HEAD OF A YOUTH FROM ELEUSIS: “EUBULEUS”
Classification
Dimensions
50 x 42 x 30 cm
Date
early 20th century
Period
Material
Iconography
Inventory
Ag.204
ID
Hyp-6369
References
Bust of a youth in a thin chiton. A narrow ribbon holds down his long hair, which falls to the nape of the neck in elaborate, uncombed locks. The statue is traditionally interpreted as a representation of Eubuleus, whose figure is tied to the Eleusinian mysteries. According to the myth, the swineherd Eubuleus and his animals were swallowed by the earth, when Hades, the god of the underworld abducted Persephone, the daughter of Demeter. In the fifth century BC a cult was established in his honour in the Eleusinian sanctuary of the goddess. It was here that the statue was recovered, but its precise identification is still uncertain.
