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Aegina E 8, Left Opponent of E. Ped. 2, view from behind pediment

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Aegina E 8, Left Opponent of E. Ped. 2, view facing pediment from central ...

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Aegina E 8, Left Opponent of E. Ped. 2, right foot

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Aegina E 8, Left Opponent of E. Ped. 2, right calf, facing pediment

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Aegina E 8, Left Opponent of E. Ped. 2, view from left

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Aegina E 8, Left Opponent of E. Ped. 2, right leg, det. of cloth against t...

Collection: Munich, Glyptothek
Title: Aegina, E. Ped. 2, fig. E 8: Opponent of left Champion
Context: From Aegina, Sanctuary of Aphaia
Findspot: Excavated at Aegina, Sanctuary of Aphaia
Summary: Opponent losing duel to the left of Athena
Material: Marble
Sculpture Type: Architectural
Category: Statuary group
Placement: East pediment
Style: Late Archaic
Technique: In-the-round
Date: ca. 490 BC - ca. 480 BC
Scale: Life-size
Region: Saronic Gulf
Period: Late Archaic
In Group: Aegina East Pediment 2


Subject Description:

The Left Opponent E8, like most of the figures on the left side of the East Pediment, has survived in only fragmentary condition. From the legs including the right foot and part of the plinth, the restorers have deduced a pose similar to that of the Right Opponent E3, in mirror reverse. The figure appears slightly off-balance. Most of the weight has shifted to the rear, right leg. He faces right, toward the center of the pediment and the Left Champion E7 he opposes (extremely fragmentary remains; not represented in the large Munich reconstruction). Like E3, he must have been wounded and is reeling back. He wears greaves and, at the least, a short chiton, the lower edge of which is preserved at the top of each thigh. A fragment of the left shoulder was once extant. Part of his left arm with shield-stay and right lower arm have also been preserved. On the assumption that the Right Champion is a Trojan and the Left Champion therefore a Greek, presumably Telamon, the Left Opponent E8 is a Trojan warrior. This would be analogous to the West Pediment, where the pair on the left of Athena represent Ajax and a Trojan.

Form & Style:

The scale and musculature are comparable to the other East Pediment figures; the bit of preserved drapery appears roughly similar to that of Herakles. The off-balance stance is reminiscent of E3, as noted, and distinctly unlike the West Pediment poses.

Condition: Fragmentary

Condition Description: The better part of both legs is preserved, excluding the left foot. Not included in the Munich reconstruction, but extant: left arm with shield-stay (Munich) and right lower arm and hand (Aegina).

Material Description:

Parian Marble

Associated Building: Aegina, Temple of Aphaia