Archytas or just a man in a turban "Buried by Vesuvius" at the Getty Villa until October 28, 2019

Archytas or just a man in a turban "Buried by Vesuvius" at the Getty Villa until October 28, 2019.
This figure with a mature face, bulging brow, and turban was at first identified as Archytas, an ancient Greek philosopher from Tarentum, in southern Italy. Archytas was famous for his knowledge of astronomy and his skill in mechanics, and was said to have built a wooden bird that could fly. Today the portrait’s identification is considered uncertain, but the man probably represents a philosopher or poet, perhaps from the East. The figure was originally depicted with a bare chest. His clothing was added in the eighteenth century and bears the three-rosette mark of the Neapolitan royal foundry that was responsible for restoring finds from Herculaneum. This bust was found at the east corner of the square peristyle of the Villa dei Papiri on November 6, 1753.


Image: Man wearing a turban possibly Archytas or some other poet or philosopher from the east recovered from the Villa dei Papiri in Herculaneum. Image courtesy of Allan Gluck.

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