Abstract

In 2000 the statue of a nude boy with himation was excavated in Elaiussa Sebasté in Cilicia. It is now on display at the Archaeological Museum of Mersin. Although the statue composition shows the features characteristic of sculptural works of the first half of the Third century BC, it was created obviously later than in the Fourth century BC, due to the discrepancy in the representation of body and of himation. They do not form a unity, but two separate ‘elements’ to attract the viewer’s attention. In the Third century BC attention was much more drawn to the himation than to the body. Sophisticated fall of the himation folds following geometric patterns characterize clay figurines of the period. Thus the coat of the ‘Mersin boy’ does not form a unity with his torso, but is intentionally set apart, and the left side view shows a wall rather than a covering drapery. The most characteristic feature of the statue iconography is his, as H. Döhl calls it, Spitzbauch – a child’s big, protruding belly. And these bellies can be traced back in the afore mentioned period.