Marble head of Apollo from Thessaloniki (ΜΘ 1263)

It comes from the excavations at Vardariou square, in 1932 according to the Inventory of the museum.

The head, which is preserved with the neck and the cervix, consists of two joining fragments and it has been reconstructed. The upper part of the head bone, the face, the neck and the curls of the hair bear chips and abrasions. The back side has been rendered schematically. The head has a slant and it is slightly turning towards its right side, whereas the top of the head bone bore a bow that has been broken.

It is an idealistic head whose hairstyle is common from the second half of the 4th century BC onwards for both male and female heads. This hairstyle is common for heads of Apollo Citharoedus. This particular head is a variation of the type of Apollo of Cyrene and mostly Apollo of Basel of the second half of the 4th century BC.

According to the details of the face this work is dated to the middle of the 2nd century AD as it can be compared with similar works. It probably belonged to a votive or a cult statue at a sanctuary in the area.

The exhibit is located at the exhibition, Macedonia from the 7th century BC until the Late Antiquity, Hall 3.