleep. Hera granted them the gift of never succumbing to the pain of old age. This particular myth represents the importance of youth and beauty, two very crucial concepts to the ancient Greeks.

Delphi

http://i.imgur.com/ckjDgQH.jpg

Polymedes

Odysseus Culture

Odysseus Culture

c. 580 BCE

The Archaeological Museum of Delphi

http://odysseus.culture.gr/h/4/eh430.jsp?obj_id=4677

http://odysseus.culture.gr/index_en.html

Parian Marble 1.97 meters

physical object

467/1524

Archaic