Focus on Croatian Apoxyomenos and explore the Analysis and open questions.
Shards of wood, twigs, a few seeds of fruits, pitted olives and cherries, and the nest of a small rodent were found inside Apoxyomenos. Radiocarbon dating of organic material found inside the statue indicated that Apoxyomenos did not fall into the sea immediately after it was made, but, according to the results, sometime between 20 BC and 110 AD.Extensive underwater search on an area of 50,000 square meters (540,000 sq.ft) around the finding, using robotic probes and metal detectors, revealed fragments of the bronze base of the statue, a lead anchor bar, and some amphorae remains. Since the findings do not indicate a shipwreck, researchers believe that Apoxyomenos was thrown into the sea from a Roman merchant ship during a storm, but the reason remains a mystery.At the beginning of 2nd century AD, this Apoxyomenos was already considered to be an antique. It may have been in the process of being transported to one of major cities in the Northern Adriatic, such as Aquileia, Trieste, Ravenna, Pula or Poreč. An early Roman villa with thermae in Verige Bay on the island of Veliki Brijun is also one of the likely destinations.
Since the discovery, archaeologists are divided over the question of whether the model for the sculptor was left-handed or right-handed. While he was visiting the Apoxyomenos exhibition in Palazzo Medici Riccardi, Italian Education Minister Giuseppe Fioroni concluded that the model was left-handed. He based this on his observation that the left shoulder muscles of the model are more developed than those on the right.Croatian archaeologist Nenad Cambi analysed the body type and proportions of the statue and concluded – based on the muscular development of the upper torso – that it most probably represents a wrestler.Cambi has challenged the classification and naming of the sculpture. In his view, Apoxyomenos is not the correct name for the statue because the model is cleaning the scraping instrument, not his body. In this respect, this statue is different from the others, except for the Viennese one, found in 1896. Cambi believes that statue, too, is misclassified. Cambi argues that the correct name for the statue of this type would be the Strigil Cleaner.
Ravenna Strigil Giuseppe Fioroni Italian Education Minister thermae Palazzo Medici Riccardi Pula amphora bronze Aquileia Croatian Poreč Radiocarbon dating Veliki Brijun left Apoxyomenos Trieste