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Jonathan Eyer

Dr. Munn

CAMS 140H

10 December 2018

Kouroi: Their Function and Meaning

In a very general sense, kouroi are a type of statue from Greece. More specifically, kouroi

are statues of young men in the nude. The name kouroi refers to the style or type of statue, not

only to one specific figure or artifact. Mainly, they are found to have originated from Attica and

Boeotia and these were sculpted from marble, but in other areas other materials were used as

well (Quinn 97). Kouroi are intriguing because they did not solely have one purpose or meaning.

For example, kouroi from Attica were almost always funerary (Quinn 97). However, overall

about 75% of kouroi from what is now present-day Greece and Turkey were votive (Stewart

663). The statues originally were from the Greek archaic period which was the time between the

8th century BCE to 480 BCE. The origins of these figures can be traced back even farther into

Egypt.

One of the most well-known and popular examples of kouroi can currently be found in

the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. This kouroi in New York is referred to as

the New York Kouros (see fig. 1). It is from Attica and dated to be from between 590 and 580

BCE. Many kouros are what would now be considered life-size, but the New York Kouros is

actually slightly larger than life-size for the time period in archaic Greece. It is about six foot

three inches tall, which is even slightly larger than life-size for a modern human, back in ancient

Greece it would be unheard of to see a man that tall. The figure was sculpted from marble as was

typical for Attican kouroi in this time period.

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Kouroi have some consistent themes, many of which are evident in the New York

Kouros. One of these being that symmetry of the human body is stressed in the kouroi. It is

standing upright, very stiff, and almost perfectly symmetrical except for the fact that its left leg is

in front of the right leg. As is fitting for the time period, the sculpture depicts a man in the nude.

This was more or less typical because the Greeks would compete in many athletic events in the

nude and would often sculpt men nude as well. The sculptor of the New York Kouros, who is

unknown, also took great care to include details on the kouros. Individual muscles and bone

structure are clearly discernable, as are facial features and the detailed styling of the hair.

Another famous example of a kouroi is The Getty Museum Kouros (see fig. 2).

Interestingly, experts have not been able to come to a final conclusion on whether or not this

artifact is authentic or a fake. This is because it is not known who discovered this kouroi or even

where or when it was discovered. It also incorporates styles that are typically from different time

periods and it is sculpted out of Dolomitic marble which was not commonly used by any ancient

workshops. The kouros also notably, is facing perfectly straight. Most kouroi were from temples

and they were sculpted to be turned slightly towards the cella. Regardless, there is still argument

over if it is indeed a fake or not.

A major point regarding the origin of the kouroi is that parts of their style and inspiration

came from Egypt. The main connections between kouroi and Egyptian sculptures are the rigid

posture of the figures, with the arms straight down at the sides and the left leg forward.

Specifically, kouros were found to be especially similar to the Egyptian second canon for men

(Guralnick 403). This detail about the origins of kouroi containing Egyptian influence has been

helpful to allow historians and archaeologists to further understand the interconnections between

ancient Egypt and Greece.

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One major difference observed between Egyptian figures and the Greek kouroi was the

Egyptian statues wore loincloths whereas the kouroi appeared in the nude or only wearing a belt,

but still with their genitals exposed. This leads to the question: why would the Greeks sculpt

kouroi in the nude?

The answer to that question actually goes a long way in outlining the purpose of kouroi as

a whole. To start off, nudity was a central aspect of culture during the archaic period in Greece.

Athletes competed in the nude, boys became men in at coming of age ceremonies while nude and

warriors would train for battle nude (Bonfante 30). To have a lean and muscular body was a

symbol of the ideal young Greek man. In her article The Naked Greek, Larissa Bonfante makes

this point evident by stating, “to be nude was not only heroic and perhaps divine, it was also the

true mark of an aristocratic Greek male” (Bonfante 31). Portraying young men in the nude was to

show that they were honorable athletes or warriors by showing off their beautiful physique. This

leads to the concept that kouroi were used as grave markers.

When a young Greek aristocrat would pass away kouroi would often be used as grave

markers. Functionally, kouroi represented the generic male aristocratic youth (Quinn 96). The

family of the deceased would have the kouroi marking their son’s tomb to show him at his finest.

