PRODOTTI PER UNA DEA: ASPETTI ECONOMICI E CULTURALI DEI MARMI DI GARAGUSO

Abstract

The small statuette of a goddess from Garaguso (MT), along with her model temple, which are now held in the collection of the Museo Archeologico Provinciale of Potenza – represents a very interesting example of Greek marble sculpture from Southern Italy. Both these sculptures were discovered Vittorio Di Cicco in 1916, in the area of contrada Filera, inside the remains of an Oenotrian sanctuary. Scholars have generally assigned their production to an artist from Metapontum and dated them to 480-470 BC. Made of white precious marble from the isle of Paros, the goddess was originally decorated with vivid polychromy, which has now been lost, while drill holes indicate the presence of metal features in her hands and lap. Wrongly considered to have been a unique artefact, this type of votive offering can find comparisons with other marble temple models from the Aegean area, although it would seem to be extremely rare in non-Greek sanctuaries.