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After the Persian army sacked Athens in 480 BCE, the Acropolis and its temples and sculpture lay in ruin. A year later, the Greeks defeated the Persians. The Athenians returned home and cleared the Acropolis and buried the damaged sculpture, including the Korai that once stood there. 

Centuries later, after the liberation of Greece from Turkish rule in 1833, Athenians began clearing and excavating the Acropolis. On January 24-25,1886, archaeologists discovered 14 Korai near Erechtheion, including Kore 670, the masterpiece on display here. Which was graciously loaned to the ROM by the Hellenic Republic and the New Acropolis Museum, Athens, from March 12, 2022 to September 25, 2022. 

This lecture will discuss the meaning of a Kore, the archaeological story, and its aesthetics. Another topic will be the use of polychrome on sculpture since many of the Korai were found with some of their original colour preserved. The exhibition at ROM is generously supported by the Hellenic Heritage Foundation of Canada.