Use this image 482962001 | British Museum

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Asset number

482962001

Description

Bronze prow-fitting from a boat or small ship: the prow is heavily corroded, and encrusted with remains of sea creatures. The medallion bust has damage to the breasts of the female figure, and the sides of the prow are torn. The sides have rivet holes for attaching the object to the ship, and there are remains of wood on the inner sides. From a tondo at the tip of the prow emerges a bust of a figure wearing a helmet and an aegis strapped under the arms and over the shoulders. Both the sex and the identity of the subject are unclear, but it is usually thought to be female and either Athena or Roma. Athena is more likely to wear the aegis than Roma, and the latter is usually represented like an Amazon, in a short tunic with one breast exposed. The goddess turns slightly to her left, and raises her hands upwards. Her eyes are particularly large, similar to portraits from Egypt dating to the late Hellenistic period. The helmet is also a Greek type from the Hellenistic period, with a broad peak and a rudimentary cheek piece on either side, and a bronze fitting on the top for the plume, presumably separately made and attached.

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