Kouros from Actium at The Louvre, Paris

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Attribution of this kouros to a specific workshop or artist remains unclear. Certain specialists have extensively hypothesized that the piece was produced in Naxos, while others argue it is the work of a Corinthian artist or one influenced by Corinthian style. This sculpture is one of two kouroi discovered at the Sanctuary of Apollo in Actium, similar in style but more primitive than its counterpart. The shoulders and almost straight arms emphasize the square design of the sculpture. Strong horizontal lines on the clavicles further enhance this impression. A median line groove divides the torso in half, while a small arch separates the thorax from the abdomen. On the back, U-shaped markings indicating shoulder blades are set far to either side, while the blunt end of the broad mass of hair emphasizes both flatness and width of the shoulders. The waist is narrow, with short distance between the sternum and navel. The arms drop directly to the thighs, securely attached from just below the elbows to the tips of the fists. This sculpture was discovered by Champoiseau, a French consul to Ioannina, in 1867 alongside another kouros. Kouroi were first carved in the late eighth century BC on the Cycladic Islands. Alongside its female counterpart (the kore), the kouros - or idealized young male nude - became one of the major types of Greek statuary until the early fifth century BC. Whether placed in a temple or used to mark a tomb, the kouros had a religious function, partly explaining its restrained pose. Throughout the Archaic period, the image of a nude young man with arms by his sides was familiar and endlessly repeated. With the exception of the left foot, which is placed forward, the figure is perfectly symmetrical. The present statue, preserved from the base of the neck to the knee, fits this schema perfectly. Its discovery during excavations at the temple of Apollo in Actium (on Greece's western coast) is a clue to its votive function, but we are unable to determine whether it represents Apollo himself or the person who donated and dedicated the statue.