Theocosmus () was a Greek sculptor born in

Megara Megara (; , ) is a historic town and a municipality in West Attica, Greece. It lies in the northern section of the Isthmus of Corinth opposite the island of Salamis Island, Salamis, which belonged to Megara in archaic times, before being taken ...

, active in his city and in

Delphi Delphi (; ), in legend previously called Pytho (Πυθώ), was an ancient sacred precinct and the seat of Pythia, the major oracle who was consulted about important decisions throughout the ancient Classical antiquity, classical world. The A ...

during the second half of the 5th century BC. He was the father of the sculptor Callicles of Megara.Smith, "Theocosmus" He was part of a family of artists from Megara; in addition to his own work, the sculptural activities of both his son Callicles and his grandson Apellas are documented.Paus. 6.7.2 With the help of

Phidias Phidias or Pheidias (; , ''Pheidias''; ) was an Ancient Greek sculptor, painter, and architect, active in the 5th century BC. His Statue of Zeus at Olympia was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Phidias also designed the statues of ...

, he worked on a seated statue of

Zeus Zeus (, ) is the chief deity of the List of Greek deities, Greek pantheon. He is a sky father, sky and thunder god in ancient Greek religion and Greek mythology, mythology, who rules as king of the gods on Mount Olympus. Zeus is the child ...

for the Olympieion of Megara, which remained unfinished due to the outbreak of the

Peloponnesian War The Second Peloponnesian War (431–404 BC), often called simply the Peloponnesian War (), was an Ancient Greece, ancient Greek war fought between Classical Athens, Athens and Sparta and their respective allies for the hegemony of the Ancien ...

in 431 BC and the subsequent incursions of the

Athenians Athens ( ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. A significant coastal urban area in the Mediterranean, Athens is also the capital of the Attica (region), Attica region and is the southe ...

into Megarian territory. The face may have been completed in gold and ivory (

chryselephantine Chryselephantine sculpture () is a sculpture made with gold and ivory. Chryselephantine cult statues enjoyed high status in Ancient Greece. Ancient examples Chryselephantine statues were built around a wooden frame with thin carved slabs of ...

), but as resources for these materials were unavailable during the war, the rest was made of clay and plaster. At the back of the throne lay some partially worked wooden logs that Theocosmus had intended to cover with ivory and gold and use to complete the statue. Above the god’s head were the

Horae In Greek mythology, the Horae (), Horai () or Hours (, ) were the goddesses of the seasons and the natural portions of time. Etymology The term ''hora'' comes from the Proto-Indo-European ("year"). Function The Horae were originally the ...

and the Moirae. The wooden parts of the rest of the figure, meant for later work, were displayed behind the temple. He also created the statues that were part of the grand

ex-voto An ex-voto is a votive offering to a saint or a divinity, given in fulfillment of a vow (hence the Latin term, short for ''ex voto suscepto'', "from the vow made") or in gratitude or devotion. The term is usually restricted to Christian example ...

dedicated by the

Lacedaemonians Sparta was a prominent city-state in Laconia in ancient Greece. In antiquity, the city-state was known as Lacedaemon (), while the name Sparta referred to its main settlement in the valley of Evrotas river in Laconia, in southeastern Pe ...

at Delphi, made from the spoils of the

Battle of Aegospotami The Battle of Aegospotami () was a naval confrontation that took place in 405 BC and was the last major battle of the Peloponnesian War. In the battle, a Spartan fleet under Lysander destroyed the Athenian navy. This effectively ended the war, sin ...

(405 BC). The work included around forty bronze statues of gods, Spartans, Lysander with his seer Agias, his helmsman Hermon, and a herald, as well as the navarchs of Sparta's allied cities.Paus. 10.9.8 Therefore, Theocosmus must have flourished from before the beginning to after the end of the Peloponnesian War, roughly around 435–430 BC.

References

Bibliography

* * Smith, William. '' A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology''. London
Entry: "Theocosmus"
* * * {{Cite journal , last=Vollkommer , first=Rainer , title=Theokosmos , journal=Künstlerlexikon der Antike , date=2001 , language=de , location=Saur, München/Leipzig 2004 , volume=2: ''L–Z. Addendum A–K.'' , pages=891–892 , isbn=3-598-11414-1 Ancient Megarians 5th-century BC Greek sculptors