Head of a kouros

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Greek artists made significant strides towards naturalistic representations of human figures throughout the sixth century B.C. During this period, two distinct types of large-scale sculptures gained prominence: the male kouros, depicting a standing nude youth, and the female kore, representing a standing draped maiden. Placed in sanctuaries and cemeteries just outside city walls, these massive stone statues served as votive offerings to the gods or as grave markers to honor the deceased. Wealthy Athenian aristocrats frequently commissioned elaborate funerary monuments within the city and its surroundings, often for family members who had passed away at a young age. Such monuments sometimes took the form of stelai, intricately decorated in relief. This fragment was unearthed in Lepreon, Arcadia.