The Boxing Boys wall-painting from Thera
The famous wall-painting of the Boxing Boys initially adorned Room 1 of Building B, a central complex in the vivid prehistoric settlement of Akrotiri.
The fresco presents the boxing game of two boys, who were not older than 12 years old. They are depicted in profile, with their eyes rendered frontally in the manner of that time. Their heads are shaved, but preserve long hair queues falling gracefully on the shoulders. They fight with their right fists coated with some sort of gloves, denoting that they are right-handed fighters. One of them is adorned with jewelry, while the other wears none, an element that resulted in endless discussions among scholars.
The enigmatic theme of children fight has no parallel in prehistoric Aegean, therefore it cannot be interpreted with certainty, whether it denotes a sport, an initiation ritual, or a legend.
- Athens, National Archaeological Museum, inv. n. NAM BE 1974.26
- Ca 1600 BC (LC I period)
- H. 1.95 m. W. 0.94 m.
- Fresco on lime plaster
- Provenance: Building B, Room B1, Akrotiri, Thera
Bibliography
- Georma, F. (2018). The Representation of the Human Figure on Theran Wall-paintings: Conventions and Stylistic Observations, In A.G. Vlachopoulos (Ed.), Χρωστήρες. Paintbrushes. Wall-Painting and Vase-Painting of the Second Millennium BC in Dialogue, International Conferenceon Aegean Iconography Held at Akrotiri, Thera, 24-26 Μay 2013. (pp. 292-299). Athens: Society for the Promotion of Theran Studies. Retrieved from: https://www.academia.edu/41545772/GEORMA_The_presentation_of_human_figure_on_theran_wall_paintings
- Τελεβάντου, Χ. (1992). Θηραϊκές τοιχογραφίες: οι ζωγράφοι, Στο Χ. Ντούμας. (Επιμ.), Ακρωτήρι Θήρας. Είκοσι Χρόνια Έρευνας (1967-1987). Συμπεράσματα – Προβλήματα – Προοπτικές (σσ. 57-66), Αθήνα: H εν Αθήναις Αρχαιολογική Εταιρεία.
