Alexander The Great Statue Unveiled in Athens

A stunning bronze statue of Alexander the Great was unveiled in central Athens on Friday morning by the Mayor of Athens, George Kaminis.
The low-key ceremony took place at the statue’s new home, at the intersection of Amalias and Vasilissis Olgas (Queen Olga) avenues in Athens, just a few meters from the ancient site of the Temple of Olympian Zeus.
This is a much more prominent spot than the imposing statue had occupied since 2005, in the middle of a property near the sculptor’s workshop which is owned by the Benaki Museum.
In a statement issued by the Mayor of Athens, it is noted that this statue, which depicts Alexander astride his beloved horse Bucephalus, is unique, in that it shows Alexander as a teenager rather than a mature warrior and conqueror.
”It is a statue without militaristic symbolism,” Kaminis said, adding that the cultural heritage of Athens is now enriched even further by the addition of the statue in a central spot of the Greek capital.
The equestrian statue of Alexander was created by the sculptor Giannis Pappas in 1993, but it was never positioned in a central place within the Greek capital, for many, mainly political, reasons.
The ceremony was attended by a number of Greek MPs as well as the mayor of the city of Pella, the birthplace of Alexander the Great in Central Macedonia.