Statue of Zeus abducting the boy Ganymede

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This terracotta statue of Zeus and Ganymede depicts Zeus carrying the boy Ganymede off to Mount Olympus. It was created in the first quarter of the fifth century and found at the Archaeological site of Olympia. The sculpture depicts a Greek mythology story, in which Zeus falls in love with Ganymede's beauty and abducts him to serve as cup-bearer in Olympus. The homoerotic connection between an adult man and a youth was not disapproved of by ancient Greek culture. If kept within certain limits, it formed part of an aristocratic ideal. As a god, Zeus could transgress those mortal limits and steal the youth away. Olympia Archaeological museum.

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Size: 6619px × 5266px
Location:
Photo credit: © DAVID PARKER/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

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