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Kleobis and Biton

Herodotus informs us that they were the two sons of a priestess in the temple of Hera at Argos and that one day, because the oxen which drew their mother's chariot to the sanctuary were late, they yoked themselves, in an act of filial piety and dedication, to the chariot and carried their mother the 45 stadia (approx. 8 km). When they lay down to rest after their feat the goddess rewarded them with the gift of eternal sleep.

The two youths are here portrayed larger than life size (2.16 m) in the typical, somewhat rigid stance of kouroi: they are nude, standing with the left foot in front and the arms, with clenched fists, glued to the side of the body. Particularly impressive is the robust and athletic modeling of the bodies and their powerful muscles. A
n inscription on their base tells us that they were made by the Argive sculptor Polymedes. They are dated to the years 610 - 580 B.C.

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