Statue of Mars, York

The Statue of Mars, York is a Roman stone statue depicting the God Mars, found in York in 1880 and now in the Yorkshire Museum.[1]

Statue of Mars
The Statue of Mars in the Yorkshire Museum
MaterialSandstone
Createdc.4th century
Period/cultureRoman
Discovered1880
Bar Convent, York, North Yorkshire
Present locationRoman Gallery, Yorkshire Museum, York
IdentificationYORYM: 1998.26

Discovery

The statue was discovered in 1880 on or beneath Bar Convent, York along with three religious altars. It was donated to the Yorkshire Museum (then the Yorkshire Philosophical Society) by the Mother Superior.[2] The altars were dedicated to Mars,[3] the Mother Goddesses,[4] and Veteris respectively.[5] It was carved "with great dexterity" from local sandstone and may originally have come from the fortress at Eboracum.[6]

Description

The statue stands to a height of 5 feet 10 inches (1.78 m), though it is missing the feet from below the ankle and any plinth it may have originally stood on. Mars is depicted as a youthful soldier, wearing a Greek helmet and bearing a large oval shield held in his left arm. He is wearing a cuirass with elaborate lappets beneath and at the sleeves over a tunic. He has a sword strapped on his left side. His right arm is extended but the hand is missing; this probably held a spear originally.[1]

Public display

The Statue was first put on display in 1881, in the Hospitium in the York Museum Gardens.[2] It has featured prominently in the Yorkshire Museum's exhibitions ever since.

In the 1980s the statue was on display as part of an exhibition titled "Roman Life at the Yorkshire Museum".[7]

In 2010 the Yorkshire Museum reopened after a twelve-month closure for redevelopment. The new exhibition, "Roman York - Meet the People of the Empire" features the statue as a central piece of the display and is situated at the entrance into the main hall of the museum.[8][9]

  • Keeper of the Yorkshire Museum Liz Hartley posing with the Statue of Mars in the 1980s.
    Keeper of the Yorkshire Museum Liz Hartley posing with the Statue of Mars in the 1980s.
  • The statue on display in 2007.
    The statue on display in 2007.
  • The statue on display in 2011.
    The statue on display in 2011.

References
  1. Royal Commission on Historic Monuments England (1962). "Roman York: Inscription, Sculptures and Architectural Fragments". An Inventory of the Historical Monuments in City of York, Volume 1, Eburacum, Roman York. Her Majesty's Stationery Office. pp. 111–135.
  2. Wellbeloved, C. (1881). Handbook to the grounds and antiquities of the Yorkshire Philosophical Society (7th ed.). John Sampson. pp. 34–35.
  3. "RIB 650. Altar dedicated to Mars". Roman Inscriptions of Britain. Retrieved 16 October 2018.
  4. "RIB 652. Altar dedicated to the Mother Goddesses of the household". Roman Inscriptions of Britain. Retrieved 16 October 2018.
  5. "RIB 660. Altar dedicated to Veteris". Roman Inscriptions of Britain. Retrieved 16 October 2018.
  6. Henig, M (1995). The Art of Roman Britain. BT Batsford. p. 48.
  7. Hartley, E. (1985). Roman Life at the Yorkshire Museum. Yorkshire Museum. ISBN 0905807022.
  8. Miller, B. (30 July 2010). "Face to face with the new-look Yorkshire Museum". Culture24. Retrieved 11 October 2018.
  9. "ROMAN YORK – MEET THE PEOPLE OF THE EMPIRE". Yorkshire Museum. Retrieved 16 October 2018.
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