The Moschophoros (Calf Bearer) statue dates from approximately 570 BC.
This early Archaic marble sculpture shows a bearded man carrying a calf across his shoulders, apparently as a sacrificial offering to Athena. Its name comes from the Greek word for “calf-bearer.” The statue was dedicated on the Athenian Acropolis, a major religious center, and is usually dated more precisely to about 570–560 BC.
An inscription on the base identifies the dedicator as Rhombos, son of Palos, probably a wealthy Athenian. The figure’s thin himation, inlaid eyes, and reserved “Archaic smile” reveal how Greek sculptors were moving beyond rigid geometric forms while still using a frontal, formal pose.
The statue was found in fragments during excavations on the Acropolis in 1864; its base and feet were discovered nearby later. A common mix-up is treating 570 BC as an exact year: it is an archaeological estimate, not a dated historical event.