Statue of Minerva

The goddess is dressed in a long peplos, encircled just below the breast by a sash, originally made of metal. A cloak descends from her shoulders down her back, which at the front takes the form of the usual aegis (a goatskin) protected by the central Gorgon head and snakes. The left arm, bent and outstretched from the body, holds a shield (perhaps the result of an 18th-century restoration, in place of the previous metal shield); in the right hand must have been a long spear, resting on the ground. On his head he wears a tall helmet, also the result of various restorations to replace the usual type, Corinthian and metal. The statue is derived from an Attic original from the end of the 5th century BC.