The Colossal Archaic Naxian Statues in the Sanctuary of Apollo on Delos

This article presents data from the stable isotope analysis of marble from five fragments of sculpture and a massive base that together are said to comprise the remains of the statue on Delos known as the Naxian Colossus. This key work in the early history of monumental Greek marble sculpture has attracted the attention of travelers since the 15th century (Buondelmonti, Cyriacus of Ancona). Plutarch’s testimony that the great andrias of the Naxians was knocked down by the bronze palm tree of Nicias in a storm promoted the belief that all or some of the pieces identified with the colossus belonged to a later replacement for the original Archaic-period statue (dated ca. 600 BCE). The data from stable isotope analyses, in combination with the evidence from a recent analysis of style and proportions, now points to the conclusion that the fragments and base likely belong to at least three different archaic colossal statues. We explore the present limits in our interpretation of marble isotope analyses. We argue that this evidence is currently the best available means of understanding the highly debated inscription on the east side of the base: “I am of the same stone, statue and base.”