Acrolith

The Antinous Mondragone, the head from an acrolithic cult image of the deified Antinous

An acrolith is a composite sculpture made of stone and other materials; with in the trunk of the figure made of wood, and the head, hands, and feet made of marble. The wood was concealed either by drapery or by gilding; only the marble parts were exposed to view. This type of statuary was common and widespread in Classical antiquity.

Greek etymology: acros and lithos, English translation: "height" or "extremity" and "stone".

Similarly, chryselephantine sculpture used ivory instead of marble, and often gold on parts of the body and ornaments. Acroliths are frequently mentioned by Pausanias (100s CE), the best known example being the Athene Areia ("Warlike Athena") of the Plataeans.

Examples of acrolithic sculptures

• Athene Areia of the Plataeans
• Colossus of Constantine
• Antinous Mondragone
• Hera Farnese
• Augustus, dea Roma, Tiberius, Livia from Leptis Magna in Libya

Media related to Acrolithic statues at Wikimedia Commons

References

•  This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. 

Secondary sources

• Barrett, Anthony A (2002). Livia,First Lady of Imperial Rome. Yale University Press. ISBN 978-0-300-10298-7.