Head of a kouros

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Throughout the sixth century B.C., Greek artists crafted increasingly life-like depictions of the human form. During this era, two prominent types of freestanding, large-scale sculptures dominated: the male kouros, a standing nude youth, and the female kore, a standing draped maiden. Situated in sanctuaries and cemeteries just beyond the city walls, these massive stone statues served as offerings to the gods or as grave markers. Athenian aristocrats often erected grand funerary monuments within the city and its surroundings, frequently for family members who had met an untimely death. Such monuments also took the form of stelai, often intricately decorated in relief.