The Motya Youth: Apollo Karneios, Art, and Tyranny in the Greek West.

All interpretations of the celebrated Motya Youth, dating to about 480–450 BCE, have neglected the full significance of the five holes on the statue's head, which were there since its discovery in 1979. A reinterpretation of the figure taking these holes into consideration points to its identity as an initiate of Apollo Karneios, shown at rest after having performed the dance in honor of the god. Art, history, and iconography combine to suggest that the figure may have been none other than Gelon, the tyrant of Syracuse, as a young man. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]