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Dick Osseman | all galleries >> Istanbul >> Museums - Müzeler >> Istanbul archaeology museum >> 2nd Century AD >> Marsyas from Tarsos > Istanbul Arch Museum 1515.jpg
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09-SEP-2003

Istanbul Arch Museum 1515.jpg

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The Statue of Marsyas was found in Tarsus, a historical city in south-central Turkey.

He is depicted as hung from a tree and his muscles stretched due to torture draw attention. So to say, he has a physically silent but angry expression. The original version of this special statue should have been placed to the center of a group of statues including the statue of Apollo sitting on his left side and a slave sharpening his knife in order to skin him on his right side.

Marsyas, the main character of an Anatolian story, is depicted while bearing the consequences of his rivalry with Apollo, the god of music. According to the story, Marsyas claims that he plays his flute better than Apollo plays his lyre. Neither of them wins in a musical contest, but Apollo asks Marsyas to turn his instrument upside down and to add his own voice. However, Marsyas cannot meet this challenge and Apollo wins the contest. Angry because of being challenged by a mortal, Apollo skins Marsyas alive and hangs his skin to a pine tree. However, he feels sorry later, breaks his lyre and turns Marsyas into a river.

He is mostly put in the period he is copied from. But as the notice in the museum has "Roman Period" I looked further. I found one site that has it dating from the 2nd century AD. The Erotes birds fight is from the same period and century according to that site. I trust it.

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