It would theoretically allow people to see that their son had been a symbol of the ideal young

man. He might have been a brave warrior or a great athlete, it does not matter, all we need to see

is that he was a figure that resembled the ideal Greek young man. Not only do kouroi symbolize

this ideal man it also is a symbol of wealth for his family to be able to place the statue at his

grave.

It is also worth noting that some kouroi were not only beautiful, but huge too. Some were

over three meters tall. This aligns them with the archaic idea that heroes were larger than life. At
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Finikia, on one particular epitaph that is associated with a kouros found nearby, the idea that a

military hero fights in the front of the battle in evoked by the inscription, which reads, “Stop and

mourn at the monument of dead Croesus, whom Ares destroyed fighting in the front rank”

(Quinn 96). Clearly this kouroi grave marker is attempting to make a hero out of young Croesus

(not King Croesus of Lydia). From this we can ascertain that kouroi were not only used to mark

graves and indicate wealth, but also to make the deceased seem larger than life and almost turn

them into a hero.

Kouroi were not only grave markers though. A large percentage of kouroi were votive.

This means that they were presented as offerings or dedications to gods or goddesses. Often

kouroi are associated with the god Apollo simply because it seems that most votive kouroi are

found at sites and temples dedicated to Apollo (Quinn 97). However, not all kouroi were

dedicated to Apollo, there are examples of kouroi dedicated to other gods and goddesses like

Hera and Hermes as well (Stewart 664). Examples of kouroi found at sites like at the Samian

Heraion are clear evidence for kouroi being used not only as grave markers but as votives

(Stewart 664).

By understanding the purpose of kouroi in Greek society we can begin to increase our

knowledge of ancient Greece. The first point worth covering is that kouroi originated from

Egypt. This is evidence for early Greek interaction with Egyptians and other cultures across the

Mediterranean. Also, kouroi can be used as evidence that Greek, specifically Athenian elites

rejected egalitarian social ideals and represented an elitist ideology within the Athenian

aristocrats. The knowledge that many kouroi functioned as votives also allow us to understand

more about ancient Greek religion. These three points one cultural, one social, and one religious,

allow us to learn more about the ancient Greeks.

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By realizing the connections between Egyptian sculpture and Greek sculpture the

conclusion must be drawn that Greeks spent some time in Egypt. Specifically, by Dynasty XXVI

in Egypt is when there began to be sculpture with the form recognized as similar to kouroi.

Because of a general disinterest towards the human body in Greek art until about 660 BCE, it is

impossible to nail down the time when Greek sculpture first adopted the Egyptian figure. (Levin

16). However, with this previous knowledge of Greek sculpture we can say with certainty that

Greeks traveled to Egypt before mid-seventh century BCE. It can also be interpreted further that

Greeks were in Egypt not simply for military purposes (because there was Greek military

supporting King Psamtik I (Levin 15).), but for reasons related more with culture, trading, and

art.

Kouroi as they have been found in Athens and Attica can also increase our knowledge

about Greek culture by proving that the Athenian elites were not complete believers that all

Athenian citizens were equal. Based on examples of kouroi found which had on jewelry, held

handkerchiefs or had on caps worn by warriors, kouroi are used as ways to show the wealth and

elite status of the boy that was sculpted (Quinn 98). Something else that should not be

overlooked is the fact that while there is proof of many kouroi standing outside of the city there

is no evidence found for any kouroi in the Athenian Agora. The Agora was the center of

Athenian civic life and seeing as not a single kouroi was ever found in the Agora, the elites who

had them sculpted are inadvertently proving that the polis was not the main concern of the

wealthy. By having kouroi sculpted to portray individual heroism and wealth, and by the lack of

any found within the Agora the conclusion can be made that the Athenian elite were more elitist

than egalitarian.
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Outside of the Athenian city-state it is more common to find kouroi that were created for

the purpose of being votives, dedicated to a god or goddess. This in itself is evidence for a few

things about Greek religion. It proves that the ancient Greeks had a reciprocal relationship

between their gods and themselves. This means that they believed that by offering their gods

things such as kouroi it would somehow put them on the good side of that god, possibly

benefitting them in the future. Also, we can learn from this that religion was a large part of life

for the ancient Greeks. Kouroi were not something that was easy or cheap to create, the fact that

we find them dedicated at temples leads us to understand that the ancient Greeks were willing to

dedicate large amounts of money and time to their gods. As a whole, kouroi advance our

knowledge regarding the importance of religion within the ancient Greek culture.

