Antinous

myminifactory

This is a stunning marble statue of Antinous, a Bithynian Greek youth and cherished companion of the Roman emperor Hadrian. He was elevated to divine status after his death, revered in both the Greek East and Latin West, sometimes as a god and sometimes merely as a hero. Little information is known about Antinous' life, although it is well established that he was born in Claudiopolis within the Roman province of Bithynia. He was likely introduced to Hadrian around 123 AD, before being taken to Italy for further education. By 128 AD, he had become Hadrian's most trusted favourite, accompanying him on a grand tour of the Empire as part of his personal entourage. Antinous accompanied Hadrian during his attendance at the annual Eleusinian Mysteries in Athens and stood by his side when he killed the Marousian lion in Libya. In October 130 AD, while cruising along the Nile with a flotilla, Antinous died under mysterious circumstances. Several theories have been proposed to explain his untimely demise, ranging from accidental drowning to intentional human sacrifice or deliberate suicide. Following his tragic death, Hadrian declared Antinous divine and established an organised cult dedicated to his worship that spread across the Empire. To honour Antinous' memory, Hadrian founded a city near his place of death, which became a sacred centre for the veneration of Osiris-Antinous. Additionally, he introduced games in commemoration of Antinous to be held both in Antinopolis and Athens, with Antinous emerging as a symbol of Hadrian's ambitions for pan-Hellenism. Antinous has become an iconic figure associated with homosexuality in Western culture, featured prominently in the works of Oscar Wilde and Fernando Pessoa.