Specialists from the Institute of Archeology of the Russian Academy of Sciences began to investigate the terracotta head of a Greek deity found at the bottom of the Kerch Bay near Cape Ak-Burun. About this in the group of the Institute of Archeology RAS on Facebook told experts.
According to scientists, the ancient sculpture was painted and probably served as a latrine figure – an ornament on the bow of the ship. The researchers recalled that the find was made by archaeologists from the Institute’s Underwater Detachment in the spring of 2017. Then, at the bottom of the Kerch bay in the area of Ak-Burun cape, a terracotta head, probably of Greek deity Poseidon or Zeus, was discovered. Scientists suggest that the sculpture was made in one of the Greek cities of Asia Minor in the V century BC, in the era of the Greco-Persian Wars.
“Most likely, it was made by imprinting from a matrix, and then the master of raw clay engraved hair and beard,” experts say on the page of the institute on the social network. Recent studies of terracotta showed that in ancient times the sculpture was painted. “Scientists from the Kurchatov Institute found remains of resin from coniferous trees, gypsum and mineral dyes on samples taken from the mustache area of the nostrils, upper lip. The hair, beard and mustache were probably painted brown. attachment, which suggests that it may have been used as a ship decoration, “- said the experts.