To conclude, Greek kouroi are ancient statues of young men that were typically used as

grave markers for the elite or votives to Greek gods and goddesses. The kouroi were nude,

highlighting the cultural significance of nudity within the ancient Greek culture. Their origins

stem from Egypt, which gives insight into the connections between Egyptian and Greek culture

at that time (7th century BCE). Their use by the Athenian elites as grave markers is proof that the

aristocratic class of Athens was an elitist society within the egalitarian democracy of the

Athenian city-state. They were also commonly used as votive figures; this fact is evidence for the

reciprocal nature of Greek religion and also for the importance religion held within Greek

society. Understanding the topic of kouroi is helpful to advance our knowledge of ancient Greek

society.
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Fig. 1. Marble Statue of a Kouros (youth). 590–580 BCE, The Metropolitan Museum of Art,

New York City.

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Fig. 2. Kouros. 530 BCE or modern forgery, The J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles.

Works Cited

Bonfante, Larissa. "The NAKED GREEK." Archaeology, vol. 43, no. 5, 1990, pp. 28–35.

JSTOR, JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/41765856. The article is primarily uncovering the

meaning and significance of nudity in Greek culture. Bonfante addresses the idea that

male nudity in ancient Greece was a symbol for gender, beauty, strength and athleticism.

The article brings up how kouroi were used as emblems of the ideal young Greek man,

his nudity representing his beauty and strength. This is a valuable source because looking

at kouroi from the lens of Greek nudity will be useful to understand why kouroi were

created and what they symbolized.

Guralnick, Eleanor. "Profiles of Kouroi." American Journal of Archaeology, vol. 89, no. 3, 1985,

pp. 399–409. JSTOR, JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/504356. Guralnick's article gives an

in depth look at the proportions and sizes of kouroi. The comparison of measurements
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from varying kouroi prove the importance of individuality that is represented by the

kouroi. Guralnick also discusses how the styles and proportions of the kouroi prove that

kouroi seem to be adaptations of the ideal form of man as evolved from Egyptian

sculpture. The quantitive and analytical information presented by Guralnick is useful to

understand the background of these statues and their purpose of representing idealized

figures.

Levin, Kim. "The Male Figure in Egyptian and Greek Sculpture of the Seventh and Sixth

Centuries B. C." American Journal of Archaeology, vol. 68, no. 1, 1964, pp. 13–28.

JSTOR, JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/501521. Levin's article begins by giving a detailed

introduction to Egypt during the archaic period in Greece. This background information

is then used to describe why the original form of sculpture that the Greek kouroi was

derived from came to be. Levin proceeds to explain how Greek and Egyptian cultures

intertwined and the Egyptian style of sculpture came to manifest itself in the form of

Greek kouroi. This source is helpful because it uses the history of Greek and Egyptian

sculpture to understand why kouros are sculpted in their specific shape and form.

Quinn, Josephine Crawley. "Herms, Kouroi and the Political Anatomy of Athens." Greece &

Rome, vol. 54, no. 1, 2007, pp. 82–105. JSTOR, JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/20204180.

This paper explores the political and social significance of the Athenian herms and

kouroi. Quinn proposes that the herms represent the equality within Athenian democracy

and the penis on these Herms to be a symbol of the power of the citizen. Kouroi on the

other hand were a symbol of an egalitarian culture amongst Athenian elites. The

information presented in this paper is useful to understand the cultural significance of

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kouroi within Athens and also to functionally understand what the purpose of the kouroi

was.

Stewart, Andrew. "Gnomon." Gnomon, vol. 81, no. 7, 2009, pp. 663–665. JSTOR, JSTOR,

www.jstor.org/stable/40495047. Stewart explores the function of kouroi by stating that

based on the evidence currently available kouroi most likely would have not represented

gods or heroes. Quickly, the topic of the colossal kouroi is covered, but only to highlight

how their falling out of style proves that kouroi did not represent heroes. He also outlines

the purpose of kouroi, being mostly votive and partly funerary, and for some their

purpose is still unknown. Overall this source is helpful as it gives a few important facts

and commonly held beliefs about the function and purpose of the archaic Greek kouroi.