The Kore of Thera: Ancient Greek Masterpiece Brought Out of Storage

The Kore of Thera, an exquisite female statue discovered twenty-two years ago on Santorini but kept in storage since then due to lack of space, will at last be displayed at the renovated local museum, the Greek Culture Ministry announced on Friday.

Kore is the modern term given to a type of free-standing ancient Greek sculpture of the Archaic Period depicting female figures always of a young age. Kouroi are the youthful male equivalents of kore statues.

The complete renovation of the Archaeological Museum of Thera, which houses the island’s important exhibits from historical times, is now near completion.

The main exhibit of the museum will be the Kore of Thera, a rare masterpiece of Greek sculpture from the 7th century BC, which unexpectedly came to light in November 2000. This was during a rescue excavation in the cemetery of the ancient city of Thera in southeastern Sellada by the Theraian archeologist Charalambos Sigalas.

The 2.48 meter tall statue made of white Naxos marble is mostly intact. Only the tip of the nose and the arm of the bent right hand resting on the chest are missing.

The Kore of Thera is dressed in a long Doric veil and highlights the stylistic features of a woman’s dress in the second half of the 7th century BC.

The Kore of Thera will feature in an exhibition opening on September 4th

The Ministry of Culture and Sports has classified the project for the renovation of the museum as a top priority.

“The implementation of this project,” said Minister Lina Mendoni, “is being boosted with additional funding while being speeded up at the same time.”

Mendoni announced: “We will facilitate this process in every way to ensure the thoroughness of the operation and to return the treasures kept in the Archaeological Museum as soon as possible to the people of Thera and to the hundreds of thousands of visitors to the island.”

As the renovation work of the museum progresses and is expected to be completed next year, Kore will come out of archeological storage and be exhibited for the first time by the Ephorate of Cyclades on September 4, 2022.