Scientists at the Institute of Archeology of the Russian Academy of Sciences and the Kurchatov Institute research center have reconstructed the appearance of an ancient Greek terracotta sculpture, which was discovered in preparation for the construction of the Crimean bridge. This was reported by the press service of the Kurchatov Institute.

In 2017, the underwater detachment of the Institute of Archeology studied a large cluster of ancient ceramics at the bottom of the Kerch Bay. This cultural layer was previously deposited in the harbor of the ancient Greek city of Panticapaeum from the VI century BC. according to the 8th century AD During the excavation, a terracotta head was found, presumably depicting one of the ancient Greek gods.

Studies have shown that the sculpture is made of porous clay by the impression method from the matrix. The ancient master engraved on raw clay, designated hair and beard, then the product was fired: this technology was already known in the VI century BC. e.

Scientists note that the sculpture combines the artistic techniques of two or three fine schools. The upper part of the face is made in an archaic tradition, characterized by sharp transitions and large eyes. The image of the nose, lips and beard corresponds to the Eastern canons. This suggested that the sculpture was made in a small workshop in one of the Greek cities of Asia Minor, which imitated the techniques known at that time.

Originally, the sculpture dates back to the 5th century. BC e. - the era of the Greco-Persian wars and the heyday of classical Greek culture. During the initial cleaning of bottom sediments, archaeologists took samples from the inside of the product, from the area of ​​the mustache, nostrils, upper lip and from the deepening of the hair line, indicating the beard. All these fragments were no more than 1 mm in diameter and did not cause any damage to the sculpture. For further research, archaeologists resorted to the help of specialists from the Kurchatov Institute and handed them the samples.

“The studies carried out allowed us to recreate the original appearance of ancient terracotta, determine the exact composition of the pigments used and establish a method for making sculptures,” said Ekaterina Yatsishina, head of the laboratory of natural sciences in the humanities of the Kurchatov Institute.

The study used methods of x-ray microanalysis, optical and scanning electron microscopy, infrared spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction on a synchrotron. The work of Kurchatov allowed to reconstruct the original coloring of terracotta. It was established that the beard and hair of the sculpture were coated with a composition based on wood resin. It was used as a base on which dye was applied. The lips of the statue were painted red: on top of the gypsum layer, which was used as a leveling coating, ocher dye was applied.

Using neutron and X-ray tomography, the researchers also found that the sculpture was created by sculpting with the sequential addition of profile parts to the clay base. Probably, it was attached with the bottom to the lost support or base with a lead screed.

  • General view of terracotta sculpture and sampling sites
  • © SIC "Kurchatov Institute"

Radiocarbon dating of the resin sample confirmed the date of the creation of the statue - V century BC

The use of high-tech techniques of natural science analysis helped to clarify the dating, appearance and origin of the antique artifact. However, the main mystery, according to scientists, remains the purpose of the sculpture.

“The context of this find is largely unclear: we do not know how it was used,” said Academician Nikolai Makarov, director of the Institute of Archeology of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

According to the researchers, the sculpture was intended for installation on a ship: the resin covering the terracotta most likely impeded the destructive effect of sea water.