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Original Antinous statue in the Delphi-Museum, Inv. -No. 1718
Antinoos (Antinous), the favourite boy of the Roman emperor Hadrian (76-138 AD), came from Bithynia in northwestern Asia Minor.
He accompanied Hadrian on his extensive journeys through the empire. When he drowned in the Nile at the age of 20 in 130 AD under unexplained circumstances, the fatally unhappy ruler mourned for life. He surrounded himself with statues and busts of his young friend.
Some of the cities committed to Hadrian gave their city god the nickname of Antinoo and erected statues of the idol. A cult of the god Antinous arose, temples were built in his honor.
Thus, the reproductions of the beauty belong to the most frequently found antique exhibits in the Mediterranean region. Its cult gained some importance mainly in the eastern part of the empire and can be proven until the end of the 5th century AD.
The statue of the original, dating back to the 2nd century A. D., is an exhibition piece of the Archaeological Museum in Delphi under the inventory no. 1718, measuring 1.8 m in the original and found in 1893 in the Apollon Temple in Delphi.
Replica as a reduced bust impression.
This product was added to our catalog on Tuesday, March 11, 2014